Sentimiento Nuevo

In “Sentimiento nuevo” we’re basically talking about the erotic, sexual union: the lyrical story shifts from philosophical and literary references from antiquity, to something that, once again, is sung in a carefree way, but requires in-depth knowledge of the classical world and Eastern philosophies to be fully understood. We’re talking about a feeling put into words, a feeling that somehow goes from the voice of literature or the noble art of conversation. The “sentimiento nuevo” is the one that, since ancient times, in our culture or distant ones, lives on and is repeated. That feeling that, alone, lifts us out of mediocrity:

It is a new feeling

that keeps my life high

the passion in my throat

the eros that becomes a word

“And it’s beautiful to get lost in this spell”, sings Battiato, recounting the wonder of desire and love, showing us, throughout the whole song, how this perception of absolute newness actually has roots in history and very distant worlds.

Among the images that are completely a part of the popular culture, thanks to this song, there is certainly the reference to the “sense of possession that existed before Alexander the Great”. Here Battiato wants to exalt eros, the crazy, erotic, irresistible involvement, because “your voice like the chorus of Ulysses’ sirens enchains me”.

The references multiply incessantly and it’s really bizarre to think of Italians singing about tantric Shivaism and Dionysian style, perhaps trying to find the common thread between the verses of what appears on the surface as a hyper-melodic pop piece, written like a perfect beach song for Hawaii but also for the Italian coast.

(Excerpt from: Giulia Cavaliere, Romantic Italia. Di cosa parliamo quando cantiamo d’amore, Rome, Minimum Fax, 2018, pp.67-68)