Soldi (translation: "Money") was the Italian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv performed by Mahmood. It was the winner of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival.
The song is loosely based on the real-life relationship Mahmood had with his father and contains several lines in Arabic.
As a member of the Big Five, Italy was already qualified for the final, and Mahmood previewed his song during the second semifinal along with those from Germany and the United Kingdom. In the final, it was performed 22nd following France and preceding Serbia. At the close of voting, it finished in 2nd place with 472 points, equaling Italy's best placing since its return in 2011.
Lyrics[]
In periferia fa molto caldo
Mamma stai tranquilla, sto arrivando
Te la prenderai per un bugiardo
Ti sembrava amore ma era altro
Beve champagne sotto Ramadan
Alla TV danno Jackie Chan
Fuma narghilè, mi chiede come va
Mi chiede come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
Penso più veloce per capire se domani tu mi fregherai
Non ho tempo per chiarire perché solo ora so cosa sei
È difficile stare al mondo
Quando perdi l'orgoglio
Lasci casa in un giorno
Tu dimmi se
Pensavi solo ai soldi, soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Dimmi se ti manco o te ne fotti, fotti
Mi chiedevi come va, come va, come va
Adesso come va, come va, come va
Ciò che devi dire non l'hai detto
Tradire è una pallottola nel petto
Prendi tutta la tua carità
Menti a casa ma lo sai che lo sa
Su una sedia lei mi chiederà
Mi chiede come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
Penso più veloce per capire se domani tu mi fregherai
Non ho tempo per chiarire perché solo ora so cosa sei
È difficile stare al mondo
Quando perdi l'orgoglio
Ho capito in un secondo
Che tu da me
Volevi solo soldi, soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Prima mi parlavi fino a tardi, tardi
Mi chiedevi come va, come va, come va
Adesso come va, come va, come va
Waladi waladi habibi ta'aleena
Mi dicevi giocando, giocando con aria fiera
Waladi waladi habibi, sembrava vera
La voglia, la voglia di tornare come prima
Io da te non ho voluto soldi
È difficile stare al mondo
Quando perdi l'orgoglio
Lasci casa in un giorno
Tu dimmi se
Volevi solo soldi, soldi
Come se avessi avuto soldi, soldi
Lasci la città ma nessuno lo sa
Ieri eri qua, ora dove sei papà?
Mi chiedi come va, come va, come va
Sai già come va, come va, come va
It's really hot down in the suburbs
Mum don't worry I'm on my way home
You will be upset by a liar
It looked like love to you, it was something else
He's drinking champagne during Ramadan
On tv they are airing Jackie Chan
He's smoking shisha and asks me how I'm doing
He asks me how I'm doing, doing, doing
You already know how things are going, going, going
I think faster to try to figure out
If you're going to fool me tomorrow
I have no time to clear things up
'Cause I finally found out what you are
It hurts to be alive
When you lose your pride
You leave home out of the blue
You, tell me if
You only cared for the money, money
As if you had any money, money
Tell me whether you miss me or you don't give a damn
You used to ask me how I was doing, doing, doing
Now how are things going, going, going
What you're supposed to say you haven't said yet
Betrayal is a bullet in your chest
Keep all the compassion to yourself
You keep lyin' at home but you know she knows
Sittin' there she'll be asking me
Asking me how I'm doing, doing, doing
You already know how things are going, going, going
I think faster to try to figure out
If you're going to fool me tomorrow
I have no time to clear things up
'Cause I finally found out what you are
It hurts to be alive
When you lose your pride
I figured it out in one second
That you, from me
You only wanted money, money
As if I had any money, money
Before you would talk to me till late
You used to ask me how I'm doing, doing, doing
Now how are things going, going, going
My son, my son, my love, come here
You used to tell me while playing with me looking proud
My son, my son, my love, it seemed real
the desire, the desire to bring things back to what they were
I didn't ask for your money
It hurts to be alive
When you lose your pride
You leave home out of the blue
You, tell me if
You only wanted money, money
As if I had any money, money
You leave the city without anybody knowing
Yesterday you were here, where are you now, dad?
You ask me how I'm doing, doing, doing
You already know how things are going, going, going
Trivia[]
- At one point, "Soldi" was the most streamed Eurovision song on Spotify. It was later surpassed by the 2019 winner Arcade in January 2021.
Videos[]
Italy - LIVE - Mahmood - Soldi - Grand Final - Eurovision 2019
Mahmood - Soldi - Italy 🇮🇹 - Official Music Video - Eurovision 2019