''Ti lascio una canzone'' (English: ''Leavin' you a song'') was an Italian music talent show for aspiring singers aged 7 to 15, all of whom were required to cover the most beloved songs in the history of

Italian pop music Italian popular music is musical output which is not usually considered academic or classical music but rather has its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms of the current geograph ...

. The songs covered in the program, which represent the true stars of the show, are “golden oldies”. They are symbolically “left” for us, in what amounts to a musical heritage, to be interpreted by the singers of tomorrow, in order to ensure that the melodies and lyrics which have provided the background music to past generations are not lost. The songs are covered by young singing talents, who interpret the best-loved songs of Italian pop music during each broadcast. Italian and international singing guests become part of “story” of the evening’s broadcast, enlarging the musical panorama covered by that particular episode. The guests stars perform without taking part in the competition, singing their greatest hits and engaging in duets with the younger singers. The show assembles a large group of children (e.g. 35 boys and girls aged 7 to 15 for the autumn 2010 season). The young singers are selected from among the leading students of today’s most prestigious music schools. They are assigned songs as solos, duets, and trios; they sing some songs all together as an ensemble. They may also perform with the show's guests. A 30-piece orchestra backs the performances. The show is officially listed as part of "RAI Junior", but the audience includes not only young people but also their parents and grandparents who enjoy hearing these songs. “TLUC” serves as a perfect link in the “musical chain” that connects the great sings of yesteryear with the magnificent voices of the performers of tomorrow. Further enriching the program are anecdotes and little know facts on the songs covered in the competition, revealed by established singers, composers, actors and celebrities from the world of entertainment, with the additional contribution of commentary and filmed pieces from the period.

Broadcast history

The first season was broadcast live from the Teatro Ariston in

Sanremo Sanremo, also spelled San Remo in English and formerly in Italian, is a (municipality) on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination ...

by RAI 1 in five episodes during April and early May 2008. The performers ranged in age from 10–16 years old. Guests included

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include " Diana", “ You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wr ...

, and

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

, as well as numerous Italian singing stars. Winning performance: ensemble singing " Il mio canto libero" by

Lucio Battisti Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting. Battisti released 18 studio albums from 1969 ...

. The second season was broadcast live from the Teatro Ariston in

in nine episodes in April and May 2009, the performers ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old. This was the season when producer Roberto Cenci put 14- to 15-year-old boys Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone, and Ignazio Boschetto together for the first time. This trio would later become IL VOLO, now popular tenor/baritone operatic-pop singers worldwide. Winning performance: April: Gianluca Ginoble (of

Il Volo Il Volo (; ) is an Italians, Italian operatic pop Trio (music), trio, consisting of Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone, and Ignazio Boschetto. They describe their music as "popera". Having won the Sanremo Music Festival 2015, they represented Italy ...

) singing "Il mare calmo della sera" by

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

. May: Ensemble singing "I migliori anni della nostra vita" by

Renato Zero Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of t ...

. The third season was broadcast live from the RAI Auditorium in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, in nine weekly episodes beginning on 27 March 2010. The performers ranged in age from 7 to 16 years old. Winning performance: ensemble singing "Girotondo intorno al mondo" by

Sergio Endrigo Sergio Endrigo (; 15 June 1933 – 7 September 2005) was an Italian singer-songwriter. Born in Pola, Istria in Italy (now Pula, Croatia), he has been often compared—for style and nature—to authors of the so-called "Genoa school" like Gino ...

. The fourth season began broadcasting live from the RAI Auditorium in

on 10 September 2010 and is projected to have 11 episodes, with the last one to be "La Festa". Performers ranged from 7 to 15 years old. In July 2015, it was announced that season 8 would be the last.

The program

The format was created by Roberto Cenci (director). Host: Antonella Clerici. Producers/writers are: Paolo Cucco, Giancarlo De Andreis, Fabrizio Berlincioni, Carlo Pistarino, Cecilia Tanturri, Simone De Rosa, Francesco Valitutti, Beppe Bosin. Photographic director: Ivan Pierri. The orchestra was conducted by Leonardo De Amicis.

The mechanism of the competition

The competition is structured as follows: the home audience votes for their favourite song. The young singers are not competing with each other, but simply performing the songs in the competition. There are no eliminations. The young people who perform the songs are part of the show's regular cast. A winning performance is selected for each week's broadcast. The winners from the different weeks go up against each in a grand finale held during the last broadcast. The winner for the whole season is selected from among these finalists. There is also a Quality Jury that assigns a critics' award to one of the songs competing in each weekly broadcast.

The voting system

There are two voting systems, involving: * the home audience * the critics' prize. The members of the home audience can vote their favourite cover songs as many times as they want. The song that receives the most votes wins that week’s broadcast and moves on to the final. The critics’ prize, on the other hand, is awarded by the members of the Quality Jury to the song they most admitted, based, first and foremost, on the way in which the young singer interpreted it. Both awards are presented to the performer (or the performers) of the cast who sang the song.

The quality jury and the critics' award

The jury consists of four guests from the different “worlds” of the arts and the entertainment industry. They can be reporters, singers who began their careers at a very young age, actors (who are also parents) and professionals in the field of music (a composer of songs, a musician, a music critic). Their assigned task is to vote for the best cover, based their judgment on the quality of the performance as well. They are also asked to give opinions on the young talents who perform during the evening. The critics’ award is given to one of the songs during each of the broadcasts.

International versions

References

External links

Official site for the show
{{authority control 2008 Italian television series debuts 2015 Italian television series endings Italian popular music Italian music television series RAI original programming