10 Essential Italo-Disco Singles

You can hear the influence of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” in this 1979 track, which cracked the top 10 in the U.S. disco chart and catapulted 19-year-old Vivien Vee (Viviana Andreattini) from her native Trieste to intercontinental fame.

“Remember” is a muscular, thumping track that rolls at a sweat-inducing bpm. An infectious synth melody slithers over the beat, and trumpets blast off in unison, adding an extra dose of spirit. The driving instrumental is the perfect environment for Vee’s inspiring vocal delivery, which wraps the whole track into a heroic dance floor anthem.

The track is part of the aptly-named EP titled Give Me A Break, whose cover features a tiger with human eyes (those belonging to Vee herself.) The arranger and creative mind behind Vee’s act is Claudio Simonetti, from the prog-rock band Goblin, who is also known for scoring the best-known movies of Dario Argento.

Space exploration is a recurring theme in Italo-Disco and Eurodisco, and La Bionda took it to the outer rim with their 1980 single “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” In the verse, you can hear what would become the signature inflection of the Pet Shop Boys, while the retro-futuristic refrain features a female voice repeating the title like a seductive android.

The duo leans into the interstellar aspect in the song’s fully animated music video, which features the two brothers as astronauts and a hypnotizing siren that sings the chorus.

The La Bionda brothers worked both under their name and as D.D. Sound, and released a wealth of seminal Italo-Disco tracks under both names, such as “Burning Love,” “One For You, One For Me,” and the synth masterpiece “High Energy.”

“I Like Chopin” by Gazebo is one of the most emblematic Italo-Disco records. Given its title, it features plucky synths and bright keys, creating a simple, head-nodding melody. Meanwhile, the vocal track is reminiscent of the retro flavor of “Those Magic Changes” by Sha Na Na.

The chorus is pure 1980s pop and rides the knife edge of kitsch while maintaining balance. Despite what may seem like a given, nowhere in the melody does “I Like Chopin” sample or interpolate the namesake Polish composer.

This space-themed track might earn Charlie one-hit wonder status, but seminal nonetheless. The group was one of the ventures of Maurice Cavalieri (who produced and arranged “Spacer Woman”) and co-writer Giorgio Stefani (a fellow member in the Italian disco group Firefly) which had produced several tracks treading the line between 1970s and ’80s disco.

The acidic synth lead takes the spotlight here. In the breaks between the flanged-out vocals, the super-resonate synth responds as if part of a duet, adding extra robotic funk to the mix. Ultimately, “Spacer Woman” is the sound of a hazy, alien discotheque in a B-movie, in the best way possible.

Rose is the brainchild of producer Roberto Zanetti, known professionally as Robyx, and has featured several female vocalists acting in the titular role.  At the time of “Magic Carillon,” Stefania Dal Pino played Rose. On the track, her echoey vocals are akin to a lullaby as they dance around the synth-heavy instrumental that could be described as chiptune today.

“Magic Carillon” is the only track Dal Pino appeared on as Rose. The year after its release, Elena Ferretti replaced her and has maintained the role since. Rose’s fame mainly peaked in Japan in the ’80s and ’90s, where she found recognition in the country’s “Super Eurobeat” compilations.

While in London working as a dishwasher and supporting himself with odd jobs, Raffaele “Raf” Riefoli met producer, lyricist, and composer Giancarlo Bigazzi. Together, they released the synth-heavy, midtempo “Self Control,” which proved commercially successful in Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. However, Laura Branigan’s version (which nearly topped the charts in several countries) may be the more recognizable version to listeners.

For the next couple of years, Raf tried to replicate the success of “Self Control,” eventually establishing himself as a commercially successful singer-songwriter.

Italo-Disco is rife with showgirls, both aspiring and established, trying their hand at music. Even before the rise of Italo-Disco, disco music had become a vehicle for female performers across disciplines to reshape and revitalize their careers. Soubrette Alba Parietti was no exception, and by the mid-1980s, she became a well-established Italo-Disco act.

“Only Music Survives“ starts with a lush piano melody followed by ballad-esque synths. Once Alba starts singing with her whispered, high-pitched timbre, notions of an early Madonna and Julee Cruise hybrid are conjured.

“Tarzan Boy” is the debut single of the Milan-based act Baltimora. Tarzan Boy’s melodic line hinges on the famous jungle man’s cry, while the verse is reminiscent of recitativo. The electronic bass line has an ear-worm melody that, coupled with the title character’s yell, gives the song a cross-generational and commercial appeal. (Listerine used the song in a 1992 commercial that aired throughout the U.S. and Europe.) Other notable singles by the group include “Woody Boogie,” “Living in the Background,” and “Key Key Karimba.”

Ivana Spagna wore several hats in the 1980s. She fronted the Italo-Disco group Baby’s Gang, worked with the duo Fun Fun, and performed under the alias “Yvonne Kay.” Under her given name, she became a successful act with a slight rock bend.

“Call Me,” her most commercially successful single, is an instant cannon blast of rainbow sequins. A group of hard-blasting horns kicks off the tune before Spagna dives into the catchy chorus, consisting of her belting the title. The real charm here lies in the track’s over-the-top instrumentation coupled with the star’s pleading vocals, making for an infectious, upbeat barn burner.