Gianni Morandi
Uno Su Mille

 "I've never cheated or bluffed

  and tonight I've laid bare my soul

  I've lost everything but found myself

  one in a thousand makes it

  but how hard is the climb"

Among so many songs about redemption and revenge against life, "Uno Su Mille", written by Franco Migliacci and Roberto Fia for Gianni Morandi's return to singing in '85, has also earned its place. The eternal boy from Monghidoro wasn't doing well in the '70s; as a singer, he was overshadowed by the massive presence of singer-songwriters, and his productions no longer resonated with the Italian public. Not even an easy tune like "Il Mondo Di Frutta Candita", written by the Prudente-Mogol duo, saved him from obscurity.

With the period of ideological reflux that marks the early '80s, Morandi returns from voluntary exile with a bit more certainty (he studied music at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory), realizing that there could be a place for him once again in the world of Italian music, first with the beautiful and smooth "La Mia Nemica Amatissima" (1983) and then with "Uno Su Mille" two years later. The style changes, less of a national popular singer and decidedly a more refined performer who knows how to choose the "right songs," "Questi Figli" written by Mariella Nava, for example. "Uno Su Mille" is known by everyone, also because sooner or later many find themselves humming it when times are tough, and you need an extra pinch of strength. The lyrics describe the difficulties faced by good Gianni, "If you're down, never crawl, if they say you're finished, don't believe it" accompanied by captivating music that highlights and emphasizes the refrain, that "One in a thousand makes it" that remains etched in the mind as a reminder of the harsh selection one faces every day in their own life.

The most significant lines are surely these, "you don't know the weight of this light music, you fall in love with it and live, but you can die from it when night falls", which in a few words express a strong sense of discomfort experienced by many other musicians and authors who have prematurely disappeared due to a weight often impossible to carry alone on their shoulders.