| "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Single byDomenico Modugno | |
| from the EP La strada dei successi | |
| Language | Italian |
| English title | 'In the blue that is painted blue' |
| B-side |
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| Released | 1 February 1958 (1958-02-01) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:29 |
| Label |
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| Composer | Domenico Modugno |
| Lyricists |
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| Audio sample | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 1958 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist | Domenico Modugno |
| Language | |
| Composer | Domenico Modugno |
| Lyricists |
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| Conductor | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 3rd |
| Final points | 13 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Corde della mia chitarra" (1957) | |
| "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" (1959) ► | |
"Nel blu, dipinto di blu" (Italian:[nelˈbludiˈpintodiˈblu]; 'In the blue [sky] [as I was] painted blue'), popularly known as "Volare" (Italian:[voˈlaːre]; 'To fly'), is a song originally recorded by Italian singer-songwriterDomenico Modugno, with music composed by himself and Italian lyrics written by himself andFranco Migliacci. It was released as a single on 1 February 1958.[2]
After winning theeighth edition of theSanremo Music Festival, the songrepresented Italy in thethird edition of theEurovision Song Contest held inHilversum, where it came in third place out of ten songs.
The song spent five non-consecutive weeks atop theBillboard Hot 100 in August and September 1958, and subsequently becameBillboard's number-one single for the year. In 1959, at the1st Annual Grammy Awards, Modugno's recording became the first everGrammy winner for bothRecord of the Year andSong of the Year.[3] The combined sales of all the versions of the song exceed 18 million copies worldwide, making it one of the all-time most popular songs to come out of Sanremo and Eurovision.
The song was later translated into several languages and recorded by a wide range of performers. The song is also used as the basis for numerousfootball chants.[4]
Franco Migliacci began working on the lyrics of the song in June 1957, inspired by two paintings byMarc Chagall. He had planned to go to the sea withDomenico Modugno, but while waiting for Modugno to show up, Migliacci started drinking wine and eventually fell asleep. He had vivid dreams, and when he woke up, he looked at the Chagall paintings (reproductions) on the wall.[5] In "Le coq rouge" was a yellow man suspended in mid-air, while in "Le peintre et la modèle", half the painter's face was coloured blue.[6] So he began penning a song about a man who dreams of painting himself blue, and being able to fly.[5][7]Later that same night, Migliacci discussed his lyrics with Modugno, and for several days they worked on the song, tentatively entitled "Sogno in blu" ('Dream in blue').[8]
In 2008, Modugno's widow, Franca Gandolfi, recalled that her husband, after a storm forced open his window, had the idea of modifying the chorus of the song, introducing the word "Volare", which is now the popular title of the song.[5]
The song is aballad in a dramaticchanson style,[9] in which Modugno describes the feeling he has when with his lover; a feeling that resembles flying. The song opens with a surrealprelude, which the cover versions often left out:
Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più
Mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu
poi d'improvviso venivo dal vento rapito
e incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito.
I think that a dream like that will never return
I painted my hands and my face blue
then was suddenly swept up by the wind
and started to fly in the infinite sky.
The English lyrics were written byMitchell Parish. Alternative English lyrics were written in 1958 byGracie Fields, and were used from then in most concerts she performed in until her death in 1979; she often changed the words to suit her performance and age.
In 1958, the song participated in the selection process for theeighth edition of theSanremo Music Festival. The jury charged with selecting the entries to the competition was going to reject "Nel blu, dipinto di blu"; however, in the end, it was one of the twenty admitted songs.[10]
On 31 January 1958, the song was performed for the first time, during the second night of the Festival, by both Domenico Modugno andJohnny Dorelli.[11]It was Dorelli's first appearance at the Festival, and according to his team-partner, Dorelli was so nervous that he had to be punched by Modugno to be persuaded to perform on stage.[12]
After being admitted to the final,[13] held at theSanremo Casino on 1 February 1958, the song was performed again, winning the Festival,[14] beating the song "L'edera" byNilla Pizzi andTonina Torrielli, which came in second place.[13]
Whilst Dorelli's performance had a lesser impact on the audience,[8] Modugno's is now considered to be the event that changed the history of Italian music.[15] During his performance, Modugno opened his arms as if he was going to fly,[8] which would contribute to making it the most successful Sanremo Music Festival song.[16] It would also mark a change in the way of performing, as Italian singers were used to standing with their arms on their chest, without moving on the stage.[10]
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As Sanremo was used byRadiotelevisione italiana (RAI) to selectits song and performer for thethird edition of theEurovision Song Contest, the song became theItalian entrant, and Modugno the performer, for Eurovision.
