Mahmood and Blanco

Ever since Mahmood and Blanco won Sanremo with “Brividi” in February, and thus gained the right to represent host country Italy at Eurovision 2022, we’ve been patiently waiting for the official “Eurovision version” of the song.

With the official Eurovision 2022 album now out, we can finally listen to the Eurovision version of “Brividi”.

The original track is three minutes and 20 seconds long, which exceeds the maximum allowed length of three minutes, as per Eurovision’s official rules. 

Shortening a song is never an easy task, especially considering that a wrong or careless cut could completely change the mood and flow of the original piece. And Italy knows it too well, since Francesco Gabbani’s entry “Occidentali’s Karma” was turned upside down by the three-minute rule in 2017.

Mahmood (real name: Alessandro Mahmoud) and Blanco (real name: Riccardo Fabbriconi) worked together with the co-author of the song, Michelangelo, to produce the Eurovision version of “Brividi”. They went for stylistic choices that would greatly benefit a live performance.

Mahmood & Blanco – “Brividi” (Eurovision version)

What changed compared to the original version?

  • The length of the song was shortened by about 25 seconds, from three minutes and 20 seconds to two minutes and 55 seconds
  • The Eurovision version begins with Mahmood’s voice singing a cappella – the original guitar intro was cut
  • The final chorus was shortened and the music stops as the two artists sing the closing verse

The overall feeling of the three-minute version better suits a live performance, and greatly enhances the voices of Mahmood and Blanco rather than the instrumental background.

The three-minute rule

Curiously, the three-minute rule was created because of an Italian Eurovision entry.

In 1957, the song Corde della mia chitarra” by Nunzio Gallo lasted a whopping five minutes and nine seconds. The audience’s protests led to a new rule establishing that each song cannot exceed three minutes.

“Brividi” Eurovision version lyrics – Mahmood & Blanco (Italy Eurovision 2022)

Original Italian text

Ho sognato di volare con te
Su una bici di diamanti
Mi hai detto sei cambiato,
Non vedo più la luce nei tuoi occhi
La tua paura cos‘è?
Un mare dove non tocchi mai
Anche se il sesso non è
La via di fuga dal fondo
Dai non scappare da qui
Non lasciarmi così

Nudo con i brividi
a volte non so esprimermi
e ti vorrei amare, ma sbaglio sempre
e ti vorrei rubare un cielo di perle
e pagherei per andar via,
Accetterei anche una bugia
e ti vorrei amare ma sbaglio sempre
e mi vengono i brividi, brividi, brividi

Tu, che mi svegli il mattino
Tu, che sporchi il letto di vino
Tu, che mi mordi la pelle
Con i tuoi occhi da vipera
e tu, sei il contrario di un angelo
e tu, sei come un pugile all‘angolo
e tu scappi da qui, mi lasci così.

Nudo con i brividi
a volte non so esprimermi
e ti vorrei amare, ma sbaglio sempre
e ti vorrei rubare un cielo di perle
e pagherei per andar via,
Accetterei anche una bugia
e ti vorrei amare ma sbaglio sempre
e mi vengono i brividi, brividi, brividi

Dimmi che non ho ragione
Vivo dentro una prigione
Provo a restarti vicino
Ma scusa se poi mando tutto a puttane

Non so dirti ciò che provo, è un mio limite
Per un ti amo ho mischiato droghe e lacrime

Questo veleno che ci sputiamo ogni giorno
Io non lo voglio più addosso

Lo vedi, sono qui,
Su una bici di diamanti, uno fra tanti.

Nudo con i brividi
a volte non so esprimermi
e ti vorrei amare, ma sbaglio sempre
e mi vengono i brividi, brividi, brividi.

English translation

I dreamt of flying with you
On a diamond bike
You told me you’ve changed,
I no longer see the light in your eyes
What is your fear?
A sea where you never touch
Even if sex isn’t
The escape route from the bottom
Come on don’t run away from here
Don’t leave me like this

Naked with chills
sometimes I don’t know how to express myself
and I’d like to love you, but I’m always wrong
and I’d like to steal a pearl sky for you
and I would pay to leave,
I would even accept a lie
and I’d like to love you, but I’m always wrong
and I get chills, chills, chills

You, who wake me up in the morning
You, who stain the bed with wine
You, who bite my skin
With your viper-like eyes
and you, are the opposite of an angel
and you, are like a boxer in a corner
and you run away from here, and leave me like this

Naked with chills
sometimes I don’t know how to express myself
and I’d like to love you, but I’m always wrong
and I’d like to steal a pearl sky for you
and I would pay to leave,
I would even accept a lie
and I’d like to love you, but I’m always wrong
and I get chills, chills, chills

Tell me I’m not right
I live inside a prison
I try to stay by your side 
But I’m sorry if I mess it all up

I’m not able to tell you how I feel, it’s my limit
For an “I love you” I mixed drugs with tears

This poison we spit on each other every day
I don’t want it on me anymore

You see, I’m here
On a diamond bike, one among many

Naked with chills
sometimes I don’t know how to express myself
and I’d like to love you, but I’m always wrong
and I get chills, chills, chills

What do you think about the Eurovision version of “Brividi”? Has your opinion of the song changed after listening to the shorter version? Let us know in the comments!

