The turn of the century saw an even mix of old and new as established music acts sat side by side with upcoming talent in the charts.JohnBensalhia lends an ear to the music of the Noughties...
ڸPart 1 - the 1950shere;Part 2 - the 1960shere;Part 3 - the 1970shere;Part 4 - the 1980shere; Part 5 - the 1990s here.]
And so the new millennium dawned. The fireworks exploded in the air. The wine flowed freely. The anticipation drew in as to what this new age would hold.
Musically though, the first decade of the 21stcentury revisited its past like never before. For one thing, many of the big acts to have graced the charts in the past were back with a vengeance. In fact, some of the acts returning to top the singles and album charts had history right back to the 1960s. Singer Mina, for example, enjoyed a chart renaissance in the mid-Noughties with chart-topping LPs,Bula Bula(2005) andTodavia(2007). The band Pooh were back for a chart-topping spell in 2004 with theirAscoltaalbum. Adriano Celentano was back for more too, enjoying a great start to the new millennium chart-wise with two number one LPs –Esco di rado e parlo ancora menoheld court in both 2000 and 2001. In 2002, he returned to the top of the album charts withPer sempre.
Many of the familiar faces from the 1980s and 1990s continued to do spectacularly well, with acts like Zucchero, Vasco Rossi and Eros Ramazzotti scoring the bullseye on both the singles and album charts. Zucchero reached pole position in 2001 with his songBaila, although the album charts welcomed him with open arms, thanks to high sellers such asShake,Zu And Co, and a compilation rounding up his greatest hits to date in 2007,All The Best. Rossi saw his musical career go from strength to strength in the Noughties with albums such asStupido hotel,Buoni o cattiviandTracks. An extended play of Rossi's saw an extended stay in the singles charts in 2007, with a destination of the Number One spot.
Meanwhile, Eros Ramazzotti also enjoyed immense success in the Noughties, scoring the top spot on both album and singles charts. The likes of9andCalma Apparentewere big sellers for Eros, while he made Number One with songs such asLa nostra vitaandI Belong To You(which was a duet with Anastacia). Jovanotti, too, returned to pole position with well-received singles and albums. 2002 and 2008 proved to be vintage years for Jovanotti, with the former including the singleSalvamiand the albumLorenzo 2002– while the latter included theA tesingle and theSafarialbum. Gianna Nannini was another act from the past to ring in the success in the new millennium with bothGrazie(2006) and a hits packageGiannaBest(2008) reaching the top of the album charts.
The new millennium also echoed the past in that singing competitions could provide the right talent with a shot at hitting the charts. The ever-popular Sanremo Festival continued to be a source of burgeoning new talent, although there were even more contests arriving on the scene. Thanks to the global trend for promoting talent shows such asPop IdolorThe X Factor, Italy also screened its own versions of these. And with that in mind, it was inevitable that these types of shows were in tune with the charts. Lollipop, for example, won thePopstarsshow in the early days of the 2000s. The girl group comprised Dominique Fidanza, Marcella Ovani, Marta Falcone, Roberta Ruiu and Veronica Rubino. In 2001, their debut singleDown Down Downmade an instant impression and raced to the top of the singles charts, selling more than 100,000 in only a month. Further singles from their debut albumPopstarsalso did well, withDon't Leave Me NowandWhen The Rainscoring more chart hits.
Their performance at the Sanremo Festival of 2002 received mixed feedback, although it didn't harm the performance of their accompanying song,Batte Forte, which sold more than 50,000 copies. Regrettably, Lollipop found that the pop world could sometimes be a fickle place to be, since their second albumTogetherdidn't sell as well as hoped. Following this, they split up – but over a decade later, there was a silver lining in the tale, as they reformed for a new tour and a new single calledCiao (Reload).
The first version of The X Factor included singer Giusy Ferreri. Although she narrowly missed out on the prize, she found greater consolation with a string of hits in the charts. Her first singleNon ti scordar mai di meremained at the top of the charts for over 10 weeks, whileNovembre,Stai Fermo lìandLa Scalawere also prime movers in the charts in 2008. TheGaetanaalbum housed all of the singles and was a monster hit in Italy (selling 500,000). Total worldwide sales have been at around 600,000 for this album. Ferreri's next album saw a slight change of pace, with a selection of cover versions of a diverse spread of acts such as Nick Drake, Luigi Tenco and Billie Holliday. The winners of 2008's X Factor, Aram Quartet, didn't fare quite as well in the charts, with onlyChi (Who)making a significant impression on the charts. The 2009 winner Marco Mengoni enjoyed a greater bout of instant success with both hisDove Si Volasingle and EP selling very well.
The Noughties carried on the major trend of the singer in the charts. One such singer to enjoy even bigger success in the 2000s was Elisa. Elisa had already made a name for herself in the late 90s. Having recorded her debut album, the quadruple platinumPipes And Flowers, she came up with theAsile's Worldalbum in 2000 (Asile being Elisa backwards), featuring work with the likes of Howie B and Leo Z. She also collaborated with Zucchero on her first song in ,Luce– the renowned legend wrote the lyrics with Elisa. By 2001,Then Comes The Sun, a winning combination of pop and rock, had established Elisa as a major player in the charts. Her talent had been recognised by the likes of Pavarotti (who invited her to perform with him on stage) and acclaimed producer Glen Ballard, who helmed Elisa'sPearl Days. Having masterminded Alanis Morrisette'sJagged Little Pill,Pearl Daysunsurprisingly had a harder edge than earlier works. Her 2005 singleUna poesia anche per tewas taken from the album and was one of the huge hits of that year. Other successful singles of the decade includedSwanand a duet with Tina Turner,Teach Me Again. The end of the decade proved that Elisa was still as popular as ever asHeartpulsed its way to the top of the album charts (her first studio LP to reach the top). It was also a critical success, attracting favourable comments from the press.
