Last night I sat on the couch, reading Elvis in Vegas by Richard Zoglin while my beautiful wife, a classically trained musician, tortured herself, as she does every week, by watching The Voice. Aside from John Legend, the show sucks. Singers strutted their stuff and sang covers, poorly, typically off key/just plain out of tune/flat. My wife remarked that the show had moved beyond the judges’ elimination rounds and now it was a popularity contest when viewers vote for their favorite. I returned to my book. I then heard something much better from the tv.
I started bopping my head to the catchy tune, remarking, “I’ve heard this song; this is not an original.” I looked up to see a live performance by Måneskin. I said, “These guys are Scandinavian,” given the second letter of the band’s name on the screen. I then exclaimed, “That guy is wearing a wrestling singlet!”
I did some quick research. The band actually hails from Rome and won the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. They recently opened for the Rolling Stones in Italy.
Here is the original:
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Beggin (Original) – YouTube
The photogenic Måneskin* singer, Damiano David, who wore an outfit on par with Angus Young, is 22 y/o and apparently a heartthrob overseas, and the band’s tv performance introduced them to America. Four Stars.
*This Danish word means “moonlight.”
https://www.facebook.com/maneskinofficial
