Luna nel blu (Non ho l'eta) - Gigliola Cinquetti

Imagine being sixteen years old and winning with 'Non ho l'eta' at the Italian San Remo festival, and then going on to the Eurovision Song Contest and winning that too. Gigliola Cinquetti, who was born into a wealthy family, must have been a bit overwhelmed by this success. Yet she continued gracefully, recording her song in Spanish as 'No tiene edad' and in Japanese as '夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi)'.

The German version was called 'Luna nel blu', and is perhaps the most impressive of all these versions, because Gigliola pronounces the language in a rather convincing way (even if the title of the song is still in Italian). This pressing comes from one of the Benelux countries, but why 'Luna nel blu' is relegated to the B-side, I don't know.

My collection: 7" single no. 6656
Found: Discogs.com, received 19 March 2022
Cost: €6
Tracks: 'Con amore' / 'Luna nel blu (Non ho l'eta)'

Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

Ten years after she won the Eurovision Song Contest, Gigliola Cinquetti competed again in 1974 with the song 'Si'. I bought the single in 1999. I found the German version, entitled 'Ja' at a record fair in 2011. I ordered the English version 'Go (Before you break my heart)' in the UK via Discogs.com in 2014. The French version, 'Lui', came to me from France, also via Discogs.com, just two months ago, and here is the Spanish version, which, like the original Italian version is called 'Si'. 

This completes all the versions Cinquetti recorded. A Finnish version, entitled 'Niin', was recorded by Lea Laven. Who knows, that single might appear on this blog someday too.

My collection: 7" single no. 6653
Found: Discogs.com, received 12 March 2022
Cost: €4
Tracks: 'Si' / 'El Papagayo'

Lui - Gigliola Cinquetti

Gigliola Cinquetti's song 'Si' has been translated into many other languages besides the original Italian. On this blog, we've already had 'Ja' (German) and 'Go' (English); today I am adding the French version, 'Lui'. It's a pity this title breaks the two-letter rule, but then that would be hard in French anyway. 

Of all the versions, this one sounds probably the most natural. By that I mean it could easily have been an original French chanson, performed by a French lady. In other words: Gigliola does a beautiful job on this single, and I really like this version a lot. The fact that I could buy it for almost nothing makes this a great acquisition. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6599
Found: Discogs.com, received 15 January 2022
Cost: €0,99
Tracks: 'Lui' / 'Le tandem'

Non ho l'eta / Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

Released in 1977, this single combines the two Eurovision entries of Gigliola Cinquetti on one disc, with an attractive new sleeve. 'Non ho l'eta' was the 1964 entry with which she won the Eurovision Song Contest, whereas 'Si' was her attempt to win again in 1974, but she finished in second place... behind Abba's 'Waterloo'. 

In 1990, Gigliola released a new version of 'Non ho l'eta', which was equally unsuccessful in reaching the charts as this combined re-release single.

My collection: 7" single no. 6516
Found: Chelsea Records, Antwerpen, 25 November 2021
Cost: €1
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta' / 'Si'

夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età]) - Gigliola Cinquetti

Japanese versions of Eurovision songs, performed by the original artist, are a rarity in themselves. I don't know if there are more, but I was aware of Gigliola Cinquetti's version for quite some time now. However, I never thought that I would own a copy! Much to my satisfaction, I found a copy online for a reasonable price from a Japanese seller, and since I could combine it with this single by Marco Polo and the Japanese single of 'Non ho l'eta' (the original Italian version, which was also released in Japan apparently) it worked out quite well. 

'夢見る想い' or 'Yumemiru omoi' was translated by Japanese lyricist Hiroshi Arakawa (Real name 牧野 剛 or Makino Gou). Quite how young Cinquetti managed to pronounce the Japanese I don't know. Perhaps the lyrics were written down for her phonetically. Anyway, it is a very nice rarity. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6408
Found: Discogs.com, 19 June 2021
Cost: ¥1,590
Tracks: '夢見る想い (Yumemiru omoi [Non ho l'età])' / 'Penso alle cose perdute'

Dio, come ti amo - Gigliola Cinquetti

Domenico Modugno represented Italy in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Dio come ti amo' ('God how I love you'). The song was not a success, as it was the first and only Italian entry in Eurovision history to receive the dreaded nul points.

When Gigliola Cinquetti, who had represented Italy in the Contest in 1964, recorded the song, she had considerably more success. Her version of 'Dio come ti amo' became a worldwide hit. At the San Remo festival in 1966, she performed the song together with Domenico, which is why this single mentions that festival on the sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 5739
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Dio come ti amo' / 'Vuoi'

...