Another female singer to enjoy a run of continual chart success was Giorgia. The previous decade unleashed her strong, powerful voice on the public and they responded warmly to her distinctive brand of soul, jazz, pop and rock. Her career started at Sanremo when her performance ofE poi immediately attracted attention. A second appearance at the Sanremo Festival the following year timely spurred her albumCome Thelma e Louiseto sell more than 300,000 copies. The next couple of albums,Mangio troppa cioccolataandGirasolesaw Giorgia opt for a less ballad-heavy sound and instead choose faster paced poppy, R&B sounds. Her chart appearances had caught the eyes of some of the global rock and pop stars, and in 2000, she appeared with the likes of former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, and soul legends Lionel Richie and Ray Charles. The following year sawDi sole e d'azzurrojust miss out on the top spot on the singles charts, although 2002'sGreatest Hitscollection was a timely round-up of her chart successes up to that date. New material came the following year withLadra di Ventoand chart hits such asSpirito liberoandGocce di Memoria. Following an unplugged style album, 2007'sStonatawas another success for Giorgia – it included a collaboration with music legend, Mina calledPoche Parole. And a further collaboration, this time with Gianna Nannini, would see her score another big hit in 2009 withSalvami.
Anna Tatangelo enjoyed a run of success in the 2000s. In 2002, she was the youngest act to win a Sanremo Newcomer award at only 15 years of age. She would return to the festival in future years, which would coincide with the start of a run of hits, both in the singles and album charts.Mai dire maiwas one such success, selling 130,000 and achieving Platinum status. Not only did it reach Number 6 in the charts, it also made an impression on the Billboard Hot 100 Albums of Europe.Nel mondo delle donnecontinued the success, selling 100,000 in the space of a month. It included the singles,Profumo di mammaandRose Spezzate.
Male singers were also striking chords with the record buying public. Singer songwriter Francesco Renga's albums were to grow in popularity over the decade. 2002'sTracceand 2004'sCamere con vistaboth hit the Top 10, but it was 2007'sFerro e cartonethat provided him with his first chart-topping LP. Renga's victory at the 2005 Sanremo Festival also stood him in good stead as the winning song,Angeloraced to the peak of the singles charts in March of that year.
Tiziano Ferro enjoyed success both in Italy and abroad. His opening bid for pop stardom met with applause from his homeland as well as the likes of Spain, Austria and the Netherlands asPerdonotopped the charts. Ferro latched onto the success in Spain as he recorded specially recorded Spanish versions of his albumsRosso relativoand 111 centoundici. 2007's albumNessuno è Solo, a more introspective and reflective work, was to prove to be just as successful. It included the Number One single,Stop! Dimentica, and this success was cemented by 2008'sAlla mia etàproved to be the best selling LP of the following year. Ferro's songwriting skills were also showcased on Giusy Ferreri's chart topperNon ti scordar mai di me.
It wasn't just solo acts spearheading the charts in the 2000s though. Sometimes it took two, as Zero Assoluto proved. Comprising Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci, Zero Assoluto achieved pop and rock fame in the middle of this decade. 2005'sSemplicementesaw them at Number Two in the singles chart, although the following year, they would crack the case twice withSvegliarsi la mattinaandSei parte di me. The same year they collaborated with Nelly Furtado on the version of herLoosealbum. Zero Assoluto contributed to the version ofAll Good Things, and they later performed with Nelly at the 2007 Sanremo festival. Nelly would return the favour by appearing on a version of their songAppena prima di partire.
The bands were also having their say in the charts. Le Vibrazioni's style of pop and rock sat well the record buyers, introducing themselves with 2003's Platinum status singleDedicato a te. The band's eponymous album was popular, not only selling more than 300,000, but containing a host of hummable hits such asIn una notte d'estateandVieni da me. Further albums were also received well by their burgeoning fanbase – 2005'sLe Vibrazioni 2, 2006'sOfficine Meccanicheand 2008'sEn Vivo. Turin-based rock Subsonica were also to enjoy considerable album success following a barnstorming performance at Sanremo at the turn of the century. Their albums included 2002'sAmorematico, 2005'sTerrestreand 2007'sL'Eclissi. And although they started out as alternative rocksters, Negramaro were to subtly weave more accessible pop and rock elements into their repertoire. Following 2003's self-titled debut album and 2004's000577(which included some reworked versions of earlier songs), theirMentre Tutto Scorreproved to be the breakthrough that they wanted. It hit the Top 3 and went 6x Platinum. Subsequent albums proved that they were very much in favour, and with the likes of theLive At San SiroandLa Finestraalbums performing superbly, they matched this success with a Number One song in 2008 calledMeraviglioso.
The first decade of the 21stcentury saw the charts embrace both old and new in equal measures. Next time, I'll be bringing things up to date with a look at the notable music of the 2010s so far.
