Gigliola Cinquetti | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cinquetti in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gigliola Cinquetti (1947-12-20)20 December 1947 (age 77) Verona, Italy |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1963–present |
Spouse | |
Gigliola Cinquetti (Italian pronunciation:[dʒiʎˈʎɔːlatʃiŋˈkwetti]; bornGiliola Cinquetti[1] on 20 December 1947)[2] is an Italian singer, songwriter and television presenter.
Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family inVerona, Italy.From the ages of 9 to 13, she studied and tookpiano lessons, taking exams in music theory. She loves painting and art.[citation needed]
At the age of 16, she debuted at and won theSanremo Music Festival 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" ("I'm not old enough"), with music composed byMario Panzeri and lyrics byNicola Salerno. Her win enabled her to represent Italy in theEurovision Song Contest 1964 inCopenhagen with the same song, where she claimed her country's first ever victory in the event. Cinquetti became the youngest winner of the contest that far, aged 16 years and 92 days, beaten only by 13-year-oldSandra Kim in 1986.[3]
The song became an international success, even spending 17 weeks in theUK singles chart[4] and ending the year as the 88th best-selling single in the U.K. in 1964,[5] something highly unusual for Italian-language material. It sold over three million copies, and was awarded a platinum disc in August 1964.[6] In 1966, she recorded "Dio, come ti amo" ("God, How I Love You"), which became another international hit.[citation needed]
One of her other songs, "Alle porte del sole" (released in 1973), was re-recorded in both English (as "To the Door of the Sun") and Italian byAl Martino, two years after its initial release; "To the Door of the Sun" reached No. 17 onBillboard'sHot 100 in the United States. Cinquetti's own English version of the song was released as a single by CBS Records in August 1974, with her original 1973 Italian version on theB-side.
Cinquetti returned in theEurovision Song Contest 1974, held inBrighton, where she again represented Italy. Performing the song "Sì" ("Yes"), the music and lyrics of which were written byMario Panzeri,Daniele Pace,Lorenzo Pilat and Carrado Conti, she came second with 18 points after "Waterloo", sung bySweden'sABBA, who won with 24 points. The live telecast of her song was banned in her home country by the Italian national broadcasterRAI, as the event partially coincided with the campaigning for the1974 Italian divorce referendum which was to be held a month later in May.[7] RAI censored the song because of concerns that the name and lyrics of the song (which constantly repeated the word 'Sì') could be accused of being asubliminal message and a form of propaganda to influence the Italian voting public to vote 'Yes' in the referendum.[8] The song remained censored on most Italian state TV and radio stations for over a month. Cinquetti later recorded versions of the song inEnglish ("Go (Before You Break My Heart)"),French ("Lui"),German ("Ja") andSpanish ("Sí"). The English-language version reached number 8 in theUK singles chart in June 1974.[4][9][10]
She graduated from the art school of Salerno, also obtaining the qualification to teach. She married Luciano Teodori in 1979, and they have two children together – Giovanni and Costantino. She has a sister named Rosabianca. Her parents are Luigi and Sara.
In the 1990s, Cinquetti became a professional journalist and TV presenter and among others she hosted thecurrent affairs programmeItalia Rai onRAI International. She later co-hosted theEurovision Song Contest 1991 withToto Cutugno, who had brought the event to Italy with his victory inZagreb the previous year – the country's first win in the contest since her own twenty-six years earlier.
In 2008, Cinquetti received an award as a tribute to her career in Italy and around the world. She published an autobiography in 2014.
Cinquetti returned to the Eurovision stage to perform "Non ho l'età" as an interval act during the final of the2022 contest inTurin.
In the following occasions, Gigliola Cinquetti competed at theSanremo Music Festival:
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT [11] | BE (FLA) [12] | BE (WA) [13] | FRA [14] | GER [15] | IRE [16] | JAP | NL [17] | NOR [18] | QUE [19] | SA [20] | SPA [21] | UK [22] | ||
| 1964 | "Non ho l'età" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | 2 | 3 | — | 4 | — | 17 |
| "No tengo edad para amarte"(Spain-only release)[A] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | |
| "Il primo bacio che darò" | 11 | 16 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "El primer beso"(Spain-only release)[B] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | |
| "Oh warum"(Germany-only release) | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | "Ho bisogno di vederti" | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1966 | "Dio come ti amo" | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — |
| 1967 | "La rosa nera" | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1968 | "Sera" | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Giuseppe in Pennsylvania" | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Quelli erano giorni" | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1969 | "La pioggia" | 2 | — | 7 | 5 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "L'orage"[C] | — | — | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Il treno dell'amore" | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Hello Nadine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "La pioggia"(Japanese version; Japan-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "La lluvia"(Spain-only release)[D] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | |
| "Come una foglia"(Japan-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "Romantico blues" | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Volano le rondini" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "La domenica andando alla messa" | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Le bateau-mouche"(Canada and France-only release) | — | — | 48 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Rose nel buio" | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Amarti e poi morire" | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Qui comando io" | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Gira l'amore" | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Un coin de terre, un olivier"(France-only release) | — | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | "El domingo yendo a misa"(Spain-only release)[E] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | — |
| "Tango delle capinere" | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "La spagnola" | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | "Alle porte del sole" | 1 | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Dernière histoire, premier amour"(France and Belgium-only release)[F] | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Si" | 17 | 30 | 6 | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Lui"(France and Belgium-only release)[G] | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "A las puerto del cielo"(Spain-only release)[H] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | |
| "Go (Before You Break My Heart)"[I] | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | |
| "Ja"(Germany-only release)[J] | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "The Door of the Sun"[K] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "La primavera"(France and Portugal-only release) | — | — | 17 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Comment fait-elle, dis-moi?"b/w "La Joconde" (Canada-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 8 | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | "Chiamalo amore" | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1986 | "Una donna distante" | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Canzoni, bulli e pupe | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 1965 | 008: Operazione ritmo | Gigliola | |
| Questi pazzi, pazzi italiani | |||
| 1966 | Blockhead | Angelina | |
| Dio, come ti amo! | Gigliola de Francesco | ||
| 1968 | Il professor Matusa e i suoi hippies | Herself | Cameo appearance |
| 2001 | The Knights of the Quest | Superior Mother |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Ciao Italia | Singer | Television film |
| 1966 | Io, Gigliola | Herself/performer | Special |
| 1968 | Le mie prigioni | Zanze | Miniseries (4 episodes) |
| Addio giovinezza! | Dorina | Television film | |
| 1972 | Il bivio | Lalla | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 1977 | L'amico della notte | Herself/presenter | Musical program |
| 1981–1982 | Linea verde | Herself/co-host | Tourism program (season 1) |
| 1981, 1986 | Castrocaro Music Festival | Herself/presenter | Annual music festival |
| 1987 | Unomattina | Herself/reporter | Talk show (season 2) |
| 1988–1989 | Via Telauda 66 | Herself/regular guest | Variety show |
| 1991 | Eurovision Song Contest | Herself/presenter | Annual music festival |
| 1991–1992 | Festa di compleanno | Variety show | |
| 1995 | Napoli prima e dopo | Special | |
| 1999–2002 | Commesse | Clara Massimi | Main role (12 episodes) |
| 2011 | Attenti a quei due – La sfida | Herself/judge | Variety show (season 2) |
| 2012 | Tale e quale show | Herself/contestant | Talent show (season 2) |
| 2022 | Eurovision Song Contest | Herself/singer (performing her winning song from1964) | Annual music festival |
| 2025 | Ora o mai più | Herself/coach | Talent show (season 3) |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest presenter (withToto Cutugno) 1991 | Succeeded by |
