Formation and early success
The group was formed in 1967 by Franco Gatti, Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu and Marina Occhiena. Their first public appearance was in Cantagiro 1968 with "L'ultimo amore". Ricchi e Poveri has participated in Sanremo Music Festival several times since 1970. Ricchi e Poveri represented Italy in Eurovision Song Contest 1978 with song "Questo Amore" finishing 12th with 53 points. In 1981 Marina Occhiena left the group.
Ricchi e Poveri has recorded in Italian and Spanish and boasts some of the most popular Italian songs of the 80s and 90s such as "Mamma Maria", "Se m'innamoro", "Made in Italy", "M'innamoro di te" and many others. Their hit "Che sarà" has also been performed by José Feliciano and Jimmy Fontana.
Sