"I giorni dell'arcobaleno" ("The Days of the Rainbow") is a 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

Nicola Di Bari Nicola Di Bari (born 29 September 1940) is an Italian singer-songwriter and actor. He is considered one of the "sacred monsters" of Italian pop music. Life and career Born in Zapponeta, Apulia, Di Bari was the youngest of ten children from a ...

. The song was the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival 1972 and later went on to represent at the

Eurovision Song Contest 1972 The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Edinburgh, United Kingdom and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporat ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. It marked the second Sanremo Festival victory in a row for Di Bari, an accomplishment only achieved by two other artists, Nilla Pizzi and

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received Grammy ...

Background

Described as "minimalist, graceful and lyrical", the song is a nostalgic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, with Di Bari singing to a woman about her childhood, which she gave up by taking a lover at a very young age; and while this action, being a passage into adulthood, made her appear "cool" before her more innocent peers and transformed her into a self-assured young woman, she did in fact forsake what was – or could have been – "the best time" of her life. The lyrics of the song underwent several censorship changes, including the raising of the girl's age by three years, and the suppression of a verse referring to previous romantic experiences.

At Eurovision

The song was performed twelfth on the night of the Eurovision Song Contest, following 's Milestones with "

Falter im Wind ''Falter'' ( en, italic=yes, Butterfly) is a weekly Austrian news magazine published in Vienna. History and profile Established in 1977, ''Falter'' is published weekly on Wednesdays. The magazine was founded by Walter Martin Kienreich. The pu ...

" and preceding 's

Tereza Kesovija Tereza Ana Kesovija (; born 3 October 1938) is an internationally acclaimed Croatian recording artist. She was one of the most recognizable figures on the music scene in former Yugoslavia, and is renowned for her wide vocal range and operatic st ...

with " Muzika i ti"). At the close of voting, it had received 92 points, placing it 6th in a field of 18. It was succeeded as Italian representative at the 1973 contest by

Massimo Ranieri Massimo Ranieri (born Giovanni Calone on 3 May 1951) is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and director. Biography Early life Ranieri was born in Naples ( at Santa Lucia), the fifth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, y ...

with " Chi sarà con te".

Charts

References

Eurovision songs of Italy Eurovision songs of 1972 Sanremo Music Festival songs Nicola Di Bari songs 1972 songs {{italy-stub