The most important thing you must do when trying to improve your listening skills in a foreign language is to choose materials that are interesting and enjoyable for you. You can choose to listen to podcasts, watch movies in the original language or… Listen to Italian songs!

In fact, songs are an excellent resource for dealing with the study of languages ​​in general, and Italian language in particular: they are a source of everyday language, they are catchy, easy to memorize and you can use the music in order to learn in a fun way, without too much effort… And you can even take advantage of improving your singing skills!

So, what are you waiting for?

Check my list of easy Italian songs for beginners that will be useful to improve your skills! I will give you the link of the lyric videos and explanations of the meaning of the song, the grammar rules and vocabulary that you will find in them!

Top 10 Italian Songs to Learn Italian

1. Con te partirò – Andrea Bocelli 
2. Almeno tu nell’Universo – Mia Martini 
3. L’emozione non ha voce – Adriano Celentano 
4. Solo noi – Toto Cutugno 
5. Felicità – Al Bano & Romina Power 
6. Baciami ancora – Jovanotti 
7. La differenza tra Me e Te – Tiziano Ferro 
8. Resta in ascolto – Laura Pausini 
9. Solo ieri – Eros Ramazzotti 
10. L’anno che verrà – Lucio Dalla 

1. Con te partirò – Andrea Bocelli

Con te partirò (“With You I Will Leave”) talks about a journey.

The theme of the journey is presented in a romantic and poetic way. The artist dreams of rediscovering lost and new places thanks to the love of his partner in the journey of life.

If we take into account that Bocelli is blind, the meaning of the song acquire an extra value: he can see the light thanks to the sincerity of a true, intense feeling.

This is one of the greatest international successes of Italian music. The emotion of this song has no time, but it is worth listening to it (and learning it) not only for purely artistic reasons but also for linguistic ones.

Bocelli marks the words slowly, the music has a slow rhythm, so it is easy to understand the vocabulary and learn it. This is what makes this song perfect for a beginner learner of Italian.

In this Italian song, you will get to know useful expressions and improve Italian grammar, memorizing:

• Prepositions and Personal Pronouns
  Examples:
  io / tu – I / you
  con te / con me – with you / with me
  su navi per mari – on ships over seas

• Direct Object Pronouns
  Examples:
  Li vivrò – I will live them
  io lo so – I know that

• Possessive Adjectives
  Examples:
  Tu mia Luna – You, my Moon
  Mio Sole – My Sun

• Present tense
  Examples:
  Quando sono solo – When I am alone

• Future tense
  Examples:
  li vivrò – I will live them
  partirò – I will leave

• Basic Vocabulary
  Examples:
  Sole – Sun
  Luna – Moon
  Cuore – Heart
  Parole – words (plural)

If you like Bocelli – and surely you will – then you might try listening to some of his other songs. You certainly will improve your skills: all his lyrics are rich of poetry… and Italian grammar!

I strongly recommend my personal top 3 list of Bocelli’s songs:

• Vivo per lei – I Live for Her
• La voce del silenzio – The Voice of Silence
• Caruso

2. Almeno tu nell’Universo – Mia Martini

Almeno tu nell’universo (“At least you in the Universe”) is undoubtedly one of Mia Martini’s most beloved songs.

The song is about people’s inconsistencies. In a world full of “strange people”, there is no more space for feelings and love. But a woman is madly in love with a man who is unique in this strange world that is constantly changing.

This song is extremely useful to learn the use of “si” pronoun  with reflexive and reciprocal verbs. It is a perfect Italian song for beginners. You can even enrich your vocabulary, getting to know more adjectives and adverbs:

• Reflexive verbs
  Examples:
  Si consola – people console themselves (verb consolarsi)

• Reciprocal Pronoun:
  Examples:
  Si odia / si ama – people hate / love each other

• Verbs
  Examples:
  la gente è strana – people are weird (verb essere)
  (la gente) cambia idea continuamente – they continually change their mind (verb cambiare)

• Adverbs
  Examples:
  continuamente – continuously / continually
  per sempre sarai sincero – you will be forever sincere
  mi amerai davvero – you’ll really love me

• Adjectives
  Examples:
  tu che sei diverso – you that are different
  sarai sincero – you will be sincere

Mia Martini was a great Italian singer and if you want to enjoy more of her beautiful voice and practice Italian language with songs, you should make sure to listen to her other famous songs.

Still, I suggest my personal top 3 list of her songs:

• E non finisce mica il cielo – And the sky doesn’t end at all 
• Gli uomini non cambiano – Men don’t change
• Minuetto – Minuet 

3. L’emozione non ha voce – Adriano Celentano

L’emozione non ha voce (“Emotion has no voice”) is a beautiful hit by Adriano Celentano.

It is contained in the album io non so parlar d’amore (“I can’t talk about Love”) whose title is nothing but the opening sentence of the song.

