5 Unforgettable Italian Songs to Listen and Learn!
Posted by Let’s face it. There are times when even the most committed language learners feel a bit lazy. No matter how motivated you are, you don’t always want to spend your afternoons memorizing verb conjugations. If you’re going through a lazy period in your Italian learning process, we have just the thing for you: a list of the best Italian songs made especially for you by our native Italian teachers, so that you to keep learning vocabulary while having fun.
Mina – Il cielo in una stanza, chosen by Flavio
“I first heard this song during a play in Madrid, and I was immediately smitten by its nostalgic tune and heartfelt lyrics. Though I was just a teenager at the time, I was moved by the main metaphor of the song, which likens the rooms of two lovers with an endless sky. It wasn’t until a few years later, when I met my first girlfriend, that the full meaning of the song was revealed to me.
While there are countless versions of the song, I find Mina’s rendition to be the most beautiful version to date.”
Language focus
“Being a slow ballad, this song is great for focusing on sounds that Italian learners usually struggle with. So…”
Listen to the song while reading the lyrics.
Quando sei qui con me
Questa stanza non ha più pareti
Ma alberi
Alberi infiniti
Quando tu sei vicino a me
Questo soffitto viola
No, non esiste più
Io vedo il cielo sopra noi
Che restiamo qui, abbandonati
Come se non ci fosse più
Niente, più niente al mondo
Suona un’armonica
Mi sembra un organo
Che canta per te e per me
Su nell’immensità del cielo
How are the highlighted letters pronounced? Do you know any other words that contain these letters/sounds?
Franco Battiato – Centro di gravità permanente, chosen by Sara
“Franco Battiato is one of the most original and eclectic recording artists that Italy has ever seen. He started his career playing progressive rock in the seventies, but then gradually became more minimalistic and conceptual as a songwriter. In his four-decade spanning career, he has dabbled into genres such as chamber music, techno, and a musical style critics call “philosophical pop”.
When Juan requested me to choose a single song from Italy, I immediately knew I would choose “Centro di gravità permanente” (Permanent centre of gravity) which is one of those songs that can make you dance and think at the same time.”
Language focus
“This is a very complex song, which almost reads like a highly philosophical short story. The good news is that it has a lot of useful vocabulary. Do the following activities to make the most of this beautiful song.“
Read the lyrics while listening to the song.
Una vecchia bretone
Con un cappello e un ombrello di carta di riso e canna di bambù
Capitani coraggiosi
Furbi contrabbandieri macedoni
Gesuiti euclidei
Vestiti come dei bonzi per entrare a corte degli imperatori
Della dinastia dei Ming
Cerco un centro di gravità permanente
Che non mi faccia mai cambiare idea sulle cose sulla gente
Avrei bisogno di
Cerco un centro di gravità permanente
Che non mi faccia mai cambiare idea sulle cose sulla gente
Over and over again
Per le strade di Pechino erano giorni di maggio
Tra noi si scherzava a raccogliere ortiche
Non sopporto i cori russi
La musica finto rock la new wave italiana il free jazz punk inglese
Neanche la nera africana
Look up the words you don’t know on Word Reference Can you find more words for each of the categories below?
| nomi (nouns) | verbi (verbs) | aggettivi (adjectives) |
| cappello (hat)
ombrello (umbrella) … |
cerco (seek)
bisogno (need) … |
finto (fake)
nera (black) … |
Rita Pavone – Che M’importa Del Mondo, chosen by Anna
Rita Pavone – Che M’importa Del Mondo (1963)
“When I was little, I used to spend the night at my grandparents’ house in Sicily every other weekend, something I looked forward to every time not only because of how great a cook my grandmother was, but also because my grandfather had the biggest vinyl collection I’ve seen to this day. Without a doubt, my favourite record of hers was Rita Pavone’s “Non è facile avere 18 anni” (It’s not easy to be 18).
Born in 1945, Rita Pavone was an Italian singer who became a big sensation in the 1960s. Though her black and white pictures and videos don’t show it, her hair was so strikingly red that people called her “pel di carota” (carrot hair). This is my favourite song of hers.“
Language focus
“Rita’s songs were sweet and simple, which makes them a great choice for beginner learners who want to sharpen their listening skills.”
Listen to the song and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
Che m’importa del _ _ _ _ _,
quando tu sei vicino a me
Che m’importa del mondo,
quando tu sei _ _ _ _ _ _ a me
io non chiedo più niente al _ _ _ _ _
se mi lascia te.
Non _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _se piango,
è la gioia che sento in me,
non c’è cosa più _ _ _ _ _ _
dell’amore mio per te.
Fà che questo momento,
_ _ _ _ _ mio,
duri tutta la vita,
amore, amore.
Stringimi _ _ _ _ _,
amore, amore,
a te.
Franco Simone – Paesaggio, chosen by Marco
“My best friend, Mariana, is from Argentina. Many years ago, she made a mixtape for me with Argentinian music that I had to know. You should have seen her face when I told her that two of the tracks were actually covers of Italian songs. One of them, Franco Simone’s Paesaggio (Landscape), is one of my favourite songs of all time. Soulful and irresistibly romantic, this song became a classic for Mariana and me.
By the way, we don’t call it Paesaggio (nor Paisaje) at all. We call it: 2am song, because we religiously play in the car after clubbing before going to bed!”
Language focus
“One of the things I love the most about Italian singers is that their pronunciation is crystal clear. Even if you’re a beginner learner, you won’t have trouble doing this listening exercise:”
Listen to the song and match the halves:
| No, non è che questa voltaDi momenti come questiNon si può pensare al caldo E poi E poi L’incertezza Nei Nascondevamo le valigie . |
Ne ricordo tanti.Tutto sia diversoNon ci ha mai toccati Non ci ha Lascia Sempre per Di dover partire |
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading our teachers’ stories and learning tips as much as I’ve enjoyed editing them.
But do you know what? This doesn’t have to be the last time you get a tailored language activity from a native teacher? At Language Trainers we have hundreds of Italian tutors who specialize in personalized teaching. All you have to do is send us a quick message saying what language you want to learn and what your goals and/or interests are, and we’ll pair you up with one of them for a free trial lesson!