Country Italy Language Italian Lyricist(s) Giancarlo Bigazzi | As Umberto Tozzi & Raf Composer(s) Umberto Tozzi, Raf | |
Artist(s) Umberto Tozzi, Raffaele Riefoli | ||
"Gente di mare" ("People of the sea") was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, performed in Italian by Umberto Tozzi & Raf.
The song is a blues-influenced ballad, in which the singers describe the qualities of the "people of the sea". They describe themselves as "people of the plain", who are "prisoners of this city", while contrasting that with the freedom of the people of the sea "who leave it behind".
The song was performed seventh on the night, following Sweden's Lotta Engberg with "Boogaloo" and preceding Portugal's Nevada with "Neste barco à vela". At the close of voting, it had received 103 points, placing 3rd in a field of 22.
While not winning the Contest the song achieved considerable popularity, becoming a Top 10 hit in most parts of Continental Europe and Scandinavia in the summer of 1987 (#7 Switzerland, #8 Austria, #6 Sweden) and was included on the compilations of Winners and Classics produced to coincide with the Congratulations special in late 2005.
It was succeeded as Italian representative at the 1988 Contest by Luca Barbarossa with "Vivo (Ti scrivo)".
Dutch-language covers
Dutch satirists Henk Spaan and Harry Vermeegen performed the song in 1988 on their successful TV-show Verona as Ach, laat maar waaien (compare; Take it easy). A Dutch reworked version, called "Dit was je leven" ("This was your life") was done by Marco Borsato.