"Gli ostacoli del cuore" (en: The Obstacles of Heart) is a pop single by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

singer

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence ...

, featuring

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

singer

Ligabue Ligabue () is a family name of Italian origin, and may refer to: *Antonio Ligabue (1899–1965), Italian naïve painter *Giancarlo Ligabue (1931–2015), Italian palaeontologist, politician and businessman *Ilva Ligabue (1932–1998), Italian opera ...

, from her first

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

album, ''

Soundtrack '96-'06 A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

''. Released as the album's lead single, the song was written by Ligabue, and produced by Corrado Rustici. The song also appears on the album ''

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

'', released in September 2007. In the ''Caterpillars version, the song is sung without Ligabue. The song debouted at number one of the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

, spending seven consecutive weeks at number one. It became Elisa's second song to peak at number one in 2006 after "

Teach Me Again "Teach Me Again" is a single that was released in 2006 by American singer Tina Turner and Italian pop singer Elisa. The song was recorded for the film ''All the Invisible Children ''All the Invisible Children'' is a 2005 anthology film on th ...

", as well as the fourth of her career, and Ligabue eighth.

Background and composition

"Gli ostacoli del cuore" is the first original song featured on an Elisa album of which the artist is the only interpreter. Indeed, the song was written by

Luciano Ligabue Luciano Riccardo Ligabue (born 13 March 1960), commonly known as Ligabue or Liga, is an Italian singer-songwriter, film director and writer. Biography Ligabue was born in Correggio, in the province of Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna egl, Emig ...

, with arrangements by Elisa and

Corrado Rustici Corrado Rustici (born 1957) is an Italian musician, songwriter and producer. Recording career Rustici was a founder member of the Naples-based progressive rock group Cervello. The band recorded the album '' Melos'' in 1973, with Rustici on guitar ...

, who also produced of the song. During the same recording session the two artist recorded the song "Volente o nolente", published only in 2020. Ligabue told about the meaning of the song and the creative process that led to its creation:In an interview with ''TV Sorrisi e Canzoni'' in 2020, Ligabue said that the collaboration with Elisa was the only one that took place at the artist's direct request during his career:

Critics reviews

"Gli ostacoli del cuore" was received positively by specialized critics, being considered among the best records of the singers' careers. ''Panorama'' placed the song at number one on its list of the "100 Most Beautiful Italian Songs of the 21th Century" , making the two singers the only ones to have two songs among the top 10, thanks to Elisa's "

Luce (Tramonti a nord est) "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)" (translating to "Light (Sunsets in the North-East)") is Italian singer-songwriter Elisa's most famous song, both in her home Italy and internationally, in its English version "Come Speak to Me". It also has a Spanis ...

" at tenth position and Ligabue's "Le donne lo sanno" at eighth one.

Commercial performance

The song debouted at number one of the

, becoming Elisa's second song to peak at number one in 2006 after "

", as well as the fourth of her career, and Ligabue eighth. It spent sixth consecutive weeks at number one between November 23, 2006 to January 5, 2007. The song was the eighth best selling son in Italy in 2006. In 2018 it was certified platinum by

Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

, counting sales since 2009.

Music video

The "Gli ostacoli del cuore" music video was directed by Ligabue.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2006 singles Elisa (Italian singer) songs 2006 songs Sugar Music singles Italian-language songs