The text is a confession of a man in love. He declares his difficulty in opening his heart and giving voice to his feelings. However, he hopes that their love will last for life and this can only happen if both the feelings are based on love, sincerity and trust. A great text, then, described by beautiful sounds and by the unique and suggestive voice of Adriano Celentano.

The rhythm and music are very slow, as well as the pronunciation of the singer, so this is an easy Italian song for beginners. In this song, you will be able to memorize the following:

• Verbs to be and to have
  Examples:
  l’emozione non ha voce – emotion has no voice
  preziosa sei tu per me – precious are you to me

• C’è / ci sono expressions
  Examples:
  c’è troppa luce – there is too much light

• Basic nouns
  Examples:
  ti sarò per sempre amico – I will be your friend forever
  un’altra vita mi darai – You’ll give me another life

• Future tense
  Examples:
  con te sarò sincero – I’ll be sincere with you
  tra le mie braccia dormirai – in my arms you’ll sleep
  poi sarà quel che sarà – then whatever will be, will be

If you like Celentano I also suggest to listen to other 3 songs that are really appreciated all over the world, and can be very useful for learning Italian:

• Il tempo se ne va – Time goes away 
• L’arcobaleno – The Rainbow
• Soli – Alone
  

4. Solo Noi – Toto Cutugno

Solo noi (“Only us”) is the song with which Toto Cutugno won the 1980 Sanremo Festival. The single remained in the Italian top ten for several months.

The song is about a pair of lovers, their love and the end of their passion.

In this beautiful Italian song, you can learn:

• Personal pronouns
  Examples:       
  Noi, solo noi – We, only us
  dimmelo tu – you tell me
  io sto bene con te – I am ok with you

• Interrogative sentences
  Examples:
  cos’è? – what is this?
  la mia mente dov’è? – Where is my mind?
  dimmi che amore è? – tell me what love is?

• Useful expressions
  Examples:
  io sto bene con te – I feel good with you
  tu sei tutto per me –  you are everything for me

If you enjoyed this song, you surely want to know that another must-know song of Toto Cutugno is L’italiano (“The Italian”). Of course, if you are studying italian, you can’t miss it! By the way, I also want to suggest to you more songs which are really enjoyable and easy to learn.

Here my top 3 songs:

• Innamorati – In love
• Serenata – Serenade
• Buonanotte – Goodnight

5.Felicità – Al Bano & Romina Power

Felicità (“Happiness”) is an album published in 1982 by Albano Carrisi and Romina Power. It is known all over the world.

The Italian song explains the condition of joy, satisfaction, serenity and excitement that occur in people in a wave of optimism. It tries to express what this condition is, making comparisons and describing what do you feel in that particular moment.

It’s practically impossible not to be happy after listening to this song, not just for its fun and catchy rhythm, but also for the condition of Happiness that you will experience after having learned the numerous new words of the Italian vocabulary that are present in this text!

By listening to this easy Italian song you can learn:

• Definite and indefinite articles
  Examples:
  la felicità – the happiness
  il tuo sguardo – your look
  l’onda che sbatte – the wave that slams
  un cuscino – a pillow
  una telefonata – a call

• Imperative tense
  Examples:
  senti nell’aria – fell in the air

• A lot of new words!
  Examples:
  acqua del fiume – water of the river
  pioggia che scende – the rain coming down
  bicchiere di vino – glass of wine
  come un pensiero – as a thought
  come un sorriso – as a smile
  biglietto di auguri – greeting card
  canzone d’amore – love song

… What other new words can you recognize?

If you enjoyed the song and want more, then you should without doubt listen my top 3 songs:

• Nostalgia canaglia – Rogue Nostalgia
• Tu Soltanto Tu – You, only You 
• Quando un amore se ne va – When a love goes away

6. Baciami ancora – Jovanotti

Baciami ancora (“Kiss Me Again”) is an Italian song by Jovanotti, made as the main theme of the “Baciami ancora” Italian movie by Gabriele Muccino, which won a David of Donatello as Best Original Song.

The song is about the crazy and very deep love that a man feels towards a woman he fell in love with a simple kiss… He is a man who would desperately want to try again the splendid sensations that the kiss gave himAfter listening to this song, you will be able to ask your Italian partner for more kisses and you will definitely learn how to express your love with a very poetic vocabulary. 

In particular you can learn:

• verbs in the imperative and infinitive form
  Examples:
  Baciami ancora – Kiss me again
  voglio stare con te – I want to be with you
  stare soli – To be alone
  Inseguire con te – to chase with you
  Invecchiare con te – get  old with you

• Again… A lot of new words!
  Examples:
  spreco di tempo – waste of time
  un’impresa impossibile – an impossible undertaking
  una mamma – a mother
  un amante – a lover
  una figlia – a daughter
  una casa – a home / house
  un aereo che vola – an airplane that flies
  una bimba che danza – a child who dances
  un cielo – a sky
  una strada – a street
  un lavoro – a work
  una scuola – a school

… How many words do you already know? How many words can you add to this list? Write down all the words that you want to learn!

