Sanremo Music Festival
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox music festival Template:Italian music
The Sanremo Music Festival (Template:Langx Template:IPA), officially the Italian Song Festival (Template:Langx), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by Template:Lang (RAI).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the longest-running annual TV music competition in the world on a national level (making it one of the world's longest-running television programmes)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it is also the basis and inspiration for the annual Eurovision Song Contest<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Viña del Mar International Song Festival.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Unlike other awards in Italy, the Sanremo Music Festival is a competition for new songs, not an award to previous successes (like the Template:Ill for television, the Template:Ill for stage performances, and the Premio David di Donatello for motion pictures).
The first edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, held between 29 and 31 January 1951, was broadcast by RAI's radio station Rete Rossa, and its only three participants were Nilla Pizzi, Achille Togliani, and Duo Fasano.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starting from 1955, all editions of the festival have been broadcast live by the Italian TV station Rai 1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From 1951 to 1976, the festival took place in the Sanremo Casino, but starting from 1977, all the following editions were held in the Teatro Ariston,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> except in 1990, which was held at the Nuovo Mercato dei Fiori.<ref>[1]</ref>
The songs selected in the competition are in Italian or in any regional language, and the three most voted songs are awarded. Other special awards are also given, including the Critics' Award, created ad hoc by the press in 1982 to reward the quality of Mia Martini's song, and named after the singer in 1996, after her death.
The Sanremo Music Festival has often been used as a method for choosing the Italian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. However, unlike other competitions elsewhere, like Sweden's Melodifestivalen, this is only a secondary purpose of the festival, and winners of Sanremo are given right of first refusal in regards to their Eurovision participation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It has launched the careers of some of Italy's most successful musical acts, including Toto Cutugno,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gigliola Cinquetti,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Laura Pausini,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Eros Ramazzotti,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Andrea Bocelli,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Giorgia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Il Volo,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Måneskin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Between 1953 and 1971 (except in 1956), in 1990,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 1991,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> each song was sung twice by two different artists, each one using an individual orchestral arrangement, to illustrate the meaning of the festival as a composers' competition, not a singers' competition. During this era of the festival, it was custom that one version of the song was performed by a native Italian artist while the other version was performed by an international guest artist.<ref name=HistoryRepubblica>Template:Cite web</ref> This became a way for many international artists to debut their songs on the Italian market, including Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Cher, Gloria Gaynor, Dionne Warwick, Jose Feliciano, Roberto Carlos, Paul Anka, Miriam Makeba, Bonnie Tyler, Shirley Bassey, Mungo Jerry, Kiss, Laura Branigan, Alla Pugacheva,<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and many others.
History
In the aftermath of World War II, one of the proposals to revitalize the economy and the reputation of Sanremo was to create an annual music festival to be held in the city.<ref name=HistoryRAI>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1948 and 1949, two editions of an "Italian Song Festival" (Template:Lang) were held in Viareggio, Tuscany, from an idea developed in 1947 by Aldo Valleroni. The competition was discontinued in 1950 due to financial problems, but it became the basis for the future Sanremo Music Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
During the summer of 1950, the administrator of the Sanremo Casino, Piero Bussetti, and the conductor of the RAI orchestra, Giulio Razzi, rediscussed the idea, deciding to launch a competition among previously unreleased songs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Officially titled Template:Lang, the first edition of the show was held at the Sanremo Casino on 29, 30, and 31 January 1951.<ref name=HistoryRAI/> The final round of the competition was broadcast by Rete Rossa, the second most important RAI radio station.<ref name=HistoryCorriere>Template:Cite web</ref> Twenty songs took part in the competition, performed by three artists only–Nilla Pizzi, Duo Fasano, and Achille Togliani.<ref name=HistoryRepubblica/>
Starting from the third edition of the festival, held in 1953, each song was performed by two different artists with different orchestras and arrangements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two years later, in 1955, the festival made its first appearance on television, since part of the final night was also broadcast by RAI's channel Programma Nazionale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The last night of the show was also broadcast in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.<ref name=HistoryCorriere/>
In 1964, Gianni Ravera, who organized the 14th Sanremo Music Festival, slightly changed the rules of the contest, requiring each song to be performed once by an Italian artist and once by an international singer,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> who was allowed to perform the song in any language.<ref name=HistoryRepubblica/> The same rule was applied in the following year's contest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between 1967 and 1971, entries were not forced to be interpreted by foreign artists, but double performances were kept. Starting from 1972, each entry was sung by one artist only.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The competing artists were split for the first time into "Big artists" and "Young artists" during the Sanremo Music Festival 1974. The competition had one winner only, but the entries in the "Young artists" category had to go through an elimination round, while "Big artists" were directly admitted to the final round.<ref name=HistoryRepubblica/>
In 1977, the Sanremo Casino, which hosted all the previous editions of the contest, was closed for renovations, therefore the show moved to the Teatro Ariston.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The theater later became the usual location for the annual contest,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> hosting it every year except in 1990, when the show was held at the Nuovo Mercato dei Fiori, also known as Palafiori.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1980, pre-recorded backing tracks replaced the orchestra, while playback performances were allowed in 1983 during the final round.<ref name=Corriere80s>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1984 and 1985, all the artists were forced to perform in playback, while live performances with the orchestra were reintroduced in 1990.<ref name=Corriere80s/>
During the same years, several other changes were introduced in the contest. In 1982, accredited music journalists decided to create an award to recognise the best song competing in the festival. Starting from 1983, the prize was officially awarded during the event. The critics' prize was later named after Mia Martini, who was the first artist receiving it in 1982 for her entry "E non finisce mica il cielo".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Moreover, starting from 1984, the separation between newcomers and established artists was marked, introducing two different competitions with separate winners.<ref name=HistoryRepubblica/> In 1989, a third category, the Upcoming Artists Section, was introduced, but it was removed the following year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Only in 1998 were the top three artists in the newcomer section allowed to compete in the main competition. This led to the victory of the debuting Annalisa Minetti, which generated some controversy and led to the reintroduction of completely separate competitions starting from 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The distinction among different categories was abolished again in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, the contest included five different categories—Newcomers, Men, Women, Groups, and Classics. The winner of each category competed for the final victory of the contest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The category Classic was abolished in 2006,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while starting from 2007, the festival came back to the rules used in the 1990s, with two completely separate competitions for established artists and newcomers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2009, a new competition, held entirely online, was introduced by the artistic director of the 59th edition of the contest, Paolo Bonolis. Titled Sanremofestival.59,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the contest was not held in the following years.
