Måneskin is an Italian rock band that formed in Rome in 2016 and rose to fame in 2017 after placing second on X Factor Italy. The band is made up of vocalist Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis on bass, Thomas Raggi on guitar, and Ethan Torchio on drums.
The foursome reached global fame when their original song Zitti e Buoni, "Shut Up and Be Good", won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Italy.
If you enjoy rock music and want to improve your Italian, listening to Måneskin's awesome music catalog is a great way to learn. By studying the language used in their music, you can develop your vocabulary and grammar naturally.
What Does Måneskin Mean?
Måneskin is a Danish word that means "moonlight". The band's bassist, De Angelis, is half Danish and suggested the word for the band's name in 2016.
The Italian translation of "moonlight" is chiaro di luna, which is certainly less catchy as a band name!
Themes of Måneskin Lyrics
Måneskin's lyrics can be very profound, poetic, and raw. They deal with themes such as identity, sex, celebrating differences, and love.
The band explained on Instagram that their single I Wanna Be Your Slave is about "sex in all its forms and from every angle" and that we are all "human, imperfect, sinful and in need of redemption."
I Wanna Be Your Slave is one of their few English-language songs, but it is still worth listening to if you like the artist!
The lead single from their debut album is called Morirò da Re, which means "I'll Die as a King". The refrain repeated throughout the song says:
Amore accanto a te
Baby accanto a te
Io morirò da re
This translates as "love beside you/ baby beside you/ I'll die as a King".
In L'Altra Dimensione, "The Other Dimension", the band addresses the idea of a loss of romance in the world and the importance of keeping love alive.
Sono stanco delle vostre facce grigie
Voglio un mondo rosa, pieno di colore
Voi comprate amore con le carte Visa
These lines translate as "I am tired of your grey faces/ I want a pink world, full of color/ you buy love with credit cards".
If you search online for Måneskin songs in your browser of choice, you can select the titles that speak to you and analyze the lyrics in more depth.
Below, we will delve into some of the band's more poetic content to get the ball rolling on your learning journey!
Interesting Slang and Phrases in Måneskin Lyrics
The band's seventh single, Vent'Anni, meaning "twenty years", was released in 2020 and was written during the Covid-19 lockdowns. The lyrics were penned by David, the band's frontman, who was 20 years old at the time.
In Vent'Anni, David gives advice that he wishes someone older had given him. The lyric sarai qualcuno se resterai diverso dagli altri means "you will be someone if you stay different from others".
The song addresses the importance of being true to yourself. The poetic line spiegare cos'è il colore a chi vede bianco e nero means "explain what color is to those who see in black and white".
You can learn how to introduce your age in conversation from this song, as well as how to curse in Italian. Talk about a win-win!
The lyric io c'ho vent'anni, e non mi frega un cazzo translates as "I am twenty years old, and I don't give a f**k".
Continue your Italian curse word education with In Nome del Padre, "In the Name of the Father", in which David says e tu, stammi ad un palmo dal culo, testa di cazzo, meaning "and you, keep yourself a step away from my ass, you d*ckhead".
It's not all high poetry, but it is useful vocabulary!
As you can see, the curse word cazzo is very versatile and can translate into several different English swear words.
Finally, in their song La Paura del Buio, "The Fear of the Dark", Måneskin list some other great Italian insults.
Puoi darmi del pazzo, bastardo, malato
Io ci brinderò sopra col vino
These lyrics mean "you can call me crazy, bastard, sick/ I'll toast it with wine".
This is the sort of vocabulary that can help you sound more like a native. However, remember that if you choose to use this language with Italian people, it is strong and can be inappropriate, depending on the social situation.
A good general rule is to swear as you would in English, with friends and good humor, rather than taking these insults into the streets and getting in trouble.
Learning Italian Grammar with Måneskin
As well as vocabulary acquisition, listening to Måneskin's lyrics can improve your understanding of conjugation, tenses, sentence structure, and other useful grammar points.
Their Eurovision-winning song, for instance, can teach you some of the conjugated forms of essere, the verb "to be".
Sono fuori di testa, ma diverso da loro
E tu sei fuori di testa, ma diversa da loro
Siamo fuori di testa, ma diversi da loro
This refrain means "I am out of my mind, but different from them/ and you are out of your mind, but different from them/ We are out of our minds, but different from them".
From these lines alone, we have learned:
- Sono - I am
- Sei - You are
- Siamo - We are
As well as:
- Fuori di testa - Out of your mind
- Ma - but
- Diverso/a/i - Different
- Loro - them
Earlier, we saw the lyric sarai qualcuno, meaning "you will be someone". You might have worked out now that sarai is the second-person future tense conjugation of essere, meaning "you will be".
Listen to L'Altra Dimensione and try to spot the use of the past perfect tense in Italian.
Dio, io dalla polvere come fenice
Sono risorto, ed ho imparato anche a volare
"God, like a phoenix from the dust/ I am resurrected, and I have also learned to fly".
Here, ho imparato means "I have learned".
Improve your listening skills and familiarity with Italian tenses by listening to Italian language content. Over time, you will find that your brain naturally absorbs many important grammar rules and useful phrases.
FAQs: Learning Italian with Måneskin Music
Why should I listen to Maneskin to learn Italian?
Their lyrics are profound, full of useful slang and phrases, and employ a variety of tenses.
However, there are more great options to choose from. Search popular Italian music on your browser to select the genre and music style you most enjoy and let the language absorb naturally into your brain.
What is Maneskin's second studio album called?
Måneskin's second album is called Teatro d'Ira: Vol I (2021) and it was certified platinum four times by FIMI (Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana). This album sold nearly 162,000 copies.
Their debut album, Il Ballo della Vita (2018), sold over 200,000 copies.
What are Maneskin's most famous singles?
As well as the tracks mentioned above, Måneskin has more famous singles.
During their run on the X-Factor, Måneskin performed an original song called Chosen. The Chosen EP was released in 2017 by Sony Music and later certified double platinum by FIMI. It sold over 100,000 copies and peaked at number 3 on the Italian Albums Chart.
The group has also covered some famous songs, such as Beggin by The Four Seasons. This single won a Billboard Music Award in 2022 for "Top Rock Song" and has been nominated for other awards.
Finally, their rock ballad Torna a Casa, which means "come back home" received quintuple platinum certification.
Is listening to music the best way to learn Italian?
Listening to Italian music is a great way to develop your vocabulary and understanding of grammar naturally, as we have demonstrated through the artist Måneskin.
However, there are more options for fun and engaging Italian language content. You can also watch movies and TV shows, listen to radio and podcasts, and read books or newspapers to get started on your Italian language learning journey.
The more varied the content, the more options you have to improve your language skills and your understanding of Italian culture will deepen.
Summing Up: Learning Italian with Måneskin
This has been a brief look at learning Italian with Måneskin music and lyrics. We have looked at the themes and ideas examined in Måneskin lyrics, such as love, identity, and sex.
Moreover, we have explored some great slang and useful expressions used by Måneskin in their songs. These are the aspects of language that make you sound authentic when you are speaking.
Finally, we have addressed how listening to music can instruct you on grammar and sentence structure in a fun and engaging way.
If you like the idea of learning Italian by engaging with foreign language music, TV, and movies, check out Lingopie.
Lingopie is a film, music, and TV streaming service that offers content in Italian, as well as Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, and Korean.
See also: The 10 Best Italian Series and TV Shows to Learn Italian
You can choose to engage with any number of these popular languages and explore the great options available.
Buona fortuna e buon divertimento - good luck and have fun!