If you want to learn more and more words, then you must check out other Jovanotti songs. He uses a lot of everyday vocabulary  in an evocative way. This is why I suggest to you other 3 songs of Jovanotti:

• A te – to you
• Bella – beautiful
• Chiaro di luna – Moonlight

7. La differenza tra Me e Te – Tiziano Ferro

La differenza tra Me e Te (“The difference between Me and You”) is a very famous Italian song by the Italian singer-songwriter Tiziano Ferro. It talks about the differences  between  two people, making comparisons and describing two different ways to be.

In this Italian song you can repeat:

• Direct questions
  Examples:
  come stai? – How are you?
  chiedermi “perchè?” – I ask to myself “why?”

• Answers
  Examples:
  stare bene / male – I am ok / bad
  Boh – an expression to say “I don’t know”

• Conditional Tense
  Examples:
  non te lo direi – I wouldn’t tell that to you
  io verrei da te – I would come to you

If you like Tiziano Ferro, you could also listen very useful Italian songs for improving listening. My suggestions are the following Italian songs:

• Sere nere – Dark Nights
• Perdono – Forgive
• Non me lo so spiegare – I can’t explain it

8. Resta in ascolto – Laura Pausini

Resta in ascolto (“Keep Listening”) is the seventh studio album by Italian singer Laura Pausini. The meaning of the song is all about breakup.

The singer misses the lover and thinks of him all the time. Even if she has tried to cancel him from her life, she thinks that it’s possible that they can get back together again because she’s the best suited person  for him.

This is a little more rhythmic and aggressive song, so it can be more challenging. In particular, you can focus on:

• C’è / non c’è
  Examples:
  c’è un messaggio per te – there is a message for you
  alternativa a me non c’è – there is no alternative to me

• Imperative forms
  Examples:
  resta in ascolto – keep listening
  dimmi se ci sei – tell me if you are there

• Past tenses
  Examples:
  nessun altro chiamai amore – No one else I called love
  cercai il tuo nome – I looked for your name
  hai perso per sempre ormai – you lost forever by now

Laura Pausini has written a lot of very sad songs about love, so if you are in the “sad mood” grab some ice cream and have a good cry  listening to the following songs:

• La solitudine – The Solitude
• Strani amori – Strange loves
• In assenza di te – In your absence

9. Solo ieri – Eros Ramazzotti

Solo ieri (“Only yesterday”) by Eros Ramazzotti is an Italian song about loss.

A man is destroyed by the end of a great love that  he thought it would last forever, but it all ended. He feels like there is nothing left to do and no purpose, that he can no longer believe in anything.

But then he makes a pass and decides that he wants to start again and build a new life. his song is really perfect to learn all basic Italian tenses:

• Past tenses
  Examples:
  solo ieri c’era lei – only yesterday she was here
  credevo – I  used to believe

• Present tense
  Examples:
  ora lo so – now I know
  si paga in pianto – you pay in tears

• Future tense
  Examples:
  parlerò al futuro – I will talk to the future
  guarderò più in là – I will look further
  ne uscirò – I will come out of it
  la vita inventerò – I will invent life

You can also learn:

• Adverbs of time
  Examples:
  solo ieri – only yesterday
  mai più – never again
  ora so – now I know
  da domani in poi – from tomorrow onwards
  pensando ad oggi – thinking of today

• Modal verbs
  Examples:
  non può finire qui – it can’t end here
  non può finir così – it can’t end in this way

I also recommend :

• Più bella cosa – Most beautiful thing
• Un’emozione per sempre – An emotion forever
• Parla con me – Talk with me

If you want to try something more difficult you can  listen Se bastasse una sola canzone (“If one song were enough”) by Eros Ramazzotti & Luciano Pavarotti, where you can learn Italian Conditional and Subjunctive tenses.

10. L’anno che verrà – Lucio Dalla

Last but not least, I propose to you a Lucio Dalla song… The choice was really hard, because perhaps every Italian has a favorite Lucio Dalla song, although choosing one is a very difficult thing.

But surely everyone will agree that L’anno che verrà (“The incoming year”) has become over time one of the most characteristic songs of the bolognese singer, and certainly one of the most famous and beloved.

“Caro amico ti scrivo” (“Dear friend I write to you”) is probably one of the most famous incipits in the history of Italian music and immediately gives the idea of ​​what we’re going to listen to: a letter to a friend.

In this song you can learn:

• Verbs
  Examples:
  Caro amico ti scrivo – Dear friend I write to you
  Da quando sei partito – Since you left
  qualcosa ancora qui non va – something is still wrong here

• Imperative form
  Examples:
  vedi, vedi, vedi – see, see, see

• Everyday Expressions
  Examples:
  E si farà l’amore – and people will ll make love

after this listening your Italian vocabulary will grow enormously.

And if you want more, you can check other Lucio Dalla’s songs:

• Canzone – Song
• Attenti al lupo – Beware of the Wolf
• Tu non mi basti mai – You are never enough for me

Just pick one of this easy Italian songs for beginners and enjoy it!