In December 2024, the regional administrative court (TAR) of Liguria ruled that the municipality of Sanremo could not directly appoint RAI as the organizer of the event, and that, starting in 2026, a public bid must be held in order to determine the organizing company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Two months later, RAI appealed the ruling, arguing that "[RAI's] branding is inseparable from the [festival's] format";<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> however, the Council of State later upheld the TAR's decision in May 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In early March 2025, the municipality defined the terms of the tenders to be held for the assignment of the 2026–28 festivals,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which were published on 9 April, with broadcasters being able to apply within 40 days.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ultimately, the only applicant was RAI, bidding for the exclusive rights on the festival until at least 2028.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite initial plans by RAI to move the contest to a different Italian location for the 2027 edition onwards, in order to avoid any further legal and financial issues with the municipality of Sanremo,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it was later reported that the parties had reached an agreement to keep it in Sanremo until 2029.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Winners
Big Artists section
| † | Song also represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest |
1950s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | "Grazie dei fiori"<ref name="Repubblica Nilla Pizzi">Template:Cite web</ref> (Saverio Seracini, Gian Carlo Testoni, Mario Panzeri) |
Nilla Pizzi |
| 1952 | "Vola colomba"<ref name="Repubblica Nilla Pizzi"/> (Carlo Concina, Bixio Cherubini) |
Nilla Pizzi |
| 1953 | "Viale d'autunno"<ref name=Rai50s>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giovanni D'Anzi) |
Carla Boni & Flo Sandon's |
| 1954 | "Tutte le mamme"<ref name=Repubblica50s>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Eduardo Falcocchio, Umberto Bertini) |
Giorgio Consolini & Gino Latilla |
| 1955 | "Buongiorno tristezza"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> (Mario Ruccione, Giuseppe Fiorelli) |
Claudio Villa & Tullio Pane |
| 1956 | "Aprite le finestre" †<ref name=Repubblica50s/> (Virgilio Panzuti, Giuseppe Perotti) |
Franca Raimondi |
| 1957 | "Corde della mia chitarra" †<ref name=Rai50s/> (Mario Ruccione, Giuseppe Fiorelli) |
Claudio Villa & Nunzio Gallo |
| 1958 | "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci) |
Domenico Modugno & Johnny Dorelli |
| 1959 | "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" †<ref name=Repubblica50s/> (Domenico Modugno, Dino Verde) |
Domenico Modugno & Johnny Dorelli |
1960s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | "Romantica" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Renato Rascel, Dino Verde) |
Tony Dallara & Renato Rascel |
| 1961 | "Al di là" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Carlo Donida, Mogol) |
Betty Curtis & Luciano Tajoli |
| 1962 | "Addio, addio" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci) |
Domenico Modugno & Claudio Villa |
| 1963 | "Uno per tutte" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Tony Renis, Alberto Testa, Mogol) |
Tony Renis & Emilio Pericoli |
| 1964 | "Non ho l'età" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Nicola Salerno, Mario Panzeri, Giancarlo Colonnello) |
Gigliola Cinquetti & Patricia Carli |
| 1965 | "Se piangi, se ridi" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Gianny Marchetti, Bobby Solo, Mogol) |
Bobby Solo & The New Christy Minstrels |
| 1966 | "Dio, come ti amo" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Domenico Modugno) |
Domenico Modugno & Gigliola Cinquetti |
| 1967 | "Non pensare a me"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Eros Sciorilli, Alberto Testa) |
Claudio Villa & Iva Zanicchi |
| 1968 | "Canzone per te"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Sergio Endrigo, Luis Enriquez, Sergio Bardotti) |
Sergio Endrigo & Roberto Carlos |
| 1969 | "Zingara"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Enrico Riccardi, Luigi Albertelli) |
Bobby Solo & Iva Zanicchi |
1970s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "Chi non lavora non fa l'amore"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Adriano Celentano, Ferdinando De Luca, Luciano Beretta, Miki Del Prete) |
Adriano Celentano & Claudia Mori |
| 1971 | "Il cuore è uno zingaro"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Claudio Mattone, Franco Migliacci) |
Nada & Nicola Di Bari |
| 1972 | "I giorni dell'arcobaleno" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Nicola Di Bari, Piero Pintucci, Dalmazio Masini) |
Nicola Di Bari |
| 1973 | "Un grande amore e niente più"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Peppino Di Capri, Claudio Mattone, Gianni Wright, Giuseppe Faiella, Franco Califano) |
Peppino Di Capri |
| 1974 | "Ciao cara, come stai?"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Cristiano Malgioglio, Italo Ianne, Claudio Fontana, Antonio Ansoldi) |
Iva Zanicchi |
| 1975 | "Ragazza del sud"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Rosangela Scalabrino) |
Gilda |
| 1976 | "Non lo faccio più"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Salvatore De Pasquale, Fabrizio Berlincioni, Salvatore De Pasquale, Sergio Iodice) |