On 12 March 1958, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at theAVRO Studios inHilversum hosted byNederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Modugno performed "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" first on the evening, preceding "Heel de wereld" byCorry Brokken from theNetherlands.[17] However, he would have to perform again at the end as well—before the voting took place—due to a transmission fault during his performance that caused the song to not be heard in all countries broadcasting the event.Alberto Semprini conducted the event's live orchestra in the performances of the Italian entry.[18]
At the end of the voting, the song had received 13 points, placing third in a field of ten.[17] Despite this, it became one of the most successful songs ever performed in Eurovision Song Contest history.[19] It was succeeded as Italian entrant at the1959 contest by "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)", also performed by Modugno.[20]
"Nel blu, dipinto di blu" became an instant success in Italy, selling more than 20,000 copies in its first twelve days. As of February 2013, according to RAI's estimates, the single had sold 800,000 copies in its domestic market.[2][21]Following the results obtained in Italy, the song was also released in the United States and in the rest of Europe and the single obtained global acclaim,[19] becoming an international hit.[16]
In the United States, the single debuted at number 54 on the very firstBillboardHot 100, on 4 August 1958, and the next week it climbed at number two, marking the biggest jump to the runner-up spot in the chart's history.[22] On 18 August 1958, it topped the Hot 100, becoming the second song to reach the top spot on the chart, afterRicky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool".[23] The song later completed a run of five non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart,[24] selling two million copies in the United States during 1958.[25] During its US release, fifteen other recordings of the song were also on release, includingDean Martin's "Volare", which in total sold over 1.5 million records. "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" and "Volare" were both in the top 10 at the same time.[26] "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" wasBillboard's Song of the Year[23] and was the first non-American, -Canadian or -British single to achieve this honour in the rock era, and it would be the only one to do so until 1994's "The Sign" by Swedish groupAce of Base. It is also one of the only two songs by Modugno charting on the Hot 100, together with "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)", which peaked at number 97.[23]
In the United Kingdom, Modugno's single was released on 23 August 1958[2] and debuted at number 15. The following week it rose and peaked at number ten on theUK Singles Chart.[27] Eight other versions recorded by international artists were also released in the UK. It peaked at number two on the NorwegianVG-lista Topp 20 Singles and on the DutchMega Single Top 100.[28]
The song's popularity endures, and in 2004, according to theItalian Society of Authors and Publishers, it was the most played Italian song in Italy as well as in the whole world.[29] Moreover, the combined sales of all the recorded versions of the song exceed eighteen million units.[16][30]
During the1st Grammy Awards, held on 4 May 1959 atHollywood's Beverly Hilton Hotel, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" received two awards: forRecord of the Year and forSong of the Year.[3] The song is the only foreign-language recording to achieve this honour,[31] and it is the only song competing in the Eurovision Song Contest to receive a Grammy Award.[32]
In 2001, seven years after his death, Modugno was awarded with the Sanremo Music Festival Special Award, "given to the one who,...in 1958, with 'Nel blu dipinto di blu', turned the Sanremo Music Festival in a stage of worldwide relevance."[33] During2008's Sanremo Music Festival, lyricistFranco Migliacci and Modugno's widow, Franca Gandolfi, received the special Award for Creativity for the song, presented byItalian Society of Authors and Publishers' chairman Giorgio Assumma.[34]
In 2023, it received a nomination at the first SIAE Music Awards for the category Song in Clubs with Live Music. The nomination was based on 2023 music consumption data collected bySIAE.[35]
The song was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and aEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) reference group, from among the 992 songs that had ever participated in the contest, to participate in the fiftieth anniversary competitionCongratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest held on 22 October 2005 inCopenhagen.[36] At the event, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" was ranked second on the list of the "all time favourite songs of the Eurovision Song Contest," behindABBA's "Waterloo".[37] ABBA memberBenny Andersson, while receiving the prize, commented:
I myself voted for "Volare" but I am pleased that so many people voted for us.[38]
In 2008, the 50th anniversary of the song was celebrated in Italy by releasing apostage stamp showing a man who is flying on a blue background.[39][40][41]During the2010 Viña del Mar International Song Festival, the song, performed by Italian singer Simona Galeandro, was also declared the most popular song of the 20th century, winning the international competition of the contest.[42]
Immediately after the release of "Nel blu dipinto di blu", Antonio De Marco accused Domenico Modugno and lyricistFranco Migliacci ofplagiarising his 1956 song "Il castello dei sogni".[43][44] Though the song was not released, it had been played during some concerts in the previous years.[43] During the trial for plagiarism, De Marco claimed that he lost hissheet music in Rome while registering his song with theItalian Society of Authors and Publishers, suggesting that Modugno somehow found it[45][46] and plagiarised both the lyrics and the music of his composition.[43] However, the Rome court of justice absolved Modugno and Migliacci,[47] following the opinion of an expert who stated that the two songs did not have any relevant similarity.[46]
