“Here’s Jennifer Lopez for sale”. These were the words that Cristiano Malgioglio dedicated to Chanel when commenting on the latest edition of Chanel. eurovision. It was not the last scorn that the Sicilian journalist dedicated to our representative, who came in third place without taking the podium after 27 years. Despite an almost immediate apology, one piece of information has come to light. historical anger: Italy was the only country that did not score Spain in either the professional or popular vote. Far from appearing punctual is a distaste that has been the usual trend since 1961.
In 42 galas shared by both regions, they only gave us 12 point twice: 1979 (Betty Missiego) and 2016 (Barei). Rather, the number goes up to nine: 1984 (Alice and Franco Battiato), 1985 (Al Bano and Romina Power), 1987 (Umberto Tozzi and Raf), 1989 (Anna Oxa and Fausto Leali), 1990 (Toto Cutugno), 2011 (Raphael) Gualazzi), 2013 (Marco Mengoni), 2015 (Il Volo) and 2019 (Mahmood). 114 in total point against 259.
the striking ones 22 zeros dedicated to us, with special displeasure in 1967 (Raphael), 1969 (Salomé), 1978 (José Vélez), 1991 (Sergio Dalma), 2012 (Pastora Soler) and 2014 (Ruth Lorenzo). First of all, given that Spain gave the most support in 42 finals. It is even ahead of Germany (237), Portugal (188), France (172) and Sweden (167). Although there are many ties between both flags, Why does this phenomenon occur? In the differences, perhaps, the answer is found.
First, in the most social order. “They make breakfast standing up without spending too much time. Regarding character, Spanish tends to address other people more directly, while Italian tends to be more formal. The same happens with greetings: it’s not strange to shake hands instead of two kisses. “Likewise, they’re more inclined to introduce Englishisms,” says Luis Fernando Molina, professor of Italic Literature at the University of Seville.
All this is self-conditioned Geopolitical development of each region. It should not be forgotten that Italy evolved into a democracy in 1945, which Spain failed to achieve until 1975. This 30-year gap has greatly affected the sociocultural dynamics of each. Especially musically: not be under the yoke of the dictatorship, international exposure was supreme. “It feels more familiar,” emphasizes Ignacio Peyró.
For the director of the Instituto Cervantes in Rome, diplomatic relations played a crucial role in keeping the distance: “They have very strong ties with Argentina and the United States. And a closer neighborhood with Europe. It is a place that is more connected to its traditions,” he said. Even their linguistic areas are incomparable: Spain is firmly connected with Latin America, while Italy is anchored in the Mediterranean. This resulted in less exchanges. And as a result, a almost exclusive promotion of his legacy.
Therefore, when their music began to spread, they brought out the heavy cannons to strengthen it. a move to explain fast progress song inside Spain. “We had a period of glory in the 80’s and 90’s, then the projection started to decline in Europe. And with the exception of Latin America, we barely reach the rest of the world today. On the other hand, they have singers with universal appeal,” says Antonio Javier Marqués, professor of Italic Philology at the University of Oviedo.
Talking about laura pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Raffaella Carra, Gigliola Cinquetti, Neck… AND Maneskin After blowing up Eurovision Zitti and buoniHe led the Los 40 Principales Start in August 2021. “Although they were two peoples who loved to interact, they showed more respect for the culture. They are ahead of us. They also learned to stretch time. They enjoy the little moments more.”
Gateway to Latin America
Spain has always been a favorite market. Belpaese To be the gateway to Latin America. Even today. “Every Italian soloist’s dream has always been to release their albums there. Brando, producer of Modà, Edoardo Bennato and Gabriella Martinelli, says it’s the first step to getting to the other side of the Atlantic. He was also responsible for the nomination played by Emma Marrone at Eurovision in 2013: my city. Therefore, he knows the Italian record scene deeply. One that doesn’t have many Castilian references.
Julio Iglesias He’s one of the very few to find a place. stood out in it: offering different songs, neither Mecano nor Héroes del Silencio managed to stay put. The steps of Los Bravos, Aguaviva and Mocedades were less relevant. “Today the paradigm has changed and new alliances are emerging,” says Ana Mena, referring to the prosperous acceptance of Lola Índigo and Aitana.