Peppino Di Capri |
| 1977 | "Bella da morire"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Renato Pareti, Alberto Salerno) |
Homo Sapiens |
| 1978 | "...e dirsi ciao"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Piero Cassano, Carlo Marrale, Antonella Ruggiero, Salvatore Stellitta, Giancarlo Golzi) |
Matia Bazar |
| 1979 | "Amare"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Sergio Ortone, Piero Soffici, Pietro Finà) |
Mino Vergnaghi |
1980s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Solo noi"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Toto Cutugno) |
Toto Cutugno |
| 1981 | "Per Elisa"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio, Alice Visconti) |
Alice |
| 1982 | "Storie di tutti i giorni"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Riccardo Fogli, Maurizio Fabrizio, Guido Morra) |
Riccardo Fogli |
| 1983 | "Sarà quel che sarà"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Maurizio Fabrizio, Roberto Ferri) |
Tiziana Rivale |
| 1984 | "Ci sarà"<ref name="Festival1984">Template:Cite web</ref> (Dario Farina, Cristiano Minellono) |
Al Bano and Romina Power |
| 1985 | "Se m'innamoro"<ref name="Festival1985">Template:Cite web</ref> (Dario Farina, Cristiano Minellono) |
Ricchi e Poveri |
| 1986 | "Adesso tu"<ref name="Festival1986">Template:Cite web</ref> (Eros Ramazzotti, Piero Cassano, Adelio Cogliati) |
Eros Ramazzotti |
| 1987 | "Si può dare di più"<ref name="Festival1987">Template:Cite web</ref> (Umberto Tozzi, Giancarlo Bigazzi, Raffaele Riefoli) |
Gianni Morandi, Enrico Ruggeri & Umberto Tozzi |
| 1988 | "Perdere l'amore"<ref name="Festival1988">Template:Cite web</ref> (Marcello Marrocchi, Giampiero Artegiani) |
Massimo Ranieri |
| 1989 | "Ti lascerò"<ref name="Festival1989">Template:Cite web</ref> (Franco Fasano, Fausto Leali, Franco Ciani, Fabrizio Berlincioni, Sergio Bardotti) |
Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali |
1990s
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| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Uomini soli"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Valerio Negrini, Roby Facchinetti) |
Pooh & Dee Dee Bridgewater |
| 1991 | "Se stiamo insieme"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Riccardo Cocciante, Mogol) |
Riccardo Cocciante |
| 1992 | "Portami a ballare"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Luca Barbarossa) |
Luca Barbarossa |
| 1993 | "Mistero"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Enrico Ruggeri) |
Enrico Ruggeri |
| 1994 | "Passerà"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Aleandro Baldi) |
Aleandro Baldi |
| 1995 | "Come saprei"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Eros Ramazzotti, Vladimiro Tosetto, Adelio Cogliati, Giorgia Todrani) |
Giorgia |
| 1996 | "Vorrei incontrarti fra cent'anni"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Rosalino Cellamare) |
Ron with Tosca |
| 1997 | "Fiumi di parole" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fabio Ricci, Alessandra Drusian, Carmela Di Domenico) |
Jalisse |
| 1998 | "Senza te o con te"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Massimo Luca, Paola Palma) |
Annalisa Minetti |
| 1999 | "Senza pietà"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Alberto Salerno, Claudio Guidetti) |
Anna Oxa |
2000s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Sentimento"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fausto Mesolella, Giuseppe D'Argenzio, Ferruccio Spinetti, Domenico Ciaramella, Giuseppe Servillo) |
Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel |
| 2001 | "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Elisa Toffoli, Adelmo Fornaciari) |
Elisa |
| 2002 | "Messaggio d'amore"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giancarlo Golzi, Piero Cassano) |
Matia Bazar |
| 2003 | "Per dire di no"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Alberto Salerno, Alessia Aquilani) |
Alexia |
| 2004 | "L'uomo volante"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Marco Masini) |
Marco Masini |
| 2005 | "Angelo"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Francesco Renga, Maurizio Zapatini) |
Francesco Renga |
| 2006 | "Vorrei avere il becco"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giuseppe Povia) |
Povia |
| 2007 | "Ti regalerò una rosa"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Simone Cristicchi) |
Simone Cristicchi |
| 2008 | "Colpo di fulmine"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Gianna Nannini) |
Giò Di Tonno & Lola Ponce |
| 2009 | "La forza mia"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Paolo Carta) |
Marco Carta |
2010s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Per tutte le volte che..."<ref name="Corriere2010">Template:Cite web</ref> (Pierdavide Carone) |
Valerio Scanu |
| 2011 | "Chiamami ancora amore"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Roberto Vecchioni, Claudio Guidetti) |
Roberto Vecchioni |
| 2012 | "Non è l'inferno"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Francesco Silvestre, Enrico Palmosi, Luca Sala) |
Emma |
| 2013 | "L'essenziale" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Marco Mengoni, Roberto Casalino, Francesco De Benedittis) |
Marco Mengoni |
| 2014 | "Controvento"<ref name=Sanremo2014Winners>Template:Cite news</ref> (Giuseppe Anastasi) |
Arisa |
| 2015 | "Grande amore" †<ref name="Winners ANSA">Template:Cite news</ref> (Francesco Boccia, Ciro Esposito) |
Il Volo |
