| "Due vite" | ||||
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| Single byMarco Mengoni | ||||
| from the albumMateria (Prisma) | ||||
| Released | 8 February 2023 (2023-02-08) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
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| Label | Sony Music | |||
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| Marco Mengoni singles chronology | ||||
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_-_Single_cover.jpg) Eurovision version cover | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Due vite" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry | ||||
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 4th | |||
| Final points | 350 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Brividi" (2022) | ||||
| "La noia" (2024) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Due vite" (Grand Final) onYouTube | ||||
"Due vite" (Italian pronunciation:[ˈduːeˈviːte];transl. "Two lives") is a song recorded by Italian singer-songwriterMarco Mengoni for his eighth studio album,Materia (Prisma) (2023). It is thelead single and opening track on the album, released bySony Music on 8 February 2023. The song was written by Mengoni withDavide Petrella and Davide Simonetta. Simonetta also produced the track together with E.D.D.[1] The song was Mengoni's winning entry for theSanremo Music Festival 2023, the 73rd edition of the Italian musical festival, which doubled as the selection of theItalian act for theEurovision Song Contest 2023.[2][3][4] It finished in fourth place at the Eurovision final with 350 points. Prior to the contest, "Due vite" reached number one in Italy.
A bilingual French-Italian version of the song, titled "La Dernière Chanson" ("The last song"), was released on 13 October 2023.[5]
Mengoni spoke about the meaning of the song:[6]
It is my never-ending story because it is the story of a relationship between reason and the unconscious. I am devoting a lot of hours a week to my thoughts with a professional and I am realising that my unconscious gives me more realistic input than everyday life. I speak about this double life in the song: the life of the night and dreams that becomes more real than the dreams themselves, and the life I live every day. [...] I am a sinner, I am one who makes mistakes. There are slaps and you have to go on in life. There are moments of boredom and downsides that are needed like all things: for me, "Due vite" is this.
Mengoni dwelt on the inspiration for the song, found in the figure of Italian singer-songwriterLucio Dalla, explaining that:[6]
It is a song full of words, a continuous tension that never seems to explode until the moment I leave my vocal cords there, at Sanremo. It wasn't easy to tackle this piece, but the great thing is that we got carried away by Lucio Dalla, letting him inspire us, remembering him. I approached singing in this way: little breath, lots of words and a lot of tension to then explode.
The song also marks the singer's third participation at theSanremo Music Festival after "Credimi ancora" in2010 and "L'essenziale", winner of theSanremo Music Festival 2013, with which he representedItaly at theEurovision Song Contest 2013.[7]
The song was mostly well received by Italian critics. In its review of the Sanremo 2023 songs,Corriere della Sera gave "Due vite" an 8/10, describing the song as a "classic ballad" that "doses melody and rhythm well", where "thoughts chase each other".[8] Also Valentina Colosimo fromVanity Fair states that the song "allows Mengoni to show off all his singing skills", bringing the viewer "a ton of feelings".[9] Fabio Fiume fromAll Music Italia rated the song 7.5/10, writing the song is a "modern piece that respects both its vocal beauty and its best prerogatives to be personal".[10] ThePanorama critic Gabriele Antonucci gave the song a 8.5 rating, he praised Mengoni's performance as "masterful", with a perfect combination of "voice, words and arrangement".[11] Less enthusiastic was the review by Francesco Prisco ofIl Sole 24 Ore, assigning a score of 6-/10, writing that "Mengoni does Mengoni: the thing he does best", suggesting a lack of originality compared to his previous works.[12]
The music video for the song was directed by Roberto Ortu.[13] The filming took place on the dunes ofPiscinas inSardinia.[14]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[31] | 6× Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] | Platinum | 15,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||