Italian music is very popular around the world. Moreover, People sing Italian classic songs all over the planet. Do you know why?
First of all, their success comes from the melodies. The language is sweet and catchy. Furthermore, Italian classic songs are capable of evoking the landscapes, traditions, and culture of this beautiful country.
10 Best Italian classic songs
Italian classic songs have been able to conquer the world: from theaters to the homes and hearts of hundreds of millions of people. Many Italian artists have had enormous success abroad. Here we collected a list of the 10 best Italian classic songs known abroad. We also have a list of the best Italian songs from the 70s’.
1. Nel Blu dipinto di blu
The eighth edition of the Sanremo Festival in 1958 went down in history thanks to the victory of the singer Domenico Modugno with “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”. This Italian song is universally known as “Volare”.
Modugno put into musical form a mood that was widespread in Italy at that time. Not the feeling of an Italy that has taken off towards the economic miracle, but the one of a population that, despite the economic growth, remained on the ground. In the list of best Italian classic songs, this one is for sure number one.
2. Funiculi’ Funicula’
This song represents one of the best classic Italian songs. It is also the best expression of classic Neapolitan music. The song, from 1880, after 130 years is still a triumph.
The song promoted the Vesuvius funicular. “Funiculì funiculà” is an art pact between poetry, propaganda, and music. In this version, Luciano Pavarotti is performing this popular Italian song.
3. O’ Sole Mio
“O ’sole Mio” is one of the most famous Italian classic songs on the planet. The text is in Neapolitan dialect, however, people sing this song in every corner of the world. The original version dates back to 1898.
The most famous interpreter of this masterpiece is the famous Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso. “O ’sole Mio” is a world music heritage, in fact, popular international singers such as Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Brian Adams, and Elton John fell in love with this classic Italian song.
5. Best Italian Classic Songs: Va, pensiero, Nabucco
Among the best Italian opera songs we have to list “Va pensiero”. It is one of the best-known choirs in the history of opera. “Va pensiero” is located in the third part of Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco (1842), where it is sung by the Jewish prisoners in Babylon. The main feature is the presence of noble terms, as it was common in nineteenth-century prose and poetry.
4. ‘O surdato ‘nnammurato
The text of the song “O surdato ‘nnamurato” was born in 1915. In that year Italy entered the First World War. The song tells about the sadness of an ordinary soldier who leaves for the front. He suffers from the distance from his lover. This too is one of the best songs of the Neapolitan tradition.
6. L’italiano
Since 1983 Toto Cutugno proudly sings “Sono Italiano Vero”, which means “I am a true Italian”. This might not be the best classic Italian song of all time, however, it is probably the most famous abroad. First of all, it contains all the stereotypes and characteristics of Italianness. The song sold 100 million copies and there are also covers in Finnish and Chinese.
7. Best Italian Classic Songs: Azzurro
Paolo Conte wrote this song, which is among the best Italian classic songs. The song talks about love, religion, and ecology. This piece has everything covered! Celentano had a huge success singing this song.
It reached the top position in the 1968 sales ranking in Italy. There are translations of the text into French, English, Spanish, German, and even Hebrew.
8. La solitudine
Among the best Italian classic songs known abroad, we cannot fail to mention “La solitudine”. With this song, Laura Pausini sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. She sang it for the first time in 1993, at the age of 19, during the Sanremo Festival.
There are versions of this song also in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Greek, and Dutch. Moreover, the singer also recorded an English version under the title “Loneliness”.
9. A far l’amore comincia tu
Raffaella Carrà is a worldknown celebrity. She is a dancer, singer and also a television presenter. Among her most famous classic songs abroad there is certainly “A far l’amore comincia tu”. She released the song in 1976.
It is a fun song, made to smile and have fun. Also, Bob Sinclair made a version of it. Moreover, the song is the soundtrack of the film by Sorrentino “The great beauty”. There are translations into several languages including English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Greek, and Turkish.
10. Best Italian Classic Songs: Felicità
“Felicità” is certainly one of the best Italian classic songs abroad. The couple Al Bano and Romina Power presented this song at Sanremo Festival in 1982. They won second place and launched the single abroad.
They sold 25 million copies. The song became very popular abroad, for instance in France, Germany, and especially Russia.
Wrapping up on the 10 best Italian classic songs
Italian classic songs are too many. We tried to collect the most famous ones. For sure you heard all of them at least once in life. Do you like Italian classic songs? which is your favorite one? See also the best Italian songs of the 2000s.
PIN IT: The 10 Best Italian classic songs