| 2016 | "Un giorno mi dirai" (Saverio Grandi, Gaetano Curreri, Luca Chiaravalli) |
Stadio |
| 2017 | "Occidentali's Karma" † (Francesco Gabbani, Filippo Gabbani, Fabio Ilacqua, Luca Chiaravalli) |
Francesco Gabbani |
| 2018 | "Non mi avete fatto niente" † (Ermal Meta, Fabrizio Moro, Andrea Febo) |
Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro |
| 2019 | "Soldi" † (Mahmood, Dardust, Charlie Charles) |
Mahmood |
2020s
.jpg){kind=link}
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Fai rumore"Template:Efn (Diodato, Edwyn Roberts) |
Diodato |
| 2021 | "Zitti e buoni" † (Damiano David, Ethan Torchio, Thomas Raggi, Victoria De Angelis) |
Måneskin |
| 2022 | "Brividi" † (Alessandro Mahmoud, Riccardo Fabbriconi, Michele Zocca) |
Mahmood & Blanco |
| 2023 | "Due vite" † (Davide Petrella, Davide Simonetta, Marco Mengoni) |
Marco Mengoni |
| 2024 | "La noia" † (Angelina Mango, Dario Faini, Francesca Calearo) |
Angelina Mango |
| 2025 | "Balorda nostalgia" (Federico Olivieri, Julien Boverod, Pierfrancesco Pasini) |
Olly |
Newcomers section
| † | Song also represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest |
1980s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "Terra promessa"<ref name="Festival1984"/> (Eros Ramazzotti, Alberto Salerno, Renato Brioschi) |
Eros Ramazzotti |
| 1985 | "Niente di più"<ref name="Festival1985"/> (Pietro Magnini, Cavaros) |
Cinzia Corrado |
| 1986 | "Grande grande amore"<ref name="Festival1986"/> (Stefano D'Orazio, Maurizio Fabrizio) |
Lena Biolcati |
| 1987 | "La notte dei pensieri"<ref name="Festival1987"/> (Luigi Albertelli, Luigi Lopez, Michele Zarrillo) |
Michele Zarrillo |
| 1988 | "Canta con noi"<ref name="Festival1988"/> (Marco Battistini, Franco Sacco, Mino Reitano, Riccardo Bolognesi) |
Future |
| 1989 | "Canzoni"<ref name="Festival1989"/> (Amedeo Minghi) |
Mietta |
1990s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Disperato"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Marco Masini, Giancarlo Bigazzi, Giuseppe Dati) |
Marco Masini |
| 1991 | "Le persone inutili"<ref name="Festival1991">Template:Cite web</ref> (Giuseppe Dati, Paolo Vallesi) |
Paolo Vallesi |
| 1992 | "Non amarmi"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Aleandro Baldi, Giancarlo Bigazzi, Marco Falagiani) |
Aleandro Baldi & Francesca Alotta |
| 1993 | "La solitudine"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Pietro Cremonesi, Angelo Valsiglio, Federico Cavalli) |
Laura Pausini |
| 1994 | "Il mare calmo della sera"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Gian Pietro Felisatti, Gloria Nuti, Adelmo Fornaciari) |
Andrea Bocelli |
| 1995 | "Le ragazze"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Claudio Mattone) |
Neri per Caso |
| 1996 | "Non ci sto"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Claudio Mattone) |
Syria |
| 1997 | "Amici come prima"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Paola Iezzi, Chiara Iezzi) |
Paola e Chiara |
| 1998 | "Senza te o con te"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Massimo Luca, Paola Palma) |
Annalisa Minetti |
| 1999 | "Oggi sono io"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Alex Britti) |
Alex Britti |
2000s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Semplice sai"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Frank Minoia, Giovanna Bersola) |
Jenny B |
| 2001 | "Stai con me (Forever)"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Stefano Borzi, Enzo Caterini, Sandro Nasuti) |
Gazosa |
| 2002 | "Doppiamente fragili"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Marco Del Freo, David Marchetti) |
Anna Tatangelo |
| 2003 | "Siamo tutti là fuori"<ref name="SanRemo2003">Template:Cite web</ref> (Emanuela Trane) |
Dolcenera |
| 2005 | "Non credo nei miracoli"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Laura Bonometti, Mario Natale) |
Laura Bono |
| 2006 | "Sole negli occhi"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Riccardo Maffoni) |
Riccardo Maffoni |
| 2007 | "Pensa"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fabrizio Mobrici) |
Fabrizio Moro |
| 2008 | "L'amore"<ref name="Repubblica2008">Template:Cite web</ref> (Luca Fainello, Roberto Tini, Diego Fainello) |
Sonohra |
| 2009 | "Sincerità"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giuseppe Anastasi, Maurizio Filardo, Giuseppe Mangiaracina) |
Arisa |
2010s
.JPG){kind=link}
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Il linguaggio della resa"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Tony Maiello, Fio Zanotti, Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, Roberto Cardelli) |
Tony Maiello |
| 2011 | "Follia d'amore" †<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Raphael Gualazzi) |
Raphael Gualazzi |
| 2012 | "È vero (che ci sei)"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Matteo Bassi, Emiliano Bassi) |
Alessandro Casillo |
| 2013 | "Mi servirebbe sapere"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Antonio Maggio) |
Antonio Maggio |
| 2014 | "Nu juorno buono" (Rocco Pagliarulo, Alessandro Merli, Fabio Clemente) |
Rocco Hunt |
| 2015 | "Ritornerò da te"<ref name="Repubblica Fourth Night">Template:Cite web</ref> (Giovanni Caccamo) |
Giovanni Caccamo |
| 2016 | "Amen" (Fabio Illacqua, Francesco Gabbani) |
Francesco Gabbani |
| 2017 | "Ora mai"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Raffaele Esposito, Rory Di Benedetto, Rosario Canale) |
Lele |
| 2018 | "Il ballo delle incertezze" (Niccolò Moriconi) |
Ultimo |
2020s
