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Per Elisa
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"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

[edit]

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

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

Charts

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

References

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