Italian Pop Music Analysis

The Origins of Italian Pop Music:

Italian Pop Music, also known as “Musica Leggera” which directly translates to “Light Music”, is deeply influenced by the melodrama of early neapolitan songwriting. After the unification of Italy, neapolitan music became increasingly popular due to its love-based lyrics and catchy melodies. A classic trait was the enveloping, almost stretched and melancholic male vocal style which was widely adopted around the time; a mix of these elements eventually built the fundamental elements of melodic Italian Music.

The Political Environment of the Time and its Effects on the Italian Music Industry:

Between the first and second World Wars, the Fascist regime controlled the developments of pop music in Italy,

In the early 1920s, radio and

vinyl started to become more widespread throughout the country, which eventually allowed other musical genres from around the world to be heard, and offer somewhat of a contrast to Italian Pop music which was until this point in time completely unrivalled.

In addition to this, the development of sound and music in CInema and Film made it possible for these styles of music which were completely different from traditional Italian Music to be heard.

The fascist regime conducted the country in a very nationalistic fashion, also in the musical field; they hindered the diffusion of foreign songs. The regime incouraged the diffusion of songs with a more “traditional” style, with a cheerful and to some extent carefree character, often with a rather banal lyrical content, which gave the idea of a country in which everything was going well and people did not have problems.

The 1930s and the Festival di Sanremo:

At the end of the 1930s, however, rhythmic orchestras became more widespread around the country, which offered italian renditions of successfull foreign songs.

After the second World War, the Festival di Sanremo was born.

Just after the end of the Second World War, all of the popular musical trends and genres that were suppressed by the Fascist regime soon gained popularity and were finally being listened to: from Dizzie Gillespie to the likes of Charlie Parker and Frank Sinatra, the country was completely taken by the music of the “outer world”; the soundtracks of Hollywood films also became extremely popular.

The country was so infatuated with the music that was coming from all over the world that Italian music itself was starting to be forgotten about. Therefore, in order to infuse the country with new passion for its own musical talent, the Festival di Sanremo was born. (EXPLANATION OF FESTIVAL)

Since the very first editions of the show, the singers that offered the most traditional melonies took the centre of the stage: Carla Boni, Giorgio Consolini and Claudio Villa just to name a few. The themes of the winning songs are what Italy is known for even today; the love for partners, mothers and country. In just a few years, the Festival di Sanremo became a true symbol of musical emotion for the country, and to this day is the most anticipated musical event of the year.

The 1950s: How Rock and Roll Inspired

Italy

Towards the end of the fifties, the American rock scene was at an all-time high and due to this a lot of Italian artists took inspiration and began to adopt the singing and musical style of artists such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. In 1958, Tony Dallara released what is now considered as the first rhythmic Italian song, called “Come Prima”, meaning “As Before” in English. This was a turning point for Italian music, as a radical divide was created between two different types of singers, the “melodics” and the “screamers”, an entirely new generation of Italian singers which took typical elements from American Rock music.