Al Bano & Romina Power – Felicità

Felicità was released in 1982 and quickly became the most iconic hit for Italian duo Al Bano and Romina Power. Written by Cristiano Minellono and Dario Farina, the track was entered into the Sanremo Music Festival, where it placed second, and went on to top the Italian singles chart. With its warm melody and lyrics celebrating simple everyday joys, it struck a chord with audiences in Italy and across Europe, becoming a defining anthem of Italian pop in the early 1980s.

The composition is built around a mid-tempo arrangement that blends light pop instrumentation with a lyrical narrative of happiness. Rather than presenting “happiness” as wealth or grandeur, the song paints it as a series of small shared experiences — a glance, a hand held, a note exchanged. This theme, paired with Al Bano’s soaring tenor and Romina’s gentler counterpoint, gave the song both intimacy and universality, making it accessible across languages and cultures.

One of the earliest and most important televised presentations of the song took place on Tombola radiotelevisiva on 27 March 1982. In this performance, Al Bano and Romina Power appeared on stage before a studio audience, performing to a backing track in the variety-show setting. Dressed formally and framed by colorful sets and bright studio lighting, the duo sang with their characteristic chemistry: Al Bano’s expressive gestures contrasting with Romina’s calm poise. The staging was simple, but the focus on their voices and presence made the performance compelling.

This Tombola appearance carried great significance. Coming just weeks after Sanremo, it introduced Felicità to a wider television audience and helped propel the song from a festival entry into a national and eventually international hit. For many Italian viewers, this was their first time seeing the song performed outside Sanremo, and the warmth of the duo’s delivery reinforced the message of shared joy and togetherness.

Over time, Felicità became a fixture of Al Bano and Romina Power’s career. It was released as both a single and the title track of their 1982 album, and it has remained central to their live repertoire ever since. Beyond its chart success, the song endures as a cultural symbol — a reminder that happiness is not found in grandeur but in the smallest of moments. The Tombola radiotelevisiva performance captured this essence perfectly, presenting the song with sincerity and directness at the very moment it was beginning its journey into the popular imagination.