52 Comments
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Mqe
Mqe
1 year ago

I was afraid of how they would cut this. I was scared they would have to ditch one of the elements of the song entirely, since it is so unrepetitive. But this is actually pretty OK! The acapella opening with the instrumentation slowly coming in is beautiful. Ok the shortened last chorus does throw me off a bit (but this is because I’ve been listening to the San Remo version on repeat and know it by heart), but other than this it is pretty much the best they could have done. Still my winner!

Puk
Puk
1 year ago

I love seeing a male duet, especially a ballad, we never see stuff like this and with the Italian language? LOVE IT

L’oiseau
L’oiseau
1 year ago

I love the song, but I don’t like this new cut. Starting the song with this auto-tune sounds really strange. And the cut in the end takes out the last wave of emotion.

Samo
Samo
1 year ago

I would really like 3 minutes rules to be changed to 3:30. Most pop songs these days are around 3:30 and being limited to 3:00 hurts structures of many songs.

This would add 13 minutes to the final, but I’m convinced most of that time could be saved by cutting some less important parts of the show.

Emma
Emma
1 year ago

Such an emotional song. Loved it from the moment I listened to it. Really don’t understand how ‘boring’ can be a word used to describe this song. I get not everyone likes it and that’s cool but ‘boring’ really? You don’t like it fine, but I don’t understand why people liking/loving it bothers you so much?

Andrea
Andrea
1 year ago

Please tell me that they won’t use autotune live. That’s the only reason I don’t like the song very much.

Vincenzo
Vincenzo
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrea

They will not use it live. They didn’t use it in Sanremo.

Sos
Sos
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrea

They never used it

Luk
Luk
1 year ago

Poland Italy and Sweden top 3

ESCalator
ESCalator
1 year ago

Now we have brevi-di, but it’s the same song.

vetrina
vetrina
1 year ago

Will Blanco say the word “puttane”? Or it will be censored?

Ivar
Ivar
1 year ago

Another strong entry for Italy which will score well with both juries and televoters. Might not win, but should reach top 5 easily.

2022
1 year ago

This song is nothing. Its boring. I dont like Mahmoods voice. But its taly. It dosnt mater what song they have, peopke loves them anyway.

Doris
Doris
1 year ago
Reply to  2022

If it was Montenegro then Bottom 5 in the odds

San_Marino
San_Marino
1 year ago
Reply to  2022

Finally someone who thinks like me. This song is so boring. If it was sent by San Marino, it would be bottom of everyones top 40. Italy is overrated (along with the other overrated country .se )

Emma
Emma
1 year ago
Reply to  2022

Since 2011, Italy have been inside the top ten all but 2 times. The results speak for themselves. Italy is not overrated, they just pop out consistent high quality songs. Sure not everybody likes them, but like is subjective. Objectively their quality can’t be denied.

2022
1 year ago
Reply to  Emma

Yes they are. Sweden has beeb top 10 since 2012, exept 2 tines but people always say that Sweden is overrated. Italy have 1 good song after they come back and that was 2013

Vale
Vale
1 year ago
Reply to  2022

you are desperate, aren’t you? Why don’t you go to listen the song you like?

Sos
Sos
1 year ago
Reply to  2022

I’m Italian and I’m very sad to read this kind of comments. I think that there are countries more overrated than mine all the years but I don’t write it for respect. I think that my country every year chooses good songs (they win Sanremo and they are listened a lot in Italy). Thanks to the public vote (and NEVER to the juries one) we have been inside the top ten many years. If you don’t like it it’s ok, it’s subjective, but you can’t minimize the commitment of an artist or a country just because every year people appreciate… Read more »

Yannis
Yannis
1 year ago

My Top 5:

  1. Italy – a beautiful song, I loved the story.
  2. Israel – a song of self-empowerment, love the message and his stage presence is out of this world, he owns the stage!
  3. Poland – I really like his voice, the song is beautiful, very moving!
  4. Ukraine – a song dedicated to his mother, sounds like an anthem.
  5. Spain – makes you move, she knows how to perform, the song is sexy, great!
Joshua
1 year ago
Reply to  Yannis

Israel? Oh lol… That made me spit out my morning latte!
But each to their own and glad you’ve a song you enjoy!

