| Eurovision Song Contest 1958 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participating broadcaster | Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) | |||
| Country |  Italy | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Sanremo Music Festival 1958 | |||
| Selected artist(s) | Domenico Modugno | |||
| Selected song | "Nel blu dipinto di blu" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 3rd, 13 points | |||
| Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Italy was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958 with the song '"Nel blu dipinto di blu", written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci, and performed by Modugno himself. The Italian participating broadcaster, Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) chose the winning song from the Sanremo Music Festival 1958 as its Eurovision entry: the song had been performed twice at Sanremo and Modugno was chosen over Johnny Dorelli as its performer in Eurovision.
Although "Nel blu dipinto di blu" did not win at Eurovision, it went on after the contest (under the title "Volare") to become a huge worldwide hit. The song spent five weeks at the top of the US Singles Chart, was later named the Billboard Year-End number one single for 1958, and won two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is also one of only three non-British / non-winning Eurovision songs ever to have reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom.
"Volare"'s popularity has not diminished with time and it rapidly assumed the status of a worldwide musical standard. It is invariably cited, along with ABBA's "Waterloo", as globally the most successful and instantly recognisable song ever to have emerged from Eurovision.