As a response, Modugno sued De Marco fordefamation,[43] and in July 1958 De Marco was convicted by the Milan court of justice.[48]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nel blu dipinto di blu" | Franco Migliacci,Domenico Modugno | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Vecchio frak" | Modugno | 4:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nel blu dipinto di blu" | Migliacci, Modugno | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Nisciuno po' sapè" | Modugno,Riccardo Pazzaglia | 3:26 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nel blu dipinto di blu" | Migliacci, Modugno | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Strada 'nfosa" | Modugno | 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nel blu dipinto di blu" | Migliacci, Modugno | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Lazzarella" | Modugno, Pazzaglia | 3:11 |
Credits adapted fromDiscografia Nazionale della Canzone Italiana.[49]
Weekly charts[edit]
| All-time charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | — | 1,000,000[62] |
| Italy (FIMI)[63] sales since 2009 | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Lebanon | — | 7,000[64] |
| United States physical | — | 2,000,000[25] |
| United States (RIAA)[65] digital, Dean Martin Version | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byJohnny Dorelli | ||||
| from the album Johnny Dorelli al Festival di Sanremo | ||||
| B-side | "Giuro d'amarti così" | |||
| Released | 21 January 1958 | |||
| Recorded | 1958 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:23 | |||
| Label | Cgd | |||
| Songwriter | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Composer | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Lyricists | Domenico Modugno,Franco Migliacci | |||
| Johnny Dorelli singles chronology | ||||
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There have been many Italian artists who, over the years, have recorded their own version of "Nel blu dipinto di blu". The first, in chronological order, was Italian singer Johnny Dorelli. Dorelli had sung "Nel blu dipinto di blu", in association with Modugno, at the Sanremo Festival: then his record company, CGD ofMilan, released the song as a45 rpm single; on this recording the orchestra was conducted by maestroGianni Ferrio.[66] A month later the song was included in Dorelli's album entitled "Johnny Dorelli al Festival di Sanremo" (Johnny Dorelli at the Sanremo Festival)[67] and in theextended play of the same title.[68]
| "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byNilla Pizzi | ||||
| A-side | "L'edera" | |||
| Released | 21 January 1958 | |||
| Recorded | 1958 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | RCA Italiana | |||
| Songwriter | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Composer | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Lyricists | Domenico Modugno,Franco Migliacci | |||
| Nilla Pizzi singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In the same month, January 1958, as the release of the two 45 rpm records by Domenico Modugno and Johnny Dorelli, the Italian singerNilla Pizzi (who had been the winner of the first two editions of the Sanremo Festival) also recorded it on the B-side ofL'edera, the song she had performed at the Sanremo Festival and which had come in second place. This version ofNel blu dipinto di blu was arranged by maestroMarcello De Martino,[69] and was then included in the EPSanremo 1958 N. 2.[70]
| "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byDon Marino Barreto Jr. | ||||
| from the album Sogni di fumo | ||||
| B-side | "Lontan da me" | |||
| Released | 1958 | |||
| Recorded | 1958 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Philips Records | |||
| Songwriter | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Composer | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Lyricists | Domenico Modugno,Franco Migliacci | |||
| Don Marino Barreto Jr. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Cuban-Italianpop singer and musicianDon Marino Barreto Jr., moved to Italy in 1949, also recordedNel blu dipinto di blu in the same yearas a45 rpm single; on this recording all instruments are played by the Barreto Orchestra;[71] this version was included in the EPDon Marino Barreto Junior 8[72] and some month later the song was included in Barreto's album entitled "Sogni di fumo" (Smoking Dreams).[73]
| "Volare" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byBobby Rydell | ||||
| from the album Bobby Sings, Bobby Swings | ||||
| B-side | "I'd Do It Again" | |||
| Released | July 1960 | |||
| Recorded | 1960 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:23 | |||
| Label | Cameo | |||
| Songwriters | Domenico Modugno, Mitchell Parish | |||
| Bobby Rydell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
There were more than 100 different recordings of the song worldwide, including over thirty in France and fifteen in the United States.[26]Dean Martin recorded a version which alternates between the original Italian lyrics (Martin spoke fluent Italian) and English lyrics adapted byMitchell Parish. Martin's version appeared on his LPThis Is Dean Martin! (1958).[74] Martin's song, titled "Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)", was also released as a single, reaching number two on theUK Singles Chart,[27] peaking at number three in Norway,[75] number fifteen on theBillboard Hot 100,[76] and number 27 in Canada.[77] A version by Umberto Marcato also made a brief appearance on the Canadian charts at number 20 on August 4, 1958.[78]
In the United Kingdom, Italian musicianMarino Marini's cover peaked at number thirteen in October, andCharlie Drake's version reached number 28.[27]The McGuire Sisters' version, also released as a single, peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US,[79] and entered theNorwegian Singles Chart at number seven.[80]Earl Grant covered the song on his albumThe End on September 25.
