Era (song)

"Era"
Eurovision Song Contest 1975 entry
Country
Artist(s)
As
Language
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Conductor
Pier Natale Massara
Finals performance
Final result
3rd
Final points
115
Entry chronology
◄ "Sì" (1974)
"We'll Live It All Again" (1976) ►

"Era" (English translation: "It Was") was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975, composed by British-Italian singer-songwriter Shel Shapiro (born David Norman Shapiro, formerly of The Rokes and Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys) and Andrea Lo Vecchio, and performed in Italian by American-born singer Wesley Johnson, known as Wess, and Italian Dori Ghezzi.

Background[edit]

Starting with "Voglio stare con te", an Italian version of Brotherhood of Man's hit "United We Stand", in the 1970s Wess and Dori Ghezzi enjoyed a number of hits, notably "Tu nella mia vita" and "Con chi stai con chi sei".[1] They were chosen to represent Italy at Eurovision following their victory at Canzonissima with the song "Un corpo e un'anima".[2][3]

At Eurovision[edit]

The song was performed nineteenth on the night, following Sweden's Lars Berghagen with "Jennie, Jennie"). At the close of voting, it had received 115 points, placing it 3rd in a field of 19.

It was succeeded as Italian representative at the 1976 contest by Al Bano & Romina Power with "We'll Live It All Again".

Other versions[edit]

The duo also recorded the song in English ("Fallin'"), French ("Qui vivra verra") and Spanish ("Era").[4]

Among the artists who covered the song, Bessy Argyraki and Robert Williams recorded a Greek version titled "Μόνο".[5]

Charts[edit]

Classement (1975) Meilleure
position
Italy (Musica e dischi)[6] 12
Norway (VG-lista)[7] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 23
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 6

References[edit]

  1. ^ Deregibus, Enrico (2006). Dizionario completo della canzone italiana (in Italian). Giunti. p. 216. ISBN 978-88-09-04602-3.
  2. ^ "Dori Ghezzi con Wess all'Eurofestival". La Stampa. No. 17. 24 January 1975. p. 9.
  3. ^ Anselmi, Eddy (2009). Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics. pp. 265, 942. ISBN 8863462291.
  4. ^ Rateyourmusic.com, Wess & Dori Ghezzi discography entry
  5. ^ "Era by Wess e Dori Ghezzi". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Se stiamo insieme".
  7. ^ "Wess & Dori Ghezzi – Era". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Wess & Dori Ghezzi" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Wess & Dori Ghezzi – Era" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Wess & Dori Ghezzi – Era". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 May 2022.

External links[edit]