Italian Soundtracks and the best Oscar songs

READ ME IN Italiano

«The Oscar night has just passed but the nostalgia of the red carpet is already being felt. For this reason we bring you to the discovery of the 9 Italian soundtracks awarded with the most precious statuette. From Nino Rota to Ennio Morricone the cast is really full of stars. Read on to find out about the best Oscar songs.»

It is useless to deny it, we’re already missing the Oscar Night. The atmosphere, the colors, the dream dresses: everything at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles looks really fantastic. For this reason we decided to take a dip in the past, recovering the Italian soundtracks which were rewarded at this prestigious ceremony over the years with the best Oscar songs.

Nino Rota – The Goodfather Waltz (1974)

We find our first Oscar song in the distant 1974, when Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola won the first place for the best original dramatic soundtrack of I Padrino – Part II (The Godfather) Waltz was literally acclaimed by the public, although, at least initially, the criticism was not at all lenient. According to some insiders, the piece would have been too far from the musical tendencies of the moment.

Giorgio Moroder – The Midnight Express (1978)

In 1978 it was the turn of the singer, DJ and record producer Giorgio Moroder, pioneer of the 80s records. With the very rhythmic Midnight Fugue, Moroder won his first Oscar, taking care of one of the most appreciated soundtracks ever. It might be for the electronic sound or for the wonderful interpretation by Brad Davis, but listening to The Midnight Express almost never gets tiring. An unforgettable Italian soundtrack

Giorgio Moroder – Flashdance (1983)

Five years after the first statuette, came a new success for Moroder, who produces another of the most beautiful soundtracks ever, taking care of Flashdance. More than a film, it was a real cult, in which to accompany the love story between Alex Owens and Nick Hurley are precisely the melodies of our Giorgio Moroder. A great Oscar song we will always remember.

Giorgio Moroder – Top Gun (1986)

Another 3 years pass and Moroder wins his third statuette thanks to the Top Gun soundtrack. The reference song is Take my breath away, sung by the Berlin but composed by the very Italian Moroder. An Oscar song still known today, which makes Top Gun an authentic masterpiece.

Sergio Endrigo / Luis Bacalov – The Postman (1996)

How can we not remember the melodic nostalgia of Il Postino? It’s 1996, and to get on the podium this time is Luis Bacalov. However, after a long confrontation in court, the paternity of the dominant motif was also recognized to the Italian singer Sergio Endrigo, whose song Nelle mie notti is very similar to the melody used for the film by Radford and Troisi. A satisfaction only posthumously, therefore, that did not detract from Endrigo’s enormous talent.

Nicola Piovani – Life is beautiful (1999)

An Italian soundtrack that is like a carefree air with a bitter aftertaste… To crown Roberto Benigni’s masterpiece, Life is beautiful, was Nicola Piovani, who, after several David di Donatello awards, also won the most valuable statuette, taking care of the soundtrack of the best foreign film of the 1999 kermesse. His tracks made us smile and cry at the same time, and turned a movie into both a box office and Oscar champion!

Dario Marianelli – Atonement (2006)

After the resounding success of Piovani, our list of Italian soundtracks continues with Dario Marianelli. Seven years will have to pass before another Italian is nominated for the best soundtrack. In fact it is only in 2006 that Dario Marianelli amazes audiences and critics with the soundtrack of Atonement. A partnership between the Italian compositor and the director Joe Wright, which still continues in an absolutely profitable way. It is no coincidence that this last 2018 was the last effort of the two, The darkest hour, the fifth film made together and from which an album released by Decca Records (2007) was also extracted.

Michael Giacchino – Up (2010)

The last Italian to win an Oscar for the best soundtrack is Michael Giacchino, American by birth but a citizen of Italy since 2012, when he was awarded honorary citizenship by the mayor of Caccamo because of his great-grandparents’ Sicilian origins. To Giacchino’s we owe the soundtrack of Up, one of the most beautiful animated films of all time. Thanks to that Michael entered the list of the best Italian soundtracks and Oscar songs.

Ennio Morricone – The Hateful Eight (2016)

Last but not least we find the master Ennio Morricone. The king of Italian soundtracks. The fifty minutes of The hateful eight were the first western soundtrack since 1981 ( Buddy goes West ) and the first composed by Morricone after thirty-five years, ever since Occhio alla penna by Michele Lupo. The protagonists of the songs are the national orchestra of the Czech Republic with raids by international artists like The White Stripes, Roy Orbinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and David Hess. Curiously, before winning the Oscar for best soundtrack in 2016, Morricone was awarded the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2007. However, as is often said, better late than never!

So, if you needed a new playlist for your spring walks with the best Oscar songs, now you’ll be spoiled for choice. This really is an compilation worthy of an Oscar!

 

Photo Cover: By Sven-Sebastian Sajak  [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Martina Tiberti

READ ME IN Italiano