Five years after Italian rockers Maneskin formed a music union in high school, started busking and jamming, and appeared on TV music competitions, they won Eurovision and recorded The Four Seasons’ hit song. The group had a blast with their cover of “Begin.” 2021 Song Him Contest. It was exciting to see a young band reinvent his 60’s pop masterpieces and modern rock hits, 50 years after their release, with their own unique twists. However, they have written a number of popular original songs, including “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” “Zitti E Buoni,” and the hard rock song “Gossip,” which features guitarist Tom Morello.
find message
Like many of their songs, “Gossip” came about from jamming and discovering songs that way. This song is very relatable to young Millennial and Gen Z fans.
“The first lyrics we wrote had a different kind of meaning,” said frontman Damiano David. rolling stone “So we said, okay, we don’t really like this. Let’s switch it up and make it more meaningful and deeper. So what we did was basically In reality, it means making it more difficult, but actually making it more rough. I usually write the lyrics by myself, but this time we all decided to change the meaning and shared it, so it was cool. It was a good moment because we wanted to change the words and sentences together.”
social media pressure
“Gossip can mean many things, so the title is very broad,” David said. rolling stone. “Of course, we chose this word because we think it sums up a lot of the issues facing our society today. The song as a whole is about performance culture and It talks about all the issues with the culture of perfection… and all these issues that social media and the media in general are putting pressure on today primarily on the younger generation.”
The lyrics are catchy, confrontational, and engaging.
Welcome to the city of lies
A place where everything has a price
It will be in your favorite place
you can be a movie star
and get everything you want
just put plastic on your face
This is a circus, you’re only looking at the surface.
they cover things under the rug
You can’t tell they’re faking, they’ll never be naked
Just add tonic gin to your drink and it’s the American dream.
Sip the gossip and drink until you choke
Sip the gossip and burn it down your throat
You’re not iconic, you’re just like them all
Lest you think they’re just Italians criticizing American culture, the band acknowledges that there are some similarities between the two countries. For example, they believe that Italy is several years behind the United States when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. However, both countries continue to struggle with backlash over the issue. And when it comes to “gossip,” their observations about Hollywood culture apply to parts of Europe as well.
iconic collaboration
The Italian quartet has gained a welcome collaborator in personal hero Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. He himself is of Italian descent. When he first heard that there was a band in Italy that was making waves, he couldn’t believe it. However, when he saw them live, he was impressed by the old school rock vibe and energy they brought to their shows. He knew he had to collaborate with them, and after they connected, “Gossip” was the track he chose to perform solo. Because he felt the chord structure suited his playing style.
Morello also appears in a video of the band playing behind a glass wall in their dressing room. He is a security guard who monitors events where many fans and detractors arrive and mock the band through glass, and vice versa. When one man breaks the glass barrier, a worried Morello decides to jam with his guitar, and the entire room turns into a big party, with Maneskin members crowdsurfing across the crowd.
real jive
“Gossip” is one of Maneskin’s most successful songs, with over 190 million plays on Spotify and over 15 million views on YouTube. The song received solid airplay around the world, reportedly selling 100,000 copies in her native Italy.
The song also resonates with Gen X fans who have become obsessed with the toxicity of social media. In fact, in a time when everyone seems to be fabricating images online that aren’t true, it’s refreshing to hear takedowns demanding authenticity. The group itself has been criticized by some rock fans and critics as inauthentic, perhaps because they appear on television music competitions and always wear high-fashion clothing at events. But the truth is that the group started organically as young people and has bonded over the years. They really give the impression of a gangly, old-school rock band. They like to provoke others and each other.
That authenticity is a big reason why songs like “Gossip” work so well. It feels real and rough. That’s what rock’n’roll needs more these days.
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Photo by: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for MTV