| Year | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Vai bene così" (Leo Gassmann, Matteo Costanzo) |
Leo Gassmann |
| 2021 | "Polvere da sparo" (Luca Gaudiano, Francesco Cataldo) |
Gaudiano |
| 2022Template:Efn | "Mille Notti" (Yuri "Yuman" Santos Tavares Carloia, Francesco Cataldo) |
Yuman<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2023Template:Efn | "La città che odi" (Antonio Filipelli, Bcroma, Gianmaria Volpato)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
gIANMARIA |
| 2024Template:Efn | "Boulevard" (Clara Soccini, Daniele Magro) |
Clara |
| 2025 | "Vertebre" (Andrea Settembre, Laura Di Lenola, Manuel Finotti) |
Settembre |
Other sections
| Year | Section | Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Upcoming Artists | "Bambini"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Roberto Righini, Alfredo Rizzo) |
Paola Turci |
| 2009 | Sanremofestival.59 (Web contest) | "Buongiorno gente"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Annamaria Lequile, Luca Rustici) |
Ania |
"Mia Martini" Critics Award
The "Mia Martini" Critics Award, originally named the Critics Award of the Italian Song Festival and, more informally, simply the Critics Award, is a recognition given to the best song, selected by music experts (journalists and music critics) at the Sanremo Music Festival. The prize was created in 1982 specifically to award Mia Martini's interpretation of her song "E non finisce mica il cielo".<ref>Peter Loyson, Her Story! A Tribute to Italian Women, African Sun Media, 2021, p. 226</ref>
Since 1996, the award has been named after Mia Martini, following her sudden death. A petition was launched by the founder of Mia Martini's official club, Chez Mimi, alongside Alba Calia and Dori Ghezzi and supported by numerous Italian artists, including Mina, Luciano Pavarotti, Fabrizio De André, Lucio Dalla, and Franco Battiato. Pippo Baudo, then-artistic director of the Sanremo Festival and the Critics Award jury, decided to name the prize after Martini, specifically because she was the artist who, until then, had won the award the most frequently (three times), as well as having been its first winner.<ref>Pippo Augliera, La regina senza trono, Alfredo Guida, 2012, pg. 202-204</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Big Artists section and Newcomers section
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| Year | Big Artists section | Newcomers section |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "E non finisce mica il cielo" – Mia Martini<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Ivano Fossati) |
rowspan=2 Template:NA |
| 1983 | "Vacanze romane" – Matia Bazar (Carlo Marrale, Giancarlo Golzi) | |
| 1984 | "Per una bambola" – Patty Pravo (Maurizio Monti) |
"La fenice" – Santandrea (Riccardo Cocciante, Rodolfo Santandrea) |
| 1985 | "Souvenir" – Matia Bazar (Aldo Stellita, Carlo Marrale, Sergio Cossu) |
"Il viaggio" – Mango (Giuseppe Mango) |
| "Bella più di me" – Cristiano De André (Roberto Ferri, Cristiano De André, Franco Mussida) | ||
| 1986 | "Rien ne va plus" – Enrico Ruggeri (Enrico Ruggeri) |
"Grande grande amore" – Lena Biolcati (Stefano D'Orazio, Maurizio Fabrizio) |
| 1987 | "Quello che le donne non dicono" – Fiorella Mannoia (Enrico Ruggeri, Luigi Schiavone) |
"Primo tango" – Paola Turci (Gaio Chiocchio, Mario Castelnuovo, Roberto Righini) |
| 1988 | "Le notti di maggio" – Fiorella Mannoia (Ivano Fossati) |
"Sarò bellissima" – Paola Turci (Gaio Chiocchio, Roberto Righini) |
| 1989 | "Almeno tu nell'universo" – Mia Martini (Bruno Lauzi, Maurizio Fabrizio) |
"Canzoni" – Mietta (Amedeo Minghi) |
| 1990 | "La nevicata del '56" – Mia Martini (Carla Vistarini, Franco Califano, Massimo Cantini, Luigi Lopez) |
"Disperato" – Marco Masini (Marco Masini, Giancarlo Bigazzi, Giuseppe Dati) |
| 1991 | "La fotografia" – Enzo Jannacci & Ute Lemper (Enzo Jannacci) |
"L'uomo che ride" – Timoria (Omar Pedrini) |
| 1992 | "Pe' dispietto" – Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare (Corrado Sfogli, Paolo Raffone, Carlo Faiello) |
"Zitti zitti (Il silenzio è d'oro)" – Aereoplanitaliani (Alessio Bertallot, Roberto Vernetti, Francesco Nemola) |
| 1993 | "Dietro la porta" – Cristiano De André (Daniele Fossati, Cristiano De André) |
"A piedi nudi" – Angela Baraldi (Angela Baraldi, Marco Bertoni, Enrico Serotti) |
| 1994 | "Signor tenente" – Giorgio Faletti (Giorgio Faletti) |
"I giardini d'Alhambra" – Baraonna (Fulvio Caporale, Vito Caporale) |
| 1995 | "Come saprei" – Giorgia (Eros Ramazzotti, Giorgia Todrani, Vladimiro Tosetto, Adelio Cogliati) |
"Le voci di dentro" – Gloria (Giovanni Nuti, Celso Valli, Paolo Recalcati) |
| 1996 | "La terra dei cachi" – Elio e le Storie Tese (Stefano Belisari, Rocco Tanica, Cesareo, Faso) |
"Al di là di questi anni" – Marina Rei<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Frank Minoia, Marina Rei) |
| 1997 | "E dimmi che non vuoi morire" – Patty Pravo (Vasco Rossi, Gaetano Curreri, Roberto Ferri) |
"Capelli" – Niccolò Fabi<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Cecilia Dazzi, Niccolò Fabi, Riccardo Sinigallia) |
| 1998 | "Dormi e sogna" – Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel (Domenico Ciaramella, Giuseppe D'Argenzio, Fausto Mesolella, Mario Tronco, Ferruccio Spinetti, Francesco Servillo) |
"Senza confini" – Eramo & Passavanti<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Pino Romanelli, Bungaro) |
| 1999 | "Aria" – Daniele Silvestri (Daniele Silvestri) |
