Listening and understanding music of another culture is one of the greatest joys of learning a language. The easy access of Italian songs thanks to technology makes me giddy. So I curated a list of 11 amazing Italian songs I love (not just the classics that I adore too) that will help in passive learning and also improve your vocabulary. These songs are perfect for a road trip too!
11 Amazing Songs to Help Learn Italian:
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Svegliarsi la Mattina by Zero Assoluto
One of the first Italian music bands I discovered and immediately fell in love with was Zero Assoluto. They also have the best music videos and remind me of the 90s. Check out their other songs- Semplicemente, Sei parte di me & Quello che mi davi tu.
2. L’esercito del Selfie by Takagi & Ketra ft. Lorenzo Fragola, Arisa
L’esercito del Selfie is a super fun song by Takagi & Ketra. It has a catchy feel to it along with meaningful lyrics. This is the perfect Italian song for Friday evenings! I love the whole retro vibe and thanks to this song I’ve learnt so many new Italian words.
3. Stavo Pensando a Te by Fabri Fibra
Fabri Fibra’s Stavo pensando a te is a very popular number that you must listen to. It is yet another great pick to learn new words because it is both slow and fast in parts. An excellent option to listen to on repeat.
Though this song is about heartache and loneliness but it reminds me of Italy …..always.
4. Non Vivo Piu` Senza Te by Biagio Antonacci
I dedicate this song to Diana from Italy Translated who introduced me to this singer and his beautiful collection of music. Antonacci brings Southern Italy alive in this video!
5. Riccione by The Giornalisti
This song might be from 2016 but it is the song of EVERY summer! It reminds me of cocktails and beaches by the Italian seaside. The video is well shot and memorable.
Tra poche ore, tra poche ore… Let’s sing together!
6. Tutto Per Una Ragione by Benji & Fede ft. Annalisa
I might be biased to the voice of Annalisa but she really rules the Italian singing world. The lyrics and beats are fun as are the choice of words.
I have mentioned her music here in this post too.
7. Tra le Granite e La Granate by Francesco Gabbani
A great summer song to learn new words and also enjoy the video. The tune kind of grows on you…La la la la la la lalala la la…Gabbani also has some great slow songs which you can find in my Spotify list.
8. Despacito by Matteo Bellu
This is NOT an Italian song but a version from the original. You’ve probably heard the original version of Despacito?? This one is amazing and I would have to refute to the saying that “nothing beats the original”. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!
9. Moscow Mule by Benji & Fede
Another beautiful heartwarming song by Benji & Fede with a backdrop of INDIA!!!!!! It is a pleasure to see Goa and learn Italian words alongside.
10. Straordinario by Chiara Galiazzo
Chiara’s lovely voice is another charming song to add to your list. This song pushed me to learn new verbs and is a great way to practice Italian. Straordinario is very reminiscent of my time in Le Marche.
11. Vorrei Ma Non Posto by J-AX & Fedez
I’d like to but I can’t… There’s so much depth to this line. The rap is fun but if you are learning Italian, you must focus on understanding the lyrics.
And yet another summer will arrive..
……E ancora un’altra estate arriverà
E compreremo un altro esame all’università
E poi un tuffo nel mare
Nazional popolare
La voglia di cantare tanto non ci passerà
Conclusion:
These Italian songs about love, family and broken hearts are beautiful, catchy and poignant. Listening to them will not only make you more accustomed to local parlance but also help to emulate the gestures and ways of Italians.
As language learners we don’t realize how many words by our subconscious mind. Music is an amazing way enhance your language skills- even language teachers and YouTubers swear by it!
Of course, there’s no short cut to learning a language but adding some fun with music always helps.
Have you heard these songs?? Let me know in the comments below!!
Further Reading:
5 Podcasts for Learning Italian
Charming Italian Sentences I Love
Check out these 31 Italian words for your trip to Italy!
21 Comments
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Maria Zucaro
June 8, 2020 at 10:15 pmI have been listening to IL Volo, three charming men from Italy that sing many beautiful songs in Italian. Their mission is to bring the beautiful music of Italy to the world. I have learned a lot from their songs!
Italophilia
June 9, 2020 at 12:02 pmIl Volo is so good their songs are amazing. Me too! Its a great learning exercise. Thanks for commenting!
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Paola de'Mari
October 7, 2019 at 2:12 pmSimply great!Compliments,the choice of these songs demonstrate how update you’re about Italy.As a teacher of Italian I can sincerely say they can be very helpful.You’re fantastic!
Italophilia
October 10, 2019 at 11:18 amThanks Paola. So nice of you! If you have any tips, let me know 🙌
Manja Mexi
September 13, 2019 at 5:56 pmI remember most of these songs from the radio but had another listen to them. I think they are a good representation of Italian pop culture. Here is one song that amore thought of while listening:
Occhi da orientale by Daniele Silvestri:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjQ6_FQZfj8
I love him, and Caparezza, the most of all contemporary Italian singers. And Lucio Dalla. And Malika Ayane of the women!
Italophilia
September 14, 2019 at 11:33 amThey are fun and modern and new. I love the classics too 🙂 Thanks to your amore for sending across new ones!!
LuLu B - Calabrisella Mia
September 4, 2019 at 10:02 pmGreat selection of songs! I absolutely love The Giornalisti!! 🙂
Italophilia
September 10, 2019 at 10:54 pmThank you, they are quite popular and fun@!
Cookingwithloveandspices
September 1, 2019 at 10:09 pmI would love to make the time to learn Italian. It’s on my to do list. Just started doing cooking class/pop up supper club events to fundraise for my local food bank. Learning Italian is next on my list. I am going to keep this post in mind.
Italophilia
September 10, 2019 at 10:53 pmI really hope you can take out time to learn Italian. It’s so refreshing (and challenging!!) to learn a new language but it opens up another world. xx
Joseph T Madawela
September 22, 2019 at 5:41 pmyou can try duolingo it is quite good but also get a good grammar book
Italophilia
September 25, 2019 at 9:23 pmDuolingo isn’t very useful to me to be honest. I prefer videos, movies and podcasts more.
Keith Kellett
September 1, 2019 at 11:55 amBeing a lifelong Ferrari ‘tifoso’ I can sing (not very well!) ‘Fratelli d’Italia’ but that’s it!
But, I’ve been reminded of a recent radio programme which said you can make a lot of modern songs into ‘classics; by translating the lyric into Italian and getting a tenor to sing it … the dealt with ‘Unchained Melody’ and ‘Nights in White Satin’ this way.
(Oh, I nearly forgot! (sings) ‘Vo … lare! Oh … oh …) 😀
Italophilia
September 10, 2019 at 10:52 pmThanks for sharing Keith 🙂
CHINA ALEXANDRIA AUTHOR
September 1, 2019 at 10:04 amGRAZZI, GRAZZI I HAVE A BOOK SERIES,’MIRANDA COMING OUT IN SUNNY ITALY’ AND SPENT MANY MONTHS IN ITALY DOING RESEARCH.
I THINK IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT IN SOME DISTRICTS LIKE VENICE THE LOCALS SPEAK A LOCAL DIALECT BUT I LOVE THE SITE AND HOPE YOU TRY MINE CHINA