For the seventh year we hand out the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award – the award for the best song lyrics of the Eurovision year. Previous awards were won by Ukraine (2016), France (2017, 2018) and Italy (2019, 2021, 2022). This year four entries are nominated. They are revealed one by one, and Saskia Halfmouw gives us a unique visual interpretation of each song.

The second nominee for the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award 2023 is: Italy.

Country: Italy
Title: Due vite
Artist: Marco Mengoni
Lyricists:Davide Pretella, Davide Simonetta, Marco Mengoni

Jury report
How two lives each take their own turns – that’s the topic at the heart of Due Vite by MarcoMengoni. Two people lie awake at night, after having had a falling out during a club visit. They love one another, apparently, but ‘I still don’t know your desert. Perhaps it is located somewhere in my heart, where the sun doesn’t shine.’ As is often the case with Mengoni, the listener can put in a little effort in deciphering the lyrics, although there are enough clues to understand the underlying meaning, aided by original metaphors such as: ‘We are a book on the floor of an empty house that resembles our own.’ Despite all misunderstanding (Mengoni even literally sings the words‘guarda che disordine’, meaning: look at this mess) there is one original need that keeps resurfacing: ‘If this is the final song before the moon explodes, then I’ll be there to tell you that
you’re wrong.’

Excerpt of the Due vite lyrics (translated into English at Eurovision.tv)

We’re the only ones awake in the whole universe
And I still don’t know your desert well
Maybe it’s somewhere in my heart
Where the sun never shines
Where sometimes I lose you
But if I want I get you
We’re a book on the floor in an empty house
Which looks like ours
Coffee with lemon to fight a hangover
You look like a blurry photo
And we screwed up one more night
Outside a club
And thank goodness
If this is the last song
And then the moon will explode
I’ll be there to tell you you’re wrong
You’re wrong and you know it

The complete lyrics for this song can be found here.

How do we determine the winner?
As in previous years the winner of the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award will be determined by an international expert jury of published book writers, journalists, editors, songwriters, translators and former Eurovision participants from different countries, as well as by public vote at eurostory.nl. The winner will be announced during the Eurovision week in May. Keep track of our website for the latest news!