| "Nessun grado di separazione" | ||||
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| Single byFrancesca Michielin | ||||
| from the albumdi20are | ||||
| Released | 11 February 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:39 | |||
| Label | Sony Music Italy | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Michele Canova | |||
| Francesca Michielin singles chronology | ||||
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| Cover of the Eurovision version | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Nessun grado di separazione" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2016 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Languages | ||||
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 16th | |||
| Final points | 124 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Grande amore" (2015) | ||||
| "Occidentali's Karma" (2017) ► | ||||
"Nessun grado di separazione" (Italian pronunciation:[nesˌsuŋˈɡraːdodiseparatˈtsjoːne]) is a song recorded byItalian singerFrancesca Michielin. Written by Michielin herself along with Cheope,Federica Abbate and Fabio Gargiulo; the song was produced byMichele Canova. Placed second in theSanremo Music Festival 2016, the song released as a single from the reissued version of Michielin's second studio album,di20are.[1][2] A bilingual English and Italian version of the song called "No Degree of Separation"representedItaly in theEurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden.[3]
Michielin explained the lyrical content of "Nessun grado di separazione" in several interviews, claiming that the song is inspired by thesix degrees of separation theory and contains the message that, "despite all of the cultural differences, there shouldn't be distances between people". Particularly, the composition's verses, biographical and introspective, tell the story of "a girl who lives in a drawer [...] together with all her crumpled dreams, and who, at a certain point, finds the courage to come out from that shelter to face the true life", with the will to open herself to the outside world, overcoming fears and preconceptions.[4][5]
Michielin also added that she recorded background vocals for the track on the same day of theNovember 2015 Paris attacks, therefore she was furthermore inspired to reflect on the song's lyrics and on "all the barriers that exist between people, while the truth is that we are all human beings with dreams and hopes".[6]
On 13 December 2015, duringMassimo Giletti'sTV showL'arena,Carlo Conti announced the list of performers and songs selected to compete in the66th Sanremo Music Festival, which included Francesca Michielin's "Nessun grado di separazione".[7]Michielin performed the song for the first time at theTeatro Ariston in Sanremo during the second evening of the show, on 10 February 2016.[8]The song placed second in the competition, behindStadio's "Un giorno mi dirai".[9] The band was then eligible to represent Italy in theEurovision Song Contest 2016, but they declined, stating they would be on a previously planned tour in May 2016. Their decision led RAI to select Michielin as the Italian entry for the 61st edition of the European competition.[10][11] On 14 March 2016, a bilingual version of "Nessun grado di separazione", titled "No Degree of Separation", was announced as Michielin's entry for the contest. This version is entirely in Italian, except for the last chorus, which was adapted in English by American songwriterNorma Jean Martine;[12] the track also has a different arrangement. Michielin performed this version for the first time on 22 March 2016, during the Web showWebnotte, streamed live byla Repubblica's website.[13][14]Since Italy is part of the "Big 5", Michielin automatically qualified to compete in the final on 14 May 2016, where she placed 16th with 124 points.
In 2020, the song was featured on the soundtrack of the miniseriesWe Are Who We Are, directed byLuca Guadagnino.[15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nessun grado di separazione" | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Degree of Separation" | 3:08 |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[16] | 1 |
| Italy Airplay (EarOne)[17] | 1 |
| San Marino (RTV)[18] | 4 |
| Sweden Heatseekers (Sverigetopplistan)[19] | 6 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[20] | 2× Platinum | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 11 February 2016 | Digital download | RCA (Sony Music Italy) | [1] |
| Mainstream radio | [21] |
