Un'estate italiana

"Un'estate italiana" (Italian: [uneˈstaːte itaˈljaːna]), "Un verano italiano" (Spanish: [um beˈɾano itaˈljano]; both meaning "An Italian summer") or "To Be Number One" is a 1989 song composed by Giorgio Moroder which was used as the official song of the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy, the first to hold such distinction.

"Un'estate italiana""
Single by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini Susan Ferrer (Spanish version)
B-side	"Un'estate italiana" (karaoke version)
Released	9 December 1989
Recorded	1989
Genre	Pop rock
Length	4:07
Label	Warner Bros. Sugar Virgin
Composer(s)	Giorgio Moroder
Lyricist(s)	Gianna Nannini Edoardo Bennato (Italian) Tom Whitlock (English) Susan Ferrer (Spanish)
Producer(s)	Giorgio Moroder
Gianna Nannini singles chronology
"Voglio fare l'amore" (1989) "Un'estate italiana"" (1989) "Scandalo" (1990)
Edoardo Bennato singles chronology
"Vendo Bagnoli" (1989) "Un'estate italiana" (1989) "Il paese dei balocchi" (1992)
Music video
"Un'estate italiana" on YouTube

The Italian version, also known as "Notti magiche" ("Magical nights") in Italy, was recorded by Italian artists Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini, who also wrote the lyrics. The Spanish version, also known as "Noches mágicas" in Spanish, was recorded by Paraguayan Susan Ferrer, who also wrote the lyrics. The English version, with lyrics by Tom Whitlock and performed by Giorgio Moroder Project (singers: Joe Milner, Moll Anderson, Paula Mulcahy Keane),^[1] was the opening theme to RAI TV programmes and matches related to the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The song achieved success on the charts of several European countries.

Release

For the Italian release, Moroder addressed Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato, who rewrote the lyrics and took the song to the top of the charts in Italy and Switzerland. From January to September 1990, the song was the best-selling single in Italy. The song was presented for the first time by the two singer-songwriters in Milan in December 1989, and performed live during the opening ceremony, held on 8 June 1990, in Milan, before the Argentina–Cameroon opening match, followed later also by the English version. It describes the desire to win, and score a goal.

The song was among the first to contain a single instrumental version (indicated as a karaoke version) and to be published as a maxi single.

Cover versions

In 1990, Hong Kong singer Alan Tam covered this song in Cantonese under the title "Ideals and Peace" (Chinese: 理想與和平; Jyutping: Lei⁵soeng² jyu⁵ wo⁴ping⁴).

In 2014, The Italian Tenors covered this song.

Track listings

7" single

1. "Un'estate italiana" – 4:07
2. "Un'estate italiana" (karaoke version) – 4:07

12" maxi

1. "Un'estate italiana" (stadium version) – 4:50
2. "Un'estate italiana" (7" version) – 4:07
3. "Un'estate italiana" (karaoke version) – 4:07

CD maxi

1. "Un'estate italiana" (stadium version) – 4:50
2. "Un'estate italiana" (single version) – 4:07
3. "Un'estate italiana" (karaoke version) – 4:07

Charts and sales

Peak positions Chart (1990) Peak position Austrian Singles Chart[2] 11 French SNEP Singles Chart[2] 23 German Singles Chart[2] 2 Italian Singles Chart 1 Norwegian Singles Chart[2] 4 Swedish Singles Chart[2] 7 Swiss Singles Chart[2] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Austrian Singles Chart[3] 28 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[4] 21 Swiss Singles Chart[5] 1 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Germany (BVMI)[6] Gold 250,000^ Italy (FIMI)[7] Platinum 100,000‡ Sweden (GLF)[8] Gold 25,000^ ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of FIFA World Cup songs and anthems

References

1. Moll Anderson Returns to 1989 With Serious Bomb Girl Style
2. "Un'estate italiana", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 19, 2009)
3. 1990 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at Archived 2013-12-17 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 19, 2009)
4. "Eurochart Hot 100 of 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. 22 December 1990. p. 60. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
5. 1990 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 19, 2009)
6. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Edoardo Bennato/ Gianna Nannini; 'Un' Estate italiana')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
7. "Italian single certifications – Edoardo Bennato & Gianna Nannini – Un'estate italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 June 2024. Select "2024" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Un'estate italiana" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
8. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.