Also in 1958, a famous Puerto Rican group called Cortijo y su Combo, who featured the bandleader and percussionistRafael Cortijo with his long time friend and singerIsmael Rivera, one of the most influential figures in what later would be namedSalsa music, recorded a Spanish version in their own Puerto Rican style that would immediately become one of their most well known songs. A live version can be heard in their live albumEl Alma de un Pueblo released in 1958 and a studio version was included in their 1960 compilation albumFiesta Boricua.
In 1960, the song was recorded by Italian-American singerBobby Rydell, reaching number four on the Hot 100 during the summer of 1960,[81] number 22 in the UK,[27] and number three in Canada.[82]
There was an instrumental version byRay Conniff on his albumThe Happy Beat, released in 1963.
Another charting version of the song was released in 1975 by American jazz singerAl Martino, and included in his albumTo the Door of the Sun. His single peaked at number 33 in the US,[83] reached number 3 on the DutchSingle Top 100,[84] and reached number 31 in the Canadian AC charts in December 1975,[85] being certified gold by theCanadian Recording Industry Association.[86]
Randy Newman quoted the Italian lyrics in his song "Kathleen (Catholicism Made Easy)" on his 1977 albumLittle Criminals. Newman's own lyrics state (incorrectly) that the Italian "means you love him and he loves you."[87]
In 1986,David Bowie recorded a version of the song, sung entirely in Italian, for the filmAbsolute Beginners and its accompanying soundtrack album.
In 1989,Gipsy Kings recorded anup-temporumba flamenca version of the song, with lyrics partly in Italian and partly in Spanish. Their version topped theBillboardHot Latin Songs chart in April 1990[88] and reached number 86 in the UK chart.[27] It also charted in France and the Netherlands, peaking at number 16[89] and at number 26[90] and also, earn a platinum award in Spain.[91] respectively. Themusic video won two awards in the Latin field, one for the group (Best Duo or Group) and Best Director for Markus Blunder.[92]
In 1991,Barry White covered the song for his albumPut Me in Your Mix. In this version, the first verse is sung in Italian, the second verse is in English, and the chorus and bridges are in both languages. Near the end, he credits Domenico Modugno as the writer and original performer.
In 2003,Vitamin C recorded apop cover for thesoundtrack forThe Lizzie McGuire Movie which was recorded in both English and Italian.
In 2006,G4 recorded a cover for their third albumAct Three.
In February 2010, a cover of the song performed by Italian singer Simona Galeandro won the international competition of the2010 Viña del Mar International Song Festival.[93]
One year later, a version of the song performed byEmma Marrone was included in the soundtrack of the Italian movieBenvenuti al Nord, directed byLuca Miniero.[94] Marrone's cover reached number 70 on the Italian Singles Chart.[95]
Ann-Margret covered the song on her 2023 album,Born to Be Wild.
In June 2024,David Bisbal covered the song as "Andaré" in an advertising campaign forAENA.[96]
Lucio Corsi covered the song as a duet withTopo Gigio at theSanremo Music Festival 2025 in which he ultimately placed second.[97]
| Chart (1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (IFOP) | 1[98] |
| Flanders (Ultratop50 Singles) | 5 |
| Wallonia (Ultratop50 Singles) | 6 |
| Quebec | 3[99] |
"Volare" is a pop chanson with an operatic sense of sweep...
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