Go (before you break my heart) - Gigliola Cinquetti

I'm not exactly thrilled when I buy a damaged 7" single (the pronged center is missing) without a picture sleeve (although this single was not released in a picture sleeve, apparently). However, in this case, the single was very cheap, and so I just decided to order it along with a couple of other discs that were, fortunately, in better shape. Sometimes collecting records is just about the music contained on the disc...

So what is this? The English version of Gigliola Cinquetti's 1974 Eurovision entry, 'Si'. Entitled 'Go (before you break my heart)'. This version actually got to number 8 in the UK singles chart, which is a remarkable achievement for any non-winning song from the Contest.

My collection: 7" single no. 5599
Found: Discogs.com, received August 5, 2014
Cost: 40 pence
Tracks: 'Go (before you break my heart)' / 'Si'

Non ho l'eta'... [1990 version] - Gigliola Cinquetti

Re-recording songs is seldom a good idea. Too many artists have re-recorded their hits from the beginning of their career, and it usually signalled a lack of creativity or it was motivated by legal complications involving greedy record companies.

Gigliola Cinquetti decided to re-record 'Non ho l'eta' in 1990. I have found no information why she did it, but one would guess it was prompted by Italy's Eurovision win that year, when Toto Cotugno performed 'Insieme: 1992' in Zagreb and won the Contest. She went on to present the 1991 edition together with Toto. This version is unfortunately not as charming as the original track from 1964.

My collection: 7" single no. 5477
Found: Kringloop Hebbes, Den Haag, July 25, 2014
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta'... [1990 version]' (Gigliola Cinquetti) / 'Gli occhi miei' (Dino)

Ja - Gigliola Cinquetti

After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 singing 'No ho l'età', Gigliola Cinqutti returned to the Contest ten years later, again representing Italy. She performed the song 'Si' ('Yes') and finished second, behind Abba, who won the contest with the legendary 'Waterloo'.

Just like the winners, Gigliola recorded several versions of her song, one in English (entitled 'Go (before you break my heart)') and one in German (simply titled 'Ja'). I was pleasantly surprised to find this German single cheaply.

My collection: 7" single no. 5241
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 19, 2011
Cost: 0,8 euro
Tracks: 'Ja' / 'Es singt die Nachtigall'

No tiene edad - Gigliola Cinquetti

Gigliola Cinquetti won the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Non ho l'eta per amarti'. The song was released as a single and became a hit all over Europe. As a result, Cinquetti recorded the song in several other languages besides Italina. The English got 'This is my prayer', the French were promised 'Je suis à toi' and there waseven a Japanese version, 'Yumemiro omoi'.

This Spanish EP features four Spanish recordings from Cinquetti, including the Spanish version of her Eurovision hit, 'No tiene edad'. It is a charming version of a timeless classic.

My collection: 7" single no. 4822
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 10, 2010
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'No tiene edad', 'Eres un buen muchacho' / 'Cuando veo que todos se quieren', 'Pienso en las cosas perdidas'

Si - Gigliola Cinquetti

After winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 with 'Non ho l'eta per amarti', Gigliola Cinquetti competed again in 1974. The live broadcast of the song was banned in her home country by the Italian national broadcaster RAI as the event partially coincided with the campaigning for the 1974 Italian referendum on divorce which was held a month later in May.
RAI censored the song due to concerns that the name and lyrics of the song (which constantly repeated the word 'Si') could be seen as being a subliminal message and a form of propaganda to influence the Italian voting public to vote 'yes' in the referendum. The song remained censored on most Italian state TV and radio stations for over a month.

Cinquetti ended as number two in the Contest, just behind the legendary 'Waterloo' by Abba.

My collection: 7" single no. 3127

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, July 24, 1999

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Si' / 'Il pappagallo verde'

Download: here

Non ho l'eta per amarti - Gigliola Cinquetti

Gigliola Cinquetti was born on December 20, 1947 in Verona, Italy. She won the 1964 San Remo festival singing 'Non ho l'eta per amarti' ('I'm not old enough to love you'). As was usual for Italy, the winner of the San Remo festival also represented the country in the Eurovision Song Contest. She won this contest as well, making it the first ever victory for Italy in Eurovision. What's more, the single made no. 17 in the UK singles chart, usually a no-go area for Italian music. In the Netherlands, it reached number three.

The single which I bought recently was made in Belgium, but only states that Cinquetti was '1st price Festival SAN REMO'. Presumably the sleeve was created after an Italian original.

My collection: 7" single no. 3503

Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, December 27, 2008

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Non ho l'eta per amarti' / 'Sei un bravo ragazzo'

Download: here