In this episode of Society of Sound, we dive into the protest and enduring mystery surrounding the legendary Italian cantautore Luigi Tenco.

Join me as we revisit the tense atmosphere of the 1967 San Remo Festival. We’ll explore Tenco’s bold attempt to wake up the Italian public through his music, the controversy that followed his performance of "Ciao amore, ciao," and the unanswered questions behind his tragic death. Was it a final act of protest against a corrupt industry, or is there a darker story hidden beneath the official narrative? We examine the music, the politics, and the legacy of an incredible artist.

Songs Mentioned: 

1. “Nel blu dipinto di blu” - Domenico Modugno (not in playlist)

2. “Ciao amore, ciao” - Luigi Tenco

3. “Io, Tu E Le Rose” - Orietta Berti

4. “La rivoluzione” - Gianni Pettenati

5. “Una Vita Inutile” - Luigi Tenco

6. “Un giorno dopo l’altro” - Luigi Tenco

7. “Cara maestra” - Luigi Tenco

8. “E Se Ci Diranno” - Luigi Tenco

9. “Vedrai, Vedrai” - Luigi Tenco

Playlists

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/515HPCpIVvq9WEGdxBeTjM?si=b18636c23c0743e1

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd42DfPK7JWg&si=P0zD8lNvTD20nJ0h 

Sources for this episode: https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/new-era-sources 

Hip-hop and feminism often seem at odds, but today we’re diving into the messy, nuanced space where they intersect. We explore everything from the power of "flipping the script," to the politics of pleasure, to Joan Morgan’s classic When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost, unpacking how to hold culture accountable without abandoning it. Join us as we sit in the "greys," question the music we love, and think about what a hip-hop feminist sensibility really looks like.

You can find sources for this episode, as well as resources for survivors of sexual violence, here: https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/new-era-sources 

Playlist Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ki1g1jQVFSITjfPoM87Ei?si=dbcc7817552b4912 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLetyPLHRzWDw&si=RiMarkLsp7PA0KBi 

Songs Mentioned:

1. “Findum, Fuckum, and Flee” – N.W.A. (not in playlist) 

2. “Candy Shop” – 50 Cent (not in playlist) 

3. “Just a Lil Bit” – 50 Cent (not in playlist) 

4. “Bonfire” – Childish Gambino (not in playlist) 

5. “Gold Digger” – Kanye West (not in playlist) 

6. “#balancetonporc” – Chilla

7. “Queen Bitch” – Lil' Kim

8. “BWA” – Foxy Brown

9. “Da Baddest Bitch” – Trina

10. “My Neck My Back” – Khia

11. “WAP” – Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion

12. “Do For Love” – Tupac (not in playlist) 

13. “Job” – Foxy Brown

14. “My Life” – Foxy Brown

15. “Single Again” – Trina

16. “Hot Girl Summer” – Megan Thee Stallion

17. “BIG BOSS LADY” – Theodora (feat. Jahlyss)

18. “Ready to Die” – Notorious B.I.G.

19. “Keep Ya Head Up” – Tupac

20. “U.N.I.T.Y.” – Queen Latifah

This week, we talk about music that defies monolingualism – the idea that one language is the "correct" language of a nation, often portraying other languages as threats to national unity and identity rather than valuing them as strengths. The music that we cover in this episode instead reflects and portrays the multilingual and multicultural reality of our world. We cover songs that have lyrics in French, Italian, English, and three different Arabic dialects by the artists Ghali, Mahmood, and TÄRA, making up a killer playlist. Enjoy!

All sources used for this episode can be found here on our website. 

Playlist links:

Spotify 

YouTube 

Songs Featured: 

“WALLAH” - Ghali 

“Wily Wily” - Ghali

“Soldi” - Mahmood

“TUTA GOLD” - Mahmood

“Diaspora” - TÄRA 

“Mezzaluna” - TÄRA

“Dammi Falastini” - Mohammad Assaf, Exgeist

This week ( in our first single-serve episode ! ) we talk about how hip-hop came to France from the Bronx in New York City in the 1980s. 

All sources used for this episode can be found here on our website.

