Nel blu dipinto di blu

A best-seller of Italian pop, this song places 5th in the world for copies sold (22 million). After the victory at the Sanremo Festival (1958), which marked a split between modernists and conservatives, the song stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks and broke into the major world markets, including the US where it stayed at the top for five weeks, and in the charts for another eight. Modugno won three Grammy awards for it the year that the Prize was established (1959): Best Male Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. There are seven versions of Volare (as it is often known) in the Hot 100, including Nelson Riddle’s and Dean Martin’s, in 12th place. It also returned in 1960 with Bobby Rydell (no.4) and in 1975 with Al Martino, but also Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, Paul McCartney, Ray Charles, Gypsy Kings, Dalida and David Bowie, in the film Absolute Beginners.