‘Brividi’, a fan-favourite song amongst many, is proving successful across the board, breaking multiple records and seeing particular success at home in Italy.
A chart-topping success
Italy’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, ‘Brividi’, sung by Mahmood and BLANCO has officially reached a 4x platinum certification milestone. How will two of Italy’s most popular young artists fare at the contest this year?
The heartfelt ballad, with a sweeping orchestral chorus and raw and vulnerable verses is proving to obtain the attention of many fans at home. It has been only 2 months since the pair’s victory at Festival Di Sanremo. Despite this, but the Italian Eurovision entry has consistently been breaking multiple records, including becoming the most streamed song in 24 hours on Italian Spotify. Its current Spotify stream tally stands just short of 75 million. Take a look at the official music video below.
‘Brividi’ also holds the title of the most-streamed Eurovision song for 2022 – so far. However, a good portion of these streams is dedicated to their Italian fans. Will their success translate on the global stage? Will Mahmood and BLANCO win the hearts of the general public, just as Måneskin did in 2021? And will Italy break the so-called “host country” curse and achieve a left-table or perhaps a top 10 or better result? We will have to see.
The Eurovision cut
Eurovision songs have a strict 3-minute rule. The original track ran for 3 minutes and 20-seconds, so an alteration was needed to comply with the rules. Shortening songs for Eurovision is common for Italian entries. This is because the Festival Di Sanremo is not a selection directed to choosing Italy’s next Eurovision representative. Instead, it is one that showcases the diversity of Italian music. It is a bonus and additional honour that the winner gets to represent their country at the contest. However, shortening a song is not an easy task. It leaves the potential to result in the deletion of special and poignant moments in a song.
Earlier this month, we got the chance to hear the Eurovision version of the song. Whilst there are noticeable changes, to a first-time listener, the song arguably carries the same richness, sadness and poignance as the original.
Here, the main alterations include the removal of the introductory antiphony between piano chords and the reverberation of an electronic guitar. Instead, the song begins with Mahmood singing a capella. Less noticeably, the final chorus is slightly shortened. However, this arguably does not impact the essence of the song itself, as the it does not diminish the orchestral swells and increase in emotions.
You can listen to the final cut of ‘Brividi’ below! What are your thoughts?
Are you enjoying the success of ‘Brividi’? What do you think of the final Eurovision cut? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news from Turin 2022!