"Rospo" – Quintorigo<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Andrea Costa, Massimo De Leonardis, Valentino Bianchi, Gionata Costa) |
| 2000 | "Replay" – Samuele Bersani (Samuele Bersani, Giuseppe D'Onghia) |
"Noël" – Lythium<ref name="CriticsNewcomers2000">Template:Cite web</ref> (Stefano Piro) |
| "Semplice sai" – Jenny B<ref name="CriticsNewcomers2000"/> (Frank Minoia, Giovanna Bersola) | ||
| 2001 | "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)" – Elisa (Elisa Toffoli, Adelmo Fornaciari) |
"Raccontami" – Francesco Renga<ref name="CriticsNewcomers2001">Template:Cite web</ref> (Francesco Renga, Umberto Iervolino) |
| "Il signor domani" – Roberto Angelini<ref name="CriticsNewcomers2001"/> (Roberto Angelini) | ||
| 2002 | "Salirò" – Daniele Silvestri<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Daniele Silvestri) |
"La marcia dei santi" – Archinuè<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Francesco Sciacca) |
| 2003 | "Tutto quello che un uomo" – Sergio Cammariere (Roberto Kunstler, Sergio Cammariere) |
"Lividi e fiori" – Patrizia Laquidara<ref name="SanRemo2003"/> (Giuseppe Romanelli, Patrizia Laquidara) |
| 2004 | "Crudele" – Mario Venuti (Mario Venuti, Kaballà) |
Template:NA |
| 2005 | "Colpevole" – Nicola Arigliano (Franco Fasano, Gianfranco Grottoli, Andrea Vaschetti) | |
| 2006 | "Un discorso in generale" – Noa, Carlo Fava & Solis String Quartet (Carlo Fava, Gianluca Martinelli) | |
| 2007 | "Ti regalerò una rosa" – Simone Cristicchi (Simone Cristicchi) |
"Pensa" – Fabrizio Moro<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fabrizio Mobrici) |
| 2008 | "Vita tranquilla" – Tricarico (Francesco Tricarico) |
"Para parà rara" – Frank Head<ref name="Repubblica2008"/> (Francesco Testa, Domenico Cardella) |
| 2009 | "Il paese è reale" – Afterhours (Manuel Agnelli, Giorgio Ciccarelli, Rodrigo D'Erasmo, Enrico Gabrielli, Giorgio Prete, Roberto Dell'Era) |
"Sincerità" – Arisa<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giuseppe Anastasi, Maurizio Filardo, Giuseppe Mangiaracina) |
| 2010 | "Ricomincio da qui" – Malika Ayane<ref name="Corriere2010"/> (Malika Ayane, Pacifico, Ferdinando Arnò) |
"L'uomo che amava le donne" – Nina Zilli<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Maria Chiara Fraschetta, Giuseppe Rinaldi) |
| 2011 | "Chiamami ancora amore" – Roberto Vecchioni<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Roberto Vecchioni, Claudio Guidetti) |
"Follia d'amore" – Raphael Gualazzi<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Raphael Gualazzi) |
| 2012 | "Un pallone" – Samuele Bersani<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Samuele Bersani) |
"Nella vasca da bagno del tempo" – Erica Mou<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Erica Musci) |
| 2013 | "La canzone mononota" – Elio e le Storie Tese<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Stefano Belisari, Sergio Conforti, Davide Civaschi, Nicola Fasani) |
"Il postino (amami uomo)" – Renzo Rubino<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Renzo Rubino, Andrea Rodini) |
| 2014 | "Invisibili" – Cristiano De André<ref name=Sanremo2014Winners/> (Fabio Ferraboschi, Cristiano De André) |
"Senza di te" – Zibba<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Sergio Vallarino, Andrea Balestrieri) |
| 2015 | "Adesso e qui (nostalgico presente)" – Malika Ayane<ref name="Sorrisi Critics Award Big">Template:Cite web</ref> (Malika Ayane, Pacifico, Giovanni Caccamo, Alessandra Flora) |
"Ritornerò da te" – Giovanni Caccamo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Giovanni Caccamo) |
| 2016 | "Cieli immensi" – Patty Pravo<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fortunato Zampaglione) |
"Amen" – Francesco Gabbani<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fabio Ilacqua, Francesco Gabbani) |
| 2017 | "Vietato Morire" – Ermal Meta (Ermal Meta) |
"Canzone per Federica" – Maldestro (Antonio Prestieri) |
| 2018 | "Almeno pensami" – Ron (Lucio Dalla) |
"Specchi rotti" – Alice Caioli (Alice Caioli, Paolo Muscolino) |
| 2019 | "Argentovivo" – Daniele Silvestri (Daniele Silvestri, Tarek Iurcich, Manuel Agnelli, Fabio Rondanini) |
Template:NA |
| 2020 | "Fai rumore" – Diodato (Antonio Diodato, Edwyn Roberts) |
"Tsunami" – Eugenio in Via Di Gioia (Eugenio Cesaro, Emanuele Via, Paolo Di Gioia, Lorenzo Federici, Dario "Dardust" Faini) |
| 2021 | "Mai dire mai" – Willie Peyote (Guglielmo "Willie Peyote" Bruno, Daniel Bestonzo, Carlo Cavalieri D'Oro, Giuseppe Petrelli) |
"Lezioni di volo" – Wrongonyou (Marco "Wrongonyou" Zitelli, Adel Al Kassem, Riccardo Sciré) |
| 2022 | "Lettera di là dal mare" – Massimo Ranieri<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (Fabio Ilacqua) |
rowspan=3 Template:NA |
| 2023 | "Splash" – Colapesce Dimartino (Antonio "Dimartino" Di Martino, Lorenzo "Colapesce" Urciullo) | |
| 2024 | "Pazza" – Loredana Bertè (Loredana Bertè, Andrea Bonomo, Andrea Pugliese, Luca Chiaravalli) | |
| 2025 | "Volevo essere un duro" – Lucio Corsi (Lucio Corsi, Tommaso "Ottomano" Sabatini) |
"Vertebre" – Settembre (Andrea Settembre, Laura Di Lenola, Manuel Finotti) |
Notable foreign duet singers
Notable guest artists of that time were, among others:
- 1964: Peggy March, team partner of Claudio Villa with "Passo su passo", semi-finals only.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 1965: Connie Francis, team partner of Gigliola Cinquetti with "Ho bisogno di vederti".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- 1965: Petula Clark, team partner of Betty Curtis with "Invece no".