Maxx
Maxx
1 year ago

Mwah, it’s a good song. But I really do not like the high pitched Brividi-parts. That’s why it is not on the top of my list, but outside my top 10. It will end up high, that’s for sure. But for me not a winning song.

Lambert
Lambert
1 year ago

Nothing wrong with Blanco, but the distinctive sound of Mahmood makes it special.

Milena
Milena
1 year ago

So beautiful, whoah, Mahmood and Blanco, they really want to organize contest again, why not? Vi vengono brividi!

Mocky
Mocky
1 year ago

Still a masterpiece full of raw emotion

Robert
Robert
1 year ago

People saying it’s boring as an only argument.. Well the same was said about Arcade and look what hahahappend! Feel the music, not so hard I would say.. This is classy and a winning Eurovision song!!

2022
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert

Arcade have a great melodi, this song have’nt. Its just an ordinary song

Yankee
Yankee
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert

I’m a ballad lover. Love Voila, Tout l’universe, and Hold Me Closer, but I never liked Arcade. Normally I like ballads, but not all are my favorites.

Robert
Robert
1 year ago
Reply to  Yankee

And yet it won.. We don’t all have to like it.. But saying it’s boring is too much

Sabrina
Sabrina
1 year ago

It’s always tricky to compare a version I already loved and listened to dozens of times with a new one. For now, I’m missing a lot the guitar intro and a little less the other half of the final chorus. Though they had to cut something and having Mahmood singing the first verses a cappella can be a charming touch. In the end, only us hardcore fans will notice the differences anyway.

Liam Lindsay
Liam Lindsay
1 year ago

I find the song derivative and dull, the duo as a collective is satisfactory at best and one half of the duo is entirely surplus to requirements and that half is Mahmood. I find that he ruins the song and his vocals are seriously off putting for the song, especially when it comes to the high notes, it seems forced, duplicitous and unnatural for him. The instrumental is okay, but it has been done a million times before and is not reinventing the wheel; it’s the same pretty/whiny boy ballad we have heard for many, many years and has been… Read more »

Vale
Vale
1 year ago
Reply to  Liam Lindsay

70millions streams on Spotify and 50 millions on Youtube say HI. No, it is not overrated. Find another adjective to disparage the song!

Vale
Vale
1 year ago
Reply to  Vale

Still, the streams from abroad surpass the second most listened song for Eurovision 2022. So, your comment doesn’t make sense.

Fabio
Fabio
1 year ago

Absolutely overrated song… I find it really boring.

Doris
Doris
1 year ago
Reply to  Fabio

true

Emma
Emma
1 year ago
Reply to  Fabio

Cool so what? Other people don’t, like everything.

Jo.
Jo.
1 year ago

I thought it would be difficult to adapt to this new version, after listening to the original several times, but it actually gave it a “fresh look”. still impressive

Anete
1 year ago

I kinda miss the rest of the last chorus as that for me was the most emotional part of the song live. I hope this cut won’t change the emotion in the live performance. But I’m very glad the bridge was left untouched, and I actually really like the acapella beginning

okanial
okanial
1 year ago

I really don’t like Mahmood’s voice for some reason. I liked both Soldi and Brividi as songs but his voice always irked me for some reason. I wish it was a Blanco solo

Liam Lindsay
Liam Lindsay
1 year ago
Reply to  okanial

THANK YOU!! FINALLY SOMEBODY SEES IT!

Ria NL
Ria NL
1 year ago

Beautiful !! I love it

Frau Loch
Frau Loch
1 year ago

I still can’t listen to it fully. There is something about the combination of the two voices that I find uncomfortable.

Rifki
Rifki
1 year ago

I wish they added half of the guitar intro, it would make it a perfect three-minute mark.

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago

I like it starting with Mahmood’s voice, finally a song that’s fully live… if only for a few seconds.

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

That was eleven years ago.

Jonas
Jonas
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

It had been done before 2011, from about 1956 to 1998, if we’re being so literal. You reminded me of Witloof Bay, though, so Mahmood doesn’t seem so impressive anymore.

Mil
Mil
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

Greece 2022: Am i a joke to you???

Nicomro
1 year ago
Reply to  Jonas

Belgium 2011*.

lirjaan
lirjaan
1 year ago

I miss the intro 🙁 Now it seems to start out of nowhere

Andrew
Andrew
1 year ago

The lack of music at the start is like a copy of greeces song at the start. Unfair game!

Sir Stevia
Sir Stevia
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew

Yes because Amanda is the first artist in history that had acapella parts in her song.

Nick
Nick
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew

That’s true