Make sure to listen to the companion playlist for this episode on YouTube or Spotify

Songs Mentioned:

"Sailin' Da South (Screwed)" - DJ Screw, E.S.G

"The Message" - Grandmaster Flash, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang

"Planet Rock" - Afrika Bambaataa, The Soulsonic Force

"Hound Dog" - Big Mama Thornton

"Change the Beat - Aka Une Sale Histoire" - Fab 5 Freddy

"Change The Beat" - Fab 5 Freddy (and Fab 5 Betty)

"Down By Law" - Fab 5 Freddy

"The Escapades of Futura 2000" - Futura 2000

"What I Like (American Dreams)" - Tribe 2

"The Roxy" - Phase II

"The Wildstyle" - Time Zone

"Journée de fou" - Les Little

"Tue ton poste" - Sens Unik

"La horde des faux" - Sens Unik

"A qui l'histoire ? - Le système scolaire" - Assassin

"Paname City Rappin'" - Dee Nasty

In this Q&A episode, we respond to the questions that listeners emailed us and wrote in the episode comments sections! We hope you enjoy!

Sources for this season can be found at: https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/season-2-sources 

In this last episode of Season 2, we pick up in 1999, with Dalla’s album Ciao, where Lucio reflects on the state of the world and looks back nostalgically at his life and his first album 1999.

The albums that we cover in this episode – from Luna Matana to Angoli Nel Cielo – celebrate the cross-cultural contact brought by globalization. Alongside this, we follow the concurrent rise of xenophobia and benevolent multiculturalism in Italy, as the world becomes increasingly globalized.

We also reflect on Lucio’s legacy, his role in making Bologna a UNESCO City of Music and why Bologna was such a fertile bed for Lucio’s career in music, as well as those of others. In reflecting on Lucio’s legacy, we also hear testimonies from Bolognese, about what he meant to them. 

Given this is the last episode, we also reflect on our research question about sounds’ connection to place. What does it mean that Dalla’s music can be simultaneously so local and so global? And what can that tell us about the state of humanity?

Be sure to submit your questions for the Q&A episode next week!

Songs mentioned:

1. “Ciao” - Tullio Ferro, Lucio Dalla

2. “Born To Be Alone” - Lucio Dalla

3. “1999” - Lucio Dalla, Gianfranco Reverbi

4. “Kamikaze” - Lucio Dalla

5. “Siciliano” - Lucio Dalla

6. “Figli di Annibale” - Almamegretta *not included in playlist*

7. “Baggio Baggio” - Lucio Dalla

8. “Zingaro” - Lucio Dalla, Joseph Fargier

9. “Amore Disperato” - Lucio Dalla

10. “Ambarabà Ciccìcocò” - Lucio Dalla

11. “Dark Bologna” - Lucio Dalla, Angelo Messini D’Agostini

12. “Due dita sotto il cielo” - Lucio Dalla

13. “Lunedì” - Lucio Dalla

14.  “Angoli nel cielo” - Lucio Dalla

15. “Broadway” - Lucio Dalla

16. “Vorrei Sapere Chi è” - Lucio Dalla

17. “Non basta saper cantare” - Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori

18. “La Leggenda Del Prode Radamès” - Lucio Dalla

19. “La casa in riva al mare” - Lucio Dalla

    
    

Playlist links:

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSDUOPfhrIitMQ-09LXo5SbxhbQ55MM6&si=jnZu0wFx0LOiBWgD 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1snVOunP9LsJ2g3ZgNUNiq?si=75a6efebde974685 

Sources for this season can be found at: https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/season-2-sources  

In this episode of Society of Sound, Marianna follows Lucio Dalla from the mid-1980s into the 1990s, tracing how his music responded to a rapidly changing Italy. From the maxiprocesso and the enduring North-South divide to the end of the Cold War, Tangentopoli, mass television, and the rise of Berlusconi, this episode explores a nation caught between hope, spectacle, corruption, and uncertainty.

At the center is Dalla’s iconic song “Caruso,” born from his deep love for Naples, Neapolitan culture, and the South. From there, the episode moves through songs like “Vita,” “Attenti al lupo,” “Comunista,” “Henna,” and “Ayrton,” asking how Dalla used music to hold onto human connection, memory, place, and love in the midst of political upheaval and cultural transformation.

