Eurovision Top 100, #46: Aprite le finestre (Italy, 1956)

Back to the original Eurovision for number 46 on the Top 100 countdown, as “Aprite le finestre” scores another one for Italy.

1956 was not only the first Eurovision Song Contest, but it is one of two to have been lost, at least in terms of visuals.  We will never again be able to see how the actual performance went, as if we need to, but you can still listen to it.  Just as unfortunate is that we have no idea how Franca Raimondi did, as they never revealed the jury scoring.  Imagine if you watched a modern Eurovision and they just told you the winner at the end.  There would be uprisings in the streets.

Vital Information: “Aprite le finestre”

What I Liked

This song keeps you on your toes.  When the orchestra begins playing, it seems like it’s going to be a slow-mover, but then it takes a hard left turn and gets much more allegro.  What we have here is a classic Italian Eurovision song that stands out with its vocals, tempo, and likability.

Going back to the sudden tempo change at the beginning, it makes sense: This is a song about the coming of spring, so you get kind of a springy “good morning” intro before the song gets interesting.  What makes it an even better composition is that the song book-ends with it, slowing back down at the end to leave a satisfying conclusion and one last burst of joy.  Franca’s song was put together quite well and she did it justice with her performance.

Other Facts

• Every country had two entries in 1956, and of Italy’s, this was first.  Therefore, this was the first Italian song in Eurovision history.  “Amami se vuoi” was the second.  Franca performed seventh in the running order.
• Raimondi won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1956.

Show Some Love to “Aprite le finestre”

A reconstruction of the 1956 performance is available on YouTube.