three contests
Domenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno sang at three Eurovision Song Contests, in 1958, 1959 and 1966, for Italy. The best result was 3rd place in 1958, with “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”.
- who
- Italian singer, actor and politician
- born
- 9 January 1928, Polignano a Mare, Italy
- died
- 6 August 1994 (aged 66), Lampedusa, Italy
- contests
- 1958, 1959, 1966
- best result
- 3rd, 1958
- music
- pop, folk
- plays
- guitar
- active
- 1953 to 1994
- record labels
- RCA Italiana
- sang for
- Italy
Biography
Domenico Modugno, who died in 1994, was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor, later a member of the Italian parliament, known the world over for the 1958 hit “Nel blu, dipinto di blu”. That song finished third in Hilversum in 1958; “Piove” finished joint sixth in Cannes in 1959; and “Dio, come ti amo” finished joint last in Luxembourg in 1966, without a point.
Written by ESC Predictions, 8 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, “Domenico Modugno”.
Follow and listen
The act’s own accounts, as listed on Wikidata. If one is wrong or out of date, tell us and we’ll take it down.
At Eurovision
Three songs, oldest first, and what became of each.
-
1958 Hilversum
“Nel blu, dipinto di blu”
3rd of 10 Finished 3rd of 10, with 13 points.
- Sung in
- Italian
- Written by
- Franco Migliacci, Domenico Modugno
- Conductor
- Alberto Semprini
- Running order
- 1st of 10
- Age on the night
- 30
- Won that year
- France: André Claveau, “Dors mon amour”
The story of Eurovision 1958: Italy sang twice, France won, and the world bought “Volare”
-
1959 Cannes
“Piove”
6th of 11 Finished 6th of 11, with 9 points.
- Sung in
- Italian
- Written by
- Domenico Modugno, Dino Verde
- Conductor
- William Galassini
- Running order
- 3rd of 11
- Age on the night
- 31
- Won that year
- Netherlands: Teddy Scholten, “Een beetje”
The story of Eurovision 1959: Cannes, a revolving stage and the first country to win twice
-
1966 Luxembourg City
“Dio, come ti amo”
17th of 18 Finished 17th of 18, with no points.
- Sung in
- Italian
- Written by
- Domenico Modugno
- Conductor
- Angelo Giacomazzi
- Running order
- 14th of 18
- Age on the night
- 38
- Won that year
- Austria: Udo Jürgens, “Merci, Chérie”
The story of Eurovision 1966: Third time lucky for Udo Jürgens — and nul points for Modugno
Away from Eurovision
Other contests and shows
- Sanremo Music Festival 1958
- Sanremo Music Festival 1959
- Sanremo Music Festival 1960
- Sanremo Music Festival 1962
- Sanremo Music Festival 1964
- Sanremo Music Festival 1966
- Sanremo Music Festival 1967
- Sanremo Music Festival 1968
- Sanremo Music Festival 1970
- Sanremo Music Festival 1971
- Sanremo Music Festival 1972
- Sanremo Music Festival 1974
Awards
- Sanremo Music Festival 1958, 1959, 1962, 1966
- Grammy Award for Record of the Year 1959
- Grammy Award for Song of the Year 1959
- Premio Tenco 1974
As recorded on Wikidata, which is rarely the whole list.
In the drama file
The three scenes from our index of scandals, mishaps and lore that Domenico Modugno is part of.
- 1958 The fault When it went wrong
- 1966 Modugno against the orchestra Nul points and bad nights
- 1958 The song that came third Moments people still talk about
In our contest stories
What we wrote about Domenico Modugno, year by year. Follow a link for the rest of that night.
- 1958 The fault
Italy was drawn to sing first. Domenico Modugno performed "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" — and in several countries the picture or the sound never arrived. A technical fault meant part of the audience had missed the opening song.
- 1958 The fault
The answer was to let him do it again. After the tenth and last song, Modugno came back out and sang it a second time.
- 1958 The song that came third
Almost nobody calls it "Nel blu, dipinto di blu". As "Volare" it became one of the first Eurovision songs to matter outside Eurovision. It reached number one on the American Billboard Hot 100, went top five in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway, and top ten in Britain. At the very first Grammy Awards, in May 1959, it was named both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
- 1959 Who came, and who didn't
Two of the singers had been here before. Denmark's Birthe Wilke, third in 1957 as half of a duo, returned alone. And Domenico Modugno was back for Italy, a year after "Volare".
- 1959 The result
France, the host, was third, a single vote behind. Modugno, the previous year's sensation, finished joint sixth. Monaco's debut ended in last place with one vote.
- 1966 Modugno against the orchestra
Domenico Modugno was competing for Italy for the third time. His song, "Dio, come ti amo", had won Sanremo, and he had rearranged it since — which broke the rule that arrangements had to be settled well ahead of the contest.
- 1966 Modugno against the orchestra
Modugno was unhappy enough with the orchestra to threaten to pull out altogether. The organisers thought about flying in Gigliola Cinquetti as a replacement and decided there wasn't time. So the EBU gave way, and he performed with his own ensemble. It was one of the first entries not accompanied by the orchestra. The man named in the programme as his conductor was in fact on stage playing the piano.
- 1966 The result
The traditional powers went the other way. The United Kingdom was ninth. France got a single point and finished sixteenth. Italy, with Modugno, was on zero alongside Monaco. In all three countries the results were met with some dismay.
Results as published by the European Broadcasting Union. Biographical details from Wikidata. The photo is from Wikimedia Commons and is credited beside it. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.