As Italy became more mediatized, more globalized, and more fractured, Dalla’s music continued to insist on the possibility that love might still be what saves us.

Songs mentioned:

1. “Te volgio bene assaje” - Roberto Murolo

2. “Caruso” - Lucio Dalla

3. “Caruso” - Luciano Pavarotti 

4. “Le tue ali Bologna” (not included on playlist)

5. “Vita” - Lucio Dalla and Gianni Morandi

6. “Careless Whisper” - George Michael

7. “C’Era Un Ragazzo Che Come Me Amava I Beatles E I Rolling Stones” - Lucio Dalla and Gianni Morandi

8. “Il Duemila, Un Gatto E Il Re” - Lucio Dalla and Gianni Morandi

9. “Attenti al lupo” - Lucio Dalla

10. “Comunista” - Lucio Dalla

11. “Emilia” - Lucio Dalla (not included on playlist)

12. “Le rondini” - Lucio Dalla

13. “Amen” - Lucio Dalla

14. “Henna” - Lucio Dalla

15. “Erosip” - Lucio Dalla

16. “Treno” - Lucio Dalla

17. “Ayrton” - Lucio Dalla

18. “Amici” - Lucio Dalla

19. “Tutto il male del mondo” - Lucio Dalla

20. “Vieni, Spirito Di Cristo” - Fra’ Alessandro Franti

Playlist links:

Youtube:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSDUOPfhrIiUVAzTPo2-gbhfvA0kkCxt&si=8ZA6dk3JVgfMx24p 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TzSrjFsA0FbXWhgCCukIx?si=8a1a983a0db84aef 

In this episode of Society of Sound, Marianna follows Lucio Dalla from the end of the 1970s into the mid-1980s, as Italy emerges from the Years of Lead and enters a moment of uneasy transformation. Political violence, economic instability, and Cold War anxiety give way to new forms of media and technological change.

Through albums like Lucio Dalla (1979), the Banana Republic tour with Francesco De Gregori, and the landmark Dalla (1980), this episode traces how Dalla’s music captures a society suspended between exhaustion and renewal. His songs move through intimate portraits of ordinary life, collective disillusionment, and fragile, sometimes improbable visions of the future.

From “Anna e Marco” and “L’anno che verrà” to “Futura,” “La sera dei miracoli,” and “Viaggi organizzati,” Dalla gives voice to a world marked by nostalgia, technological alienation, and the lingering memory of violence, while insisting on the importance of human connection.

What does it mean to hope after fear, and how can music hold together a future that still feels uncertain?

Songs featured:

1. “Anna e Marco” - Lucio Dalla

2. “L’anno che verrà” - Lucio Dalla

3. “Banana Republics” - Steve Goodman

4. “Banana Republic” - Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori

5. “Addio a Napoli” written by Teodoro Cottrau, recorded by Enrico Caruso

6. “Addio a Napoli / Ma come fanni i marinai” - Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori

7. “Balla balla ballerino” - Lucio Dalla

8. “La sera dei miracoli” - Lucio Dalla

9. “Futura” - Lucio Dalla

10. “You’ve Got a Friend” - Carole King

11. “You’ve Got A Friend” - Lucio Dalla

12. “1983” - Lucio Dalla

13. “Noi Come Voi” - Lucio Dalla

14. “Tutta la vita” - Lucio Dalla

15. “Viaggi organizzati” - Lucio Dalla

16. “Se io fossi un angelo” - Lucio Dalla, Roberto Costa

17. “Chissà se lo sai”

18. “Glowing” - Lucio Dalla, Marco Di Marco

    
    

Playlist links

Youtube:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSDUOPfhrIimgWBxdQXVVmrwLCtFF86K&si=of_W348XYtItH01N

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Gp51nq3bE5yzUHO5naz7m?si=f8dec0dc46054594

Sources for this season can be found at: ⁠https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/season-2-sources⁠  

In this episode of Society of Sound, we follow Lucio Dalla through the turbulent 1970s, a decade when Italy’s economic boom gave way to political unrest and social movements.

