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Volevo Essere Un Duro by Lucio Corsi
Not gonna lie, in a Sanremo line-up I largely enjoyed this year I was not only disappointed but a bit dumbfounded when this won. I’d instantly dismissed it when a scrawny little man in glam rock make up sat and sang an unremarkable tune at a piano. It should have been a reminder not to judge a book by its cover.
My Italian isn’t (nearly) good enough to have connected with the sentiment of this song. It’s only now, reading a translation of the lyrics, and watching the story told in the video, I understand why people connected with it so fondly. Who doesn’t love a tale of the underdog, after all? Lucio sings of all the things he’s longed to be, things his parents judged him lacking in, but resides himself to the fact that he’s only ever going to be himself.
Perhaps Lucio’s fate was sealed on Sanremo’s duets night, teaming up with popular puppet character Topo Gigio, a fixture on Italian TV for almost as long as Sanremo itself, singing Volare, one of the most beloved of Sanremo songs. The love for this moment is even leading to Top Gigio being selected as the Italian jury spokes – mouse? – to deliver Italy’s points at Eurovision.
So I’ve softened to this, but I still don’t love it. The sentimentality is undeniably strong, but I just don’t connect sufficiently with the music, which remains rather dull to me. I also wonder how Lucio will present himself on stage. Without the language, or knowledge of him as an artist as the domestic Italian audience will have, makes me wonder whether people will just tune out to this, particularly if he comes in similar glam garb.
My marks: 6 points
Photo: Simone Biavati/EBU