- 1965: Dusty Springfield, team partner of Gianni Mascolo with "Di fronte all'amore", semi-finals only.
- 1965: Audrey Arno, team partner of Remo Germani with "Prima o poi".
- 1966: Gene Pitney, team partner of Caterina Caselli with "Nessuno mi può giudicare".
- 1966: Pat Boone, team partner of Peppino Gagliardi with "Se tu non fossi qui".
- 1967: Cher and Sonny Bono, team partner of Caterina Caselli with "Il cammino di ogni speranza".
- 1967: Cher, team partner of Nico Fidenco with "Ma piano (per non svegliarmi)"
- 1967: Dalida, team partner of Luigi Tenco with "Ciao amore, ciao", semi-finals only.
- 1968: Roberto Carlos, team partner of Sergio Endrigo with "Canzone per te" (winner).
- 1968: Bobbie Gentry, team partner of Al Bano with "La siepe".
- 1968: Dionne Warwick, team partner of Tony Del Monaco with "La voce del silenzio".
- 1968: Louis Armstrong, team partner of Lara Saint Paul with "Mi va di cantare".
- 1968: Wilson Pickett, team partner of Fausto Leali with "Deborah".
- 1969: Mary Hopkin, team partner of Sergio Endrigo with "Lontano dagli occhi" (second place).
- 1969: Stevie Wonder, team partner of Gabriella Ferri with "Se tu ragazzo mio", semi-finals only.
- 1971: José Feliciano, team partner of Ricchi e Poveri with "Che sarà" (second place).
- 1990: Dee Dee Bridgewater, team partner of Pooh with "Uomini soli" (winner).
- 1990: Ray Charles, team partner of Toto Cutugno with "Gli amori" (second place).
- 1990: Miriam Makeba, team partner of Caterina Caselli with "Bisognerebbe non pensare che a te".
- 1991: Grace Jones, team partner of Renato Zero with "Spalle al muro".
- 1991: Laura Branigan, team partner of Fiordaliso with "Il mare più grande che c'è (I love you man)".
- 1991: Ofra Haza, team partner of Raf with "Oggi un Dio non ho".
- 1991: Gloria Gaynor, team partner of Gianni Bella with "La fila degli oleandri".
- 1991: Bonnie Tyler, team partner of Amedeo Minghi with "Nené".
International successes
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Various songs presented during the Sanremo Music Festival over the years have become international hits, including "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" and "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" by Domenico Modugno. "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" spent five non-consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 in August and September 1958 and subsequently became Billboard's number-one single for the year. In 1959, at the inaugural Grammy Awards, "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" became the first-ever Grammy winner for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song "Io che non vivo (senza te)", sung at the fifteenth edition of the Sanremo Festival by Pino Donaggio, was recorded in English by Dusty Springfield under the title "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". It became Springfield's most successful single, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart<ref>Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 190. ISBN 1-904994-10-5</ref> and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis Presley recorded a cover version in 1970, which was a hit in both the US and the UK. Other covers have charted in the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Finland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Jorgensen, Ernest (1998). Elvis Presley: A Life in Music. NYC: St Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0312263157</ref> The song "Non amarmi" by Aleandro Baldi and Francesca Alotta won the Newcomers section at the Sanremo Festival in 1992. It became an international hit, being covered as "No Me Ames" by American singers Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. The song peaked at number one in the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the Billboard Latin Music Awards of 2000, the song received an award for Hot Latin Track of the Year by a Vocal Duo and two nominations for Tropical/Salsa Track of the Year and Hot Latin Track of the Year.<ref>1999: The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. Prometheus Global Media. 25 December 1999. pp. 76, 78. Retrieved 10 December 2011</ref> The song "Che sarà" was sung by Ricchi e Poveri and José Feliciano at the Sanremo Festival in 1971. Feliciano's recorded version was successful in Europe, the Middle East, Japan, and Latin America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Spanish version of "Che sarà" peaked at number one in Spain and Latin America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The winning song of the 1982 Sanremo Festival, "Storie di tutti i giorni" by Riccardo Fogli, was sung by Dutch singer Marco Borsato, with the title "Dromen zijn deception"; his version became one of the most successful Dutch-language singles of all time. It remained at number one in the Dutch Top 40 for twelve weeks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song "Quando quando quando" by Tony Renis competed in the Sanremo Festival in 1962 and was covered by many international artists, becoming a best-selling single: Bobby Curtola's version charted at number ten in Canada,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Engelbert Humperdinck's reached number forty in the UK,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Pat Boone's version achieved number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