From student protests and the “Hot Autumn” to the strategy of tension and sweeping social reforms, this episode traces how national conflict reshaped everyday life and artistic expression. At the center is Dalla, navigating his evolution from commercial pop artist to cantautore with socially-engaged themes in his music.

Through albums like Terra di Gaibola, Storie di casa mia, and Come è profondo il mare, we explore how his music captured a country in motion, grappling with migration, inequality, urban change, and the meaning of belonging.

Songs featured:

1. “Il Fiume E La Città” - Lucio Dalla
2. “Occhi Di Ragazza” - Lucio Dalla
3. “Fumetto” - Lucio Dalla
4. “Stars Fell On Alabama” - Lucio Dalla
5. “Stars Fell on Alabama” - Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong
6. “ABCDEFG” -  Lucio Dalla
7. “Il bambino di fumo” -  Lucio Dalla
8. “Il Colennello” -  Lucio Dalla
9. “4/3/1943” -  Lucio Dalla
10. “Piazza Grande” -  Lucio Dalla
11. “L’Auto targata “To”” -  Lucio Dalla
12. “L’operaio Gerolamo” -  Lucio Dalla
13. “Anidride solforosa” -  Lucio Dalla 
14. “Intervista Con l’Avvocato” - Lucio Dalla
15. “L’Ingorgo” -  Lucio Dalla
16. “Come è profondo il mare” - Lucio Dalla
17. “Il cucciolo Alfredo” - Lucio Dalla
18. “Disperato erotico stomp” - Lucio Dalla

Playlist links:

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSDUOPfhrIh-ntzCaxtDsneoSVl6YAfp&si=rYIQ-UD0yHR63P5N
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3MpbTAnGf5D6IPLr74NHE7?si=022950a28def4c65

Sources for this season can be found at: ⁠https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/season-2-sources⁠  

CONTENT WARNING: 48:00 - 50:17

Description:

In this episode of Society of Sound, Marianna follows Lucio Dalla’s emergence as an artist in 1960s Italy, a country caught between optimism and fracture. As the economic miracle transforms everyday life through television, migration, consumerism, and the expanding culture industry, Lucio begins to carve out a voice that refuses to stay inside the lines.

From jazz clubs and touring bands to RCA, Cantagiro, Sanremo, and his first album 1999, this episode traces how Dalla’s early music captured the tensions of a rapidly modernizing Italy: mass media and mass markets, American influence and local reinvention, private desire and public anxiety, futurism and disillusionment.

Through songs like “Pafff… bum!,” “Quando ero soldato,” and “1999,” this episode asks what it meant to become an artist in a moment when Italy was building itself into a modern consumer nation, and when music was both an art form and a commodity.

Songs featured:

1. “Sapore di sale” - Gino Paoli

2. “Lei - Non è per me” - Lucio Dalla

3. “Careless Love” - jazz standard, recorded by Ray Charles

4. “Ma questa sera” - Lucio Dalla (only on Youtube)

5. “Hey Little Girl” - Major Lance

6. “L’ora di piangere” - Lucio Dalla 

7. “Pafff…bum!” - Lucio Dalla

8. “1999” - Lucio Dalla

9. “I Got You” - James Brown

10. “Mondo di uomini”- Lucio Dalla

11. “It’s a Man’s World” - James Brown 

12. “Quando ero soldato” - Lucio Dalla

13. “La paura” - Lucio Dalla

14. “Io non ci sarò” - Lucio Dalla

15. “Le cose che vuoi” - Lucio Dalla

16. “L.S.D.” - Lucio Dalla

17. “Tutto il male del mondo” - Lucio Dalla 

18. “Bisogna saper perdere” - Lucio Dalla

    
    

Playlist links:

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSDUOPfhrIjvDdmGPl6TNnsGsTlfEugB&si=uhNm6nLfuoP0_mqL
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lGJvwBYJdAP4WZ5l9vFHh?si=5fe1d7ea561f4dff

Sources for this season can be found at: ⁠https://www.societyofsoundpodcast.com/season-2-sources⁠