The start of another week and so it’s time for the oldies of the contest. Nick takes you back to one of the most beloved winners of the contest, but he’s not a fan…
Italy 1964: Gigliola Cinquetti – Non Ho L’Età (1st place)
The original video tapes of this entry were lost in the fire in the Danish TV archives and so the video was lost of one of the most beloved entries of the Eurovision Song Contest. But to be quite honest, I fail to see why this is such a classic.
To me, this song is the definition of ‘nothing’. It does nothing for me, it leaves me completely cold. The intro already puts me off, because it feels as if we’re going to get a big Italian song here. Instead, we get treated to a 16 year old who’s singing she’s not old enough for love and romantic evenings. Even worse is the fact that she says she’d have nothing to say on a date, as the older man would be much wiser than her – talk about unfriendly lyrics to women.
I’m glad Gigliola redeemed herself ten years later with the much superior Si, a song which was seen as a voting intention for the divorce referendum coming up later in 1974.
Now, if we combine those two songs: In 1964, this girl says she’s not old enough to love and she’d prefer to wait and then ten years, she comes back with a song which people say is in favour of getting divorced. Guess that love didn’t work out for her in the end then.
In short, I’m not a fan of Non Ho L’Età. I fail to see why many fans love it so much and it does nothing for me. The love she’s singing about didn’t work out, judging on her 1974 entry, so let’s just forget all about this 1964 mishap.
