Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959
Encyclopedia
Italy was represented by Domenico Modugno
, with the song '"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)
", at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 11 March in Cannes
, France
. Broadcaster RAI
chose the winning song from the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival as their Eurovision entry: the song had been performed twice at Sanremo and for the second consecutive year Modugno was chosen over Johnny Dorelli
as the performer.
"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" finished only in mid-table in the contest, but for the second year Modugno's Italian entry proved to be commercially by far the most successful song afterwards. It could not match the phenomenal success of the previous year's "Volare
", but was a hit across Europe, reached the top 30 in the United Kingdom
and entered the Billboard Hot 100
in the USA.
and preceding Monaco
. The song was similar in structure to "Volare", and Modugno's performance was likewise reminiscent of the previous year. At the close of the voting "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" had received 9 points, placing Italy joint 6th (with Belgium
) of the 11 entries. The Italian jury awarded 7 of its 10 points to contest winners the Netherlands
, at the time prompting rumours (never substantiated) that this had been done in order to minimise the chances of a French or British victory.
Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "...
, with the song '"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)
Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina)
"Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli...
", at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 11 March in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Broadcaster RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
chose the winning song from the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival as their Eurovision entry: the song had been performed twice at Sanremo and for the second consecutive year Modugno was chosen over Johnny Dorelli
Johnny Dorelli
Johnny Dorelli is an Italian actor, singer and showman.Born as Giorgio Guidi in Meda, he debuted as singer in the late 1950s for CGD label. In 1958 he won the Sanremo Festival in duo with Domenico Modugno, with the songs "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and "Piove "...
as the performer.
"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" finished only in mid-table in the contest, but for the second year Modugno's Italian entry proved to be commercially by far the most successful song afterwards. It could not match the phenomenal success of the previous year's "Volare
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
", but was a hit across Europe, reached the top 30 in the United Kingdom
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the USA.
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Modugno performed third in the running order, following DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and preceding Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. The song was similar in structure to "Volare", and Modugno's performance was likewise reminiscent of the previous year. At the close of the voting "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" had received 9 points, placing Italy joint 6th (with Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) of the 11 entries. The Italian jury awarded 7 of its 10 points to contest winners the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, at the time prompting rumours (never substantiated) that this had been done in order to minimise the chances of a French or British victory.