Marina Rei
Un Inverno Da Baciare

The Sanremo Festival, as we know, is an unmissable event for millions of Italians and a reason for harsh criticism for just as many. Some love it and won't miss a second, while others loudly proclaim they've never watched it, not even by mistake (is that really true, then?).

Regardless of opinions, it is undeniable that the "festival" generates heated debates, monopolizing the media with the usual judgments about the singers' outfits in competition and the controversies related to the hilarious blunders of the host of the moment.

Needless to say, it's the music that pays the price, often relegated to the second or even third tier. A real shame, because Sanremo is a melting pot that has seen everything pass through its stages, from timeless songs like “Un’avventura” by Lucio Battisti to enigmatic pieces like “La croce” by Alessio Bonomo, not forgetting trash pearls like “Tu con la mia amica” by Maria Grazia Impero, the embarrassing “Caramella” by Leo Leandro and “Italia amore mio”, performed by an improbable trio composed of Pupo, Emanuele Filiberto, and the tenor Luca Canonici.

In between, there is a handful of beautiful songs with mixed fortunes, presented by artists who have tried to offer something different from the typical melodies and orchestrations of the Bel Paese. Among these, “Un inverno da baciare” deserves to be remembered, one of the fourteen songs competing at the 1999 Sanremo Festival. It was sung by Marina Rei, attending the event for the third time after the success of “Al di là di questi anni” (third among young talents in 1996) and achieving thirteenth place in 1997 with “Dentro me”.

Necessary premise: that year and in 2000, the hosting was entrusted to a young Fabio Fazio, with the aim of rejuvenating the competition and making it more appealing to the eyes (and ears) of new generations. Therefore, there was room for Max Gazzè, Soerba, Subsonica, Carmen Consoli, Gianluca Grignani, Quintorigo, Tiromancino, and Alex Britti, who, together with more established musicians like Anna Oxa and Nino D’Angelo (appreciable his ethnic turn with “Senza giacca e cravatta”), found themselves sharing the stage with "dinosaurs" like Al Bano, Gatto Panceri, and Gianni Morandi, who even ranked third at the first Sanremo of the new millennium.

In this context is inserted “Un inverno da baciare”, a true turning point in the discography of Marina Rei. The piece indeed abandons the black sounds of the first two albums, influenced by soul and funk, to dive into a chilly electro-pop where the drum machine and keyboards mix with live instrumentation (inevitable comparisons with Ray of Light by Madonna and, in general, with attempts to incorporate electronics into the mainstream of the time).

The Roman singer-songwriter adapts to the new musical backgrounds, modulating her voice to reach high notes that create an exotic, at times oriental, mood. The lyrics are evocative and express the melancholy of a woman far from her man, through references to the sea and winter very different from the atmosphere of the single “Primavera”, released just two years earlier.

The most emotional moment is constituted by the chorus, in which the singer calls her lover, inviting him to overcome his fears and finally join her (“Don't dream anymore, don't love anymore/Years pass and where are you/I'm here to tell you that I'm not afraid anymore”).

This sound revolution is accompanied by a notable change of image: indeed, Marina sheds the somewhat bohemian garb of the recent past (bare feet, percussion, great sensuality), presenting herself at Sanremo with an almost cyberpunk look, halfway between Blade Runner and Lara Croft, the heroine of the videogame Tomb Raider whose graphics are emulated in the videoclip (admittedly quite ugly and rather dated).

The song enjoys deserved success, placing seventh in the final ranking, yet failing to win or access the top three positions (occupied in order by Anna Oxa, Antonella Ruggiero, and the revived Mariella Nava).

After the reissue of the album Anime belle enriched by the Sanremo track and the release of the single “L’allucinazione”, Marina Rei's career will take a break. In 2005 she will participate again in the Festival (another good edition, presented by the talkative Paolo Bonolis), but this time things will go worse and “Fammi entrare” will be eliminated without reaching the final evening. A couple of greatest hits and some albums remain that, despite revealing a certain talent, won't gain much visibility.

This doesn't change the fact that the Roman songwriter has proved capable of writing beautiful songs and has managed to stand out in the Italian music scene, choosing refined sounds ("different" might be the word) with a clear international flair. And “Un inverno da baciare” is undoubtedly one of her best pieces of evidence.