The song "Con te partirò" was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Festival, topping the charts in several European countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A partial English version, released in 1996 as "Time to Say Goodbye", achieved greater success, selling more than twelve million copies worldwide and making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Non ho l'età" by Gigliola Cinquetti (1964), "Sarà perché ti amo" by Ricchi e Poveri (1981), "Maledetta primavera" by Loretta Goggi (1981), "Felicità" by Al Bano and Romina Power (1982), "L'Italiano" by Toto Cutugno (1983), "Adesso tu" by Eros Ramazzotti (1986), "La solitudine" by Laura Pausini (1993), and "Il mare calmo della sera" by Andrea Bocelli (1994) also became international hits.<ref>O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3</ref><ref>Wolfgang Spahr (28 December 1989). "German Charts Hit by Italian Invasion". Billboard. p. 69</ref> In 1994, the song "La mia storia tra le dita", which Gianluca Grignani sang at Sanremo, became a hit in South America, selling two million copies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nek sang "Laura non c'è" at the Sanremo Festival in 1997, with the song becoming a hit in Europe and Latin America; the Spanish version charted in the US and peaked at number 21 in the Billboard Hot Latin Songs Chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Soldi" by Mahmood won the 69th Sanremo Festival and placed second in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, topping the charts in Greece, Israel, and Lithuania, and reaching the top ten in five more countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> "Zitti e buoni" by Måneskin won both the Sanremo Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021, topping the charts in several European countries. It peaked at number seventeen on the UK Singles Chart and reached top ten on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 1966, Adriano Celentano sang "Il ragazzo della via Gluck" at the Sanremo Festival. American singer Verdelle Smith sang an English version of the song, titled "Tar and Cement", which made it to number one in Australia and became one of the year's biggest sellers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song also reached number 32 in Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the US, it peaked at number 38.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In Sweden, Anna-Lena Löfgren sang it with Swedish lyrics as "Lyckliga gatan", making the biggest hit of her career. The song was on the Svensktoppen weekly chart for fourteen weeks and won a Gold record in Sweden; in Norway, the song achieved Diamond and subsequently Platinum status.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song became successful in France when it was covered by Françoise Hardy, under the title "La maison où j'ai grandi".<ref>Interview, Paris Match, issue #2902, 2004</ref>
Hosts
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The first four editions of the Sanremo Music Festival were hosted by Nunzio Filogamo. In 2003, Pippo Baudo hosted for the eleventh time, matching the record previously held by Mike Bongiorno;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he later overtook this record, hosting the Sanremo Music Festival in 2007 and in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Only seven women have hosted the festival as main presenters. The first women ever to host the event alone were Lilly Lembo and Giuliana Calandra in 1961, followed by Maria Giovanna Elmi in 1978, Loretta Goggi in 1986, Raffaella Carrà in 2001, Simona Ventura in 2004, and Antonella Clerici in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hosting the event between 2020 and 2024, Amadeus joined Baudo and Bongiorno in the record for the most consecutive editions hosted, i.e., five, and established himself as the presenter with the highest number of consecutive nights hosted, at 25.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Full list of festival hosts:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Trivia
- Whitney Houston, an international guest at the Sanremo Festival 1987, was the only artist to be asked for an encore performance in the history of the contest until then. After singing "All at Once", Houston received a standing ovation and the presenter, Pippo Baudo, asked her to perform again.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Freddie Mercury, an international guest at the 1984 Sanremo Festival, did not want to lip sync (a rule at that year's festival), and, in protest, he moved the microphone away from his face a few times during his performance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith and its film adaptations, Dickie Greenleaf invites Tom Ripley to travel to the Sanremo Music Festival to enjoy some jazz, as a parting gesture before sending Ripley on his way. The ensuing events in Sanremo have major implications for all of the characters.
- In 1960, future Italian pop legend Mina Mazzini made her Sanremo debut.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The contest helped launch her career.
- The song "Perdere l'amore" was proposed in 1987 by Gianni Nazzaro and rejected in the preliminary song screening. A year later, it was proposed by Massimo Ranieri and won the contest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In 1990, Patty Pravo turned down the opportunity to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival with "Donna con te", which was sung at the event by Anna Oxa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- In 2007, Irene Grandi's song "Bruci la città" was rejected in the screening, mainly as a decision of that year's artistic director Pippo Baudo, who later explained that the decision was due to the poor quality of the received demo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the song was later released by Grandi and became one of her biggest hits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
- List of historic rock festivals
- Sopot International Song Festival
- Golden Orpheus
- Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
- Eurovision Song Contest
Notes
References
External links
- Template:Official website
- Festivaldisanremo.com – Independent website on Sanremo Music Festival since 1998
- Template:Official website
- City of Sanremo
Template:Sanremo Music Festival Template:Sanremo Music Festival winners Template:Sanremo Music Festival winners of the newcomers section Template:Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest Template:Eurovision Song Contest Template:Song Contests Template:Historic rock festival Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- Sanremo Music Festival
- Song contests
- Music festivals in Italy
- Sanremo
- Italian music television series
- Music of Liguria
- Tourist attractions in Liguria
- 1951 establishments in Italy
- Annual events in Italy
- Music festivals established in 1951
- February
- Winter in Italy
- Eurovision Song Contest selection events