Wikipedia

Per Elisa

"Per Elisa"
Cover art
Single by Alice
from the album Alice
B-side"Non devi avere paura"
ReleasedJanuary 16, 1981[1]
Genre
[2]
Length3:40
LabelEMI
Songwriters
LyricistAlice
Alice singles chronology
"Il vento caldo dell'estate"
(1980) 		"Per Elisa"
(1981) 		"Una notte speciale"
(1981)
Audio
"Per Elisa" on YouTube

"Per Elisa" (transl. "For Elisa") is a 1981 single by Alice. The song was the breakthrough in the singer's career, winning the 31st edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, and being an international commercial success.[3][4]

Background

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The song marked a second collaboration between Battiato and Alice, following the 1980 moderately successful single "Il vento caldo dell'estate".[5][6] The title Per Elisa is a reference to Ludwig van Beethoven's composition "Für Elise", whose musical theme is reprised in the intro of the song.[6]

The lyrics on surface tell the story of a love triangle from the point of view of a betrayed woman, but according to many critics actually refer to drug addiction, with the Elisa of the title being a code name for heroin.[4][5][6][7] In this interpretation, rejected by both Alice and Battiato,[5][6][8] the song was included in the soundtrack of the Claudio Caligari's 1983 drug-themed film Toxic Love.[7][9]

The structure of the song has been described as "unusual because it lacks a refrain, but equally catchy thanks to several melodic hooks and a smooth mainstream sound".[5]

Track listing

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  • 7" single - 3C 006-18529
  1. "Per Elisa" (Alice, Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio)
  2. "Non devi avere paura" (Alice)

Charts

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Chart Peak
position
Italy (Musica e dischi)[10] 1
Germany[11] 17
Austria[12] 4
Switzerland[13] 5

References

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  1. ^ https://www.45cat.com/record/3c00618529
  2. ^ Claudio Fabretti. "Alice - Le canzoni di Carla". Ondarock. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  3. ^ Tinti, Andrea (26 September 2022). "Alice compie 69 anni: da Franco Battiato a "Per Elisa" la storia di Carla Bissi". Corriere di Bologna (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Dario Salvatori (2001). "Per Elisa". Dizionario delle canzoni italiane. Elle U. pp. 254–5. ISBN 8888169016.
  5. ^ a b c d Ezio Guaitamacchi (14 January 2011). "Per Elisa". 1000 canzoni che ci hanno cambiato la vita. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN 978-8858617427.
  6. ^ a b c d Zuffanti, Fabio (23 February 2021). "Alice 40 anni dopo 'Per Elisa': «Non l'ho scritta pensando alla droga» {". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b Marzetti, Claudia (16 November 2020). "Quando Alice e Franco Battiato scrissero "Per Elisa"". StoneMusic (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. ^ Fabretti, Claudio (14 November 2014). "Alice: Le canzoni di Carla". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  9. ^ D'Onofrio, Tobia (19 October 2020). "Vita e cinema di Claudio Caligari, regista delle devianze". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Alice".
  11. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Alice in AustrianCharts". AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade". HitParade.ch. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
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