Se piangi, se ridi - Bobby Solo

I already have an EP and a single featuring 'Se piangi, se ridi', so why buy this one? Well, the answer is simple: because I really prefer this sleeve. It's in colour, for one thing, and Bobby Solo looks a lot like the rock 'n' roll stars of his days on this one. Adding to that, this is the original Italian single, where we find out that the song is recorded with 'orchestra diretta da Gianni Marchetti, con il Coro di Nora Orlandi'. 

'Se piangi, se ridi' was a number 1 hit in Italy and Brazil, and also reached number 2 in Belgium, number 3 in Uruguay (of all places!) and number 4 in Argentina. Why this didn't chart in the Netherlands and the UK I don't know. It's a classic song.

My collection: 7" single no. 7789
Found: Moses Records, Vienna, 13 October 2025
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi' / 'Saro' un illuso'

Ich sehe dich weinen - Bobby Solo

The Italian song for the Eurovision Song Contest 1965 was performed by Bobby Solo and was called 'Se piangi, se ridi'. At the time, it wasn't unusual for artists to record their songs in different languages, and Bobby was no exception. He recorded his song in French and German.

I was lucky enough to find a copy of the German version online, for a price that wasn't too ridiculous. The title, 'Ich sehe dich weinen', is not a direct translation of the Italian original. Two pressings of this version exist: a Swiss one and a Dutch one. This is the Dutch one.

My collection: 7" single no. 6772
Found: Discogs.com, received 31 August 2022
Tracks: 'Ich sehe dich weinen' / 'Buon giorno, signorina'

Se piangi, se ridi - Bobby Solo

Collecting Eurovision singles is a confusing business, especially when there are so many different releases of the same song in different territories. I didn't realise that I already had this song on an EP I bought two years ago when I found this one.

So this is the Dutch release of 'Se piangi, se ridi', the song that represented Italy during the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Bobby Solo. This single presents two songs, as opposed to the Festival San Remo 65 EP that I bought in 2017.

My collection: 7" single no. 6095
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, March 24, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi' / 'Saro' un illuso'

Festival San Remo 65 - Bobby Solo

Bobby Solo was born as Roberto Satti in Rome on March 18, 1945. At 19 he participated in the San Remo music festival, but he was disqualified for using playback, which was contrary to the festival's regulations.

The next year, 1965, he participated again... and won with the song 'Se piangi, se ridi'. As was tradition, the song went on to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. Bobby ended up in fifth place. This EP features four songs, but of course 'Se piangi, se ridi' is the first track on it.

My collection: 7" single no. 5806
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 8, 2017
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Se piangi, se ridi', 'Saro' un illuso' / 'Cristina', 'Meglio non parlar'

Listen to the song