CIt’s an official Sanremo, made up of couture dresses, standing ovations and prime time controversies. And then there is an underground Sanremo, which flows between the words of the lyrics, in the looks, in the bodies that move on the stage. It is the Sanremo of desire. From the Seventies to today, the Ariston has also been a place where sexuality has found space, first in an allusive, almost whispered form, then increasingly explicit and claimed. The ranking drawn up by the community reconstructs this trajectory WyyldeEuropean social network which voted for the most daring and sensual songs in the history of the Festival, offering an interesting insight into how the way of describing the intimacy between past and present has changed.
The icons of the seventies: tip-top seduction
In the ranking of Wyylde songs that have become symbols of an era appear. Anna Oxa with “A little emotion” (1978) transforms emotional tension into a game of subtle attraction: hypnotic voice, magnetic looks, words that suggest more than they declare.
In the same year, Patty Pravo brings to the stage “Wonderful thought”a piece that explores fantasy and desire with sensual imagery and a narrative freedom that, for its time, sounded almost revolutionary.
In these songs the sexuality is never explicit: it is evoked, whispered, entrusted to the power of the word and topoetic ambiguity. Desire is tension, expectation, imagination.
The nineties: the body enters the scene
With the nineties change the language. Sensuality becomes more physical, more visible. Sabrina Salerno And Jo Squillo with “We are women” (1991) bring a stirring energy to the stage female reclamation and conscious provocation.
Paola & Chiara with “Fury” (1997) transform the Ariston into a place of dance and seduction: studied choreography, bold looks, words that ignite the imagination.
It is a phase in which thefemale empowerment also passes through the body and performance. Desire becomes part of a broader discourse on autonomy, identity and freedom.
The new generations: desire without filters
With the arrival of contemporary artists the language becomes even more direct. Måneskin with “Shut up and be good” (2021) bring to the stage a visceral rock in which skin, sweat and rebellion intertwine in an explosion of energy.
Rosa Chemical with “Made in Italy” (2023) celebrates freedom, fluidity of desires and unconventional relationships, speaking openly about pleasure and overcoming taboos.
The generational comparison is evident: historical icons play on implicit tension, new generations choose explicit declaration. But the the common thread is the same: music as a space of freedom.
Sanremo 2026: between obsession and intimacy
Also in the 2026 edition the theme of desire finds space in the competing texts.
Samurai Jay with “Obsession” inserts direct references to physical attraction, describing nights and encounters without too many metaphors.
Elettra Lamborghini with “Voilà” he chooses a more allusive register, evoking intimacy and bodily closeness in a game of images and rhythm.
Chiello, with “I always think of you”, interweaves sensuality and melancholy, letting desire emerge between memories and suggestions.
Once again, the Ariston becomes the place where past and present dialogue: romanticism and physicality, poetry and concreteness, implications and direct declarations.
Music lights up what it tells
The ranking of Wyylde tells an interesting cultural fact: sexuality is not a new theme for Sanremo, but the way of expressing it has transformed together with society.
The most expert artists narrate intimacy with a reflective, almost cinematic language. The younger ones introduce more direct references to the body and physical experience. In the middle, an audience that listens, recognizes itself, compares itself. Because music doesn’t just describe feelings. It amplifies them, stages them, makes them collective. And, sometimes, it also makes them a little freer.
