Sì (song)
Encyclopedia
"Sì" is the name of the Italian
entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
, which finished second behind the Swedish
entry "Waterloo" sung by ABBA
.
by Gigliola Cinquetti
.
During the preview programmes, Cinquetti sang the song alone in a dark room. The music video was broadcast in black and white as RAI
did not move to full color broadcasts until 1977. On the Contest night, Cinquetti performed the ballad in a blue dress, accompanied by an orchestra and four teenage female backup singers, dressed in light yellow blouses and autumnal floral skirts. The song is sung in the first person where she reflects and describes her love for a man, and the exhilaration she feels when she finally says "yes" to him, which signifies that they can start the rest of their lives together. Throughout the song, the word "sì" is repeated sixteen times.
It was the seventeenth and final song of the evening, following Portugal's
song "E depois do adeus
" which was used as a signal in Portugal to begin the Carnation Revolution
.
Under the scoring system of the time, each country had ten jurors, each of whom allocated one point to the song which they deemed to be the best. Sì received 18 votes in this manner, including five from the United Kingdom, four from Monaco
, two each from Finland
and Spain
, and single votes from Israel
, Luxembourg
, Belgium
, Ireland and Portugal
, and went pointless from the other six participating songs
It was Italy's second best result to date, with Cinquetti having won the contest with "Non Ho L'Età
" ten years earlier.
Cinquetti later recorded versions in English
("Go (Before You Break My Heart)"), French
("Lui"), German
("Ja") and Spanish
("Si"), which were released across Europe. A Finnish rendering: "Niin", was recorded by Lea Laven and became a Top Ten hit in Finland.
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 the name and lyrics of the song (which constantly repeated the word "SI") could be accused of 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, as a consequence the song failed to enter to Top 40 chart in Italy, and still remains one of the lesser known Eurovision entries in the country. As opposed to "Non ho l'età", "Sì" also failed to make a significant impact on the charts in Continental Europe and Scandinavia - with one notable exception;
the English version "Go (Before You Break My Heart)" reached eighth position in the British charts in June 1974, making it one of the very few non-winning Eurovision entries to become a commercial success in the UK.
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
Italy participated in the Eurovision Song Contest frequently from 1956 to 1997. It was one of only seven countries that competed at the very first contest...
entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, which finished second behind the Swedish
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden has participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 51 times since their debut in 1958. Since 1959, the Swedish representative has been chosen through an annual televised competition, known since 1967 as Melodifestivalen. Three times – 1964, 1970, and 1976 – Sweden didn't participate...
entry "Waterloo" sung by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
Background
The lyrics and musics were written by Mario Panzeri, Daniele Pace, Lorenzo Pilat and Corrado Conti. It was sung in ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
by Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
.
During the preview programmes, Cinquetti sang the song alone in a dark room. The music video was broadcast in black and white as RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
did not move to full color broadcasts until 1977. On the Contest night, Cinquetti performed the ballad in a blue dress, accompanied by an orchestra and four teenage female backup singers, dressed in light yellow blouses and autumnal floral skirts. The song is sung in the first person where she reflects and describes her love for a man, and the exhilaration she feels when she finally says "yes" to him, which signifies that they can start the rest of their lives together. Throughout the song, the word "sì" is repeated sixteen times.
It was the seventeenth and final song of the evening, following Portugal's
Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest
Portugal has entered the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since its debut in the 1964 contest. Portugal has missed only three contests since the country's debut in 1964....
song "E depois do adeus
E Depois Do Adeus
"E Depois do Adeus" was the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in Portuguese by Paulo de Carvalho....
" which was used as a signal in Portugal to begin the Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
.
Under the scoring system of the time, each country had ten jurors, each of whom allocated one point to the song which they deemed to be the best. Sì received 18 votes in this manner, including five from the United Kingdom, four from Monaco
Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest
Monaco first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959. The country's first and only win in the contest came in 1971, when Séverine performed "Un banc, un arbre, une rue". In 1972 Monaco was expected to host the contest, but declined...
, two each from Finland
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Finland first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, and has participated a total of 45 times. Finland won the contest for the first time in 2006 with Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah"...
and Spain
Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest
Spain debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, finishing 9th. Since 1999, Spain is one of the "Big Five" and therefore automatically allowed to participate in the final because they are the five biggest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union.Spain has won the contest...
, and single votes from Israel
Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest
Although geographically not in Europe, Israel is within the European Broadcasting Area and can thus participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and made its first appearance in 1973. Israel has participated in the contest 34 times, and has won...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest
Luxembourg was one of the countries to participate in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.From their debut to 1993 Luxembourg competed frequently in the Contest, being absent from the contest once during this period...
, Belgium
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
Belgium is a founding member of the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1956, the country has participated 52 times, only being absent three times in total: in 1994, 1997 and 2001, due to low scores in the previous contests that relegated Belgium from the contest.-History of Belgium in the Eurovision...
, Ireland and Portugal
Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest
Portugal has entered the Eurovision Song Contest 45 times since its debut in the 1964 contest. Portugal has missed only three contests since the country's debut in 1964....
, and went pointless from the other six participating songs
It was Italy's second best result to date, with Cinquetti having won the contest with "Non Ho L'Età
Non Ho L'Età
"Non ho l'età" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1964, held in Copenhagen. It was performed in Italian by Gigliola Cinquetti representing Italy. Like all previous Italian Eurovision entries, the song had also won that year's San Remo Music Festival...
" ten years earlier.
Cinquetti later recorded versions in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
("Go (Before You Break My Heart)"), French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
("Lui"), German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
("Ja") and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
("Si"), which were released across Europe. A Finnish rendering: "Niin", was recorded by Lea Laven and became a Top Ten hit in Finland.
Censorship of song in 1974
The live telecast of the song was banned in her home country by the Italian national broadcaster RAIRAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
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 the name and lyrics of the song (which constantly repeated the word "SI") could be accused of being a subliminal message and a form of propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
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, as a consequence the song failed to enter to Top 40 chart in Italy, and still remains one of the lesser known Eurovision entries in the country. As opposed to "Non ho l'età", "Sì" also failed to make a significant impact on the charts in Continental Europe and Scandinavia - with one notable exception;
the English version "Go (Before You Break My Heart)" reached eighth position in the British charts in June 1974, making it one of the very few non-winning Eurovision entries to become a commercial success in the UK.
See also
- Eurovision Song Contest 1974Eurovision Song Contest 1974The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
- Italy in the Eurovision Song ContestItaly in the Eurovision Song ContestItaly participated in the Eurovision Song Contest frequently from 1956 to 1997. It was one of only seven countries that competed at the very first contest...
- Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...