ANNA OXA "UN'EMOZIONE DA POCO / QUESTA È VITA" (1978)

C'è una ragione che cresce in me e l'incoscienza svanisce
e come un viaggio nella notte finisce
dimmi, dimmi, dimmi che senso ha dare amore a un uomo senza pietà
uno che non s'è mai sentito finito, che non ha mai perduto, mai

Per te, per te, una canzone
mai una povera illusione, un pensiero banale, qualcosa che rimane
invece per me, per me, più che normale
che un'emozione da poco mi faccia stare male
una parola detta piano basta già ed io non vedo più la realtà
non vedo più a che punto sta la netta differenza
tra il più cieco amore e la più stupida pazienza

No, io non vedo più la realtà
nè quanta tenerezza ti dà la mia incoerenza
pensare che vivresti benissimo anche senza

C'è una ragione che cresce in me e una paura che nasce
l'imponderabile confonde la mente finche non si pente
e poi, per me, più che normale
che un'emozione da poco mi faccia stare male
una parola detta piano basta già ed io non vedo più la realtà
non vedo più a che punto sta la netta differenza
tra il più cieco amore e la più stupida pazienza

No, io non vedo più la realtà
nè quanta tenerezza ti dà la mia incoerenza
pensare che vivresti benissimo anche senza

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There is a reason growing in me and the unconsciousness disappears
it's like a trip, which ends at night
tell me, tell me, tell me what is the point in giving love to a man who has no pity
one who never felt he was over, who has never lost, never

For you, never a song for you
never a poor illusion, a banal though, something that remains
but for me, for me it's more than normal
that a small emotion makes me suffer
a whispered word is enough and I don't see reality any longer
I don't see the clear difference
between blind love and stupid patience

No, I don't see reality any longer
neither how much tendereness you get from my incoherence
thinking you would also live well without it

There is a reason growing in me and a fear rising
the unexpected mixes up the mind until it regrets
and then, for me, it's more than normal
that a small emotion makes me suffer
a whispered word is enough and I don't see reality any longer
I don't see the clear difference
between blind love and stupid patience

No, I don't see reality any longer
neither how much tendereness you get from my incoherence
thinking you would also live well without it

[From the lyrics of "Un'emozione da poco" / "A Small Emotion"]



Anna Oxa, stage name of Iliriana Hoxha (born in Bari, 28 April 1961), is an Italian singer, actress and television presenter of Albanian origin.

One of the most gifted Italian vocalists, her thirty-five years long career has brought her many successes and has been mainly centered around her numerous appearances at the Sanremo Music Festival.

Oxa began performing as a child in the piano-bars of her hometown, and at the age of 15 she debuted with a song called "Fiorellin del prato" for a small local label.

In 1977 she was noticed by a talent scout and invited for an audition at the Cenacolo, a famous place of meeting, discussion and musical creation, launched in Rome during the early seventies by the RCA label.

She was immediately signed and introduced to Ivano Fossati, a famous Italian singer-songwriter, who soon began to compose lyrics for her debut album.

Just a few months later, the promising singer won second place at Sanremo with "Un'emozione da poco" ("A Small Emotion"), her first official single - which is the subject of this post.

Anna Oxa, Sanremo Music Festival backstage, January 1978

In 1978 I was just a child, but I still remember that late January evening when I watched the Festival on black and white TV with my parents.

Or at least I remember her: for some reason her image is firmly rooted in my mind, probably because at my tender age I found a woman in men's clothes a little bit confusing, somehow it struck me and it has remained within me for all these years...

Looking back at that performance, the look, the make-up, etc., it must be pointed out that for Italy in early 1978 that was Punk! The music and lyrics of the song have nothing to do with Punk of course, but that's how Anna Oxa was presented and marketed on TV and magazines in those days.

Anna Oxa in 1978

Despite the photographs make her look a little bit older, Anna was just sixteen when she participated to the Sanremo Festival... As wrote before, here she was presented with a strong androgynous look: menswear, dark lipstick, heavy eyeliner, an aggressive attitude and a mysterious briefcase.

Actually the character on stage had little to do with the real Anna Oxa, but she needed a gimmick to hit on first strike and the image created for her by her new friend Ivan Cattaneo - an Italian artist and singer known for his blunt and irreverent nature, who was constantly on her side during the Festival - was exactly what was needed.

Ivan Cattaneo and Anna Oxa, 1978

The shock effect worked just fine and Anna Oxa won second place after having conquered first place in the Performers category. She was only defeated by the group Matia Bazar, who won with "...E dirsi ciao". To be noted is the third place by the unlucky Rino Gaetano with "Gianna".

However, it is unfair to give the merit of Oxa' sensational debut only to her image: Ivano Fossati and Guido Guglielminetti had prepared for her a beautiful song which was very well orchestrated and arranged by Ruggero Cini, and which had a great impact on the public as well.

Moreover, Anna sang it with the right emphasis and with her own vocal technique, in which she alternates throat voice and chest voice, which later became her defining trait.

"Un'emozione da poco / Questa è vita" single, back cover

Here's the track list for this 7" single:

01. Un'emozione da poco (4:13)
02. Questa è vita (4:12)

Both tracks were remastered in January 2014 and are available in FLAC lossless format, along with scans of the original item.

Please have a look at the comments for the download link.






Released in February 1978, shortly after the Festival, the single obviously featured "Un'emozione da poco" on Side A. The lyrics written by Ivano Fossati depict a sort of conflict within a couple where he seems to be the classic strong man, rational and confident, while she is a frail and hypersensitive woman living on emotions who finally realizes that he doesn't love her that much...

On Side B we find "Questa è vita" ("This Is Life"), a cover of Electric Light Orchestra's "Livin' Thing". The Italian lyrics for this song were written by Maurizio Monti, a singer-songwriter who is better remembered for the songs he wrote for Patty Pravo and for his album "Diavolo custode" released in 1976. Strangely enough, this song was not included on Anna Oxa's debut album, "Oxanna", published just a few months later, and is exclusive to this release.

The following video offer the original live rendition of "Un'emozione da poco" as performed by Anna Oxa on 26th January 1978 during the opening night of the Sanremo Festival.



These other videos show two playback performances of "Un'emozione da poco" taken, respectively, from the 1978 edition of the Sanremo Festival and from an episode of Discoring, a very popular Italian TV show broadcasted since the late '70s until the end of the '80s, generally on Sunday afternoon.

The latter is particularly interesting for those speaking Italian because it also includes a short half-serious interview conducted by Gianni Boncompagni featuring Mino Reitano.

More information about Anna Oxa and "Un emozione da poco" is available here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Oxa

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Oxa

http://www.simoxa.it/

http://www.discogs.com/artist/297663-Anna-Oxa

http://www.italica.rai.it/eng/principal/topics/bio/oxa.htm

https://it-it.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.182145538491455.36089.180452601994082&type=1

http://digilander.libero.it/tvoxa/78_stampa_1.htm

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaqjqofrVG0-PiVfW4lOgTCsK8IiBExzh

http://www.youtube.com/user/Effedi59/videos

If you have any other useful information about this post, or if you spot any dead links, just get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!