These Italian Songs Became Global Phenomena
Before the age of Homo economicus, musicians would rarely become wealthy but they produced songs and music that healed human (Homo sapiens, that is) souls and connected them globally across country and tribe, like a universal language does. I know of two Italian songs that have become global hits and performed in different languages.
"L'Italiano" is an Italian pop song by Toto Cutugno1 (in Italian, because of the “gn” sequence, his name is pronounced as Koo-toon-yo) released in 1983. It was his biggest international hit. The song is also know by its first few words “Lasciatemi Cantare,” which means “Allow me to Sing” in Italian.
Original video:
With English translation of lyrics:
Performed by The Gypsy Queens:
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"Bella ciao" (means "Goodbye beautiful" in Italian) is another Italian song which is known internationally. It was originally a late 19th century protest folk song against the harsh working conditions in the paddy fields of northern Italy. The song was modified and adopted as an anthem of the Italian resistance movement by the partisans who opposed nazi-fascism between 1943 and 1945 during their fight against the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and their fascist allies Italian Social Republic.
A nice street performance:
The song has become a symbol of resistance tyranny. For example, the Persian-translation of the song became viral during the 2009 protests (Iran’s “green” movement) as a symbol of resistance against the theocratic leadership and fraud in the Presidential election:
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Cutugno is also internationally known for winning the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb with his own composition, "Insieme: 1992" ("Together: 1992").