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# La musica è bella, aka "no, we kid you not"
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/18837/
- Published: 2006-11-10T17:11:08.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-14T22:35:33.000Z
- Author: openDemocracy Supporters
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:23

**by Jessica Reed**

Surely this is a musical item that openDemocracy readers will want to buy, if only for the sake of political ironic *hipsterness*: ex-Italian prime minister Silivo Berlusconi [has released](http://www.spot-on.com/archives/martinelli/2006/11/life%5Fafter%5Fpolitics.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) a cd of "love songs", for which he wrote the lyrics to. Of course, he had already flirted with musical glory [back in 2003](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3230673.stm?ref=opendemocracy.net), and [2005](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/wburl20.xml&ref=opendemocracy.net).

We at openDemocracy were fortunate enough to listen to an excerpt, and let us tell you: we were pleasantly surprised. Some uplifting horns here, some uptempo rythm there, and a 50s "Sinatra" quality to Il Cavaliere's voice is what you can expect from it, should you choose to make the purchase. A source in the office even tells me that Berlusconi's musical skills should not come as a surprise, as he used to be a [crooner-piano player](http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1126448,00.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) on a cruise ship.

As I related those excellent artistic news to another well informed source, I was told that Berlusconi is not the only Prime Minister brave enough to venture in the cruel world of music production. Back in 2001 Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi released a [CD of personally selected Elvis classics](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5038686.stm?ref=opendemocracy.net).

*The CD included 25 of his favourite songs and featured a computer-generated cover photo of the two men together, plus comments from the prime minister about each song he had chosen.* 

Now, I am not sure I would buy this one.

**Elsewhere:** Shortcut - "[Just in Time for Christmas](http://shortcut.squarespace.com/home/2005/11/28/milano-just-in-time-for-christmas.html?ref=opendemocracy.net)" + Bush and Koizumi [bond over Elvis.](http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060630/3/2mlot.html?ref=opendemocracy.net)

*Picture - via* [*akoaraisin*](http://flickr.com/photos/akoaraisin/201876665/?ref=opendemocracy.net)*'s flickr page.*