The three built bridges that hitherto seemed impassable. The echo of the songs he performed with Fred de Palma, Rocco Hunt and Sangiovanni increased the synergy between the two countries. This shows that, despite the historical disparity between Iberian and Tanos interpreters, there is an area of cooperation that benefits both. An important link with Miami is also being developed. Spanish music has gone from being a local issue to an international quake,” says Brando.
Something perceived in Eurovision where this language led the nominations of Moldova (2006), Romania (2012), Serbia (2020) and Cyprus (2021), among others. In contrast, Italy votes that do not value any of the links are not considered aforementioned. The competition is a special ecosystem where other factors come together to make Madrid barely score points from Rome.
Heavyweights in Sanremo
This has never been such a popular format in the world. boots until just five years ago. Partly due to his erratic performance: debuted in 1956, struggled until 1980, withdrew for two seasons, returned from 1983 to 1985, disappeared in 1986, returned for seven seasons and then gone for two more seasons, in 1997 reappeared, and between 1998 and 2010, it went away completely.
“At this age, often re-released late and it didn’t generate much media talk. In fact, some RAI administrators mistakenly believed that: Eurovision could destroy San Remo, a competition that serves as a national pre-selection. As a result, they hid the festival from the locals. Bearing in mind that during the 1990s and 2000s, the cultural offering focused almost entirely on national content and paid less attention to foreign events”, continues Eddy Anselmi, Appenninica delegation From 2012 to 2021.
In 2011, the flag of the Alps returned with a firm commitment to win. Although he only did it once (2021), six more brushed victories: 2011 (Raphael Gualazzi), 2015 (Il Volo), 2017 (Francesco Gabbani), 2018 (Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro), 2019 (Mahmood) and 2022 (Mahmood and Blanco). At first, the audience did not respond, as a long disconnect dragged on. However, thanks to the prestige it gained, the event started gaining visibility and swept 41% of it. To compare in 2022. Sanremo, on the other hand, reached 58%. This shows that it is quite an institution with 73 prints behind it.
This is one of the biggest differences between Spain and Italy: heavyweights join as the industry Iva Zanicchi, Nicola DiBari, andrea bocelli, Mine, Patty Pravo And Colapesce Dimartino. At our Benidorm Festival, she will be equivalent to Alejandro Sanz, Joan Manuel Serrat, Mónica Naranjo, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Natalia Lacunza and Joaquín Sabina.
no Mediterranean alliance
which commitment Republic He faced San Remo and as a result Eurovision turned out to be completely different from Spain’s. And therefore, one of the reasons that would explain the absence of dots. Now, he is not alone. “It’s interesting that most of them come from the 70s and 80s. It’s an imbalance. for various reasons: taste in music, execution of the proposal and manner of voting”, Anselmi continues.
The last of these deserves a reflection. Although Italy apparently has greater ties to Spain than to Ukraine, This affinity was not affected when publishing their reviews: “Regional alliances largely determine the direction of votes. There are several blocks spread across the continent, but the most faithful are usually Scandinavian. On the other hand, this occupation is less pronounced in the south”. This is what explains why, apart from Portugal, Malta, San Marino, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus and of course Italy, they have not been so faithful to our claims.
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This does not mean that denial spread to other areas. As a unique living space, the festival has its own characteristics. Charter. “There is a lot of love between the two countries. But because we’re so passionate, it’s normal to have a certain struggle. Competition is a game that everyone wants to win,” emphasizes Brando. Molina adds: “Historically, there has been constant contact with a steady stream of artists, scholars, and courtiers. The Latin base has also contributed to the identification of both nations.”
As Peyró points out, there is a great interest in national art: “TV series and movies are watched. There are writers who have been successful in selling, from Alicia Giménez Bartlett to Clara Sánchez. There is also a solid university Hispanism”. Without straying from sports and gastronomy, which, according to Marqués, is “highly valued and appreciated.” Why is Eurovision rare? Anselmi says: “Italy’s relationship with Spain is not indifferent, respect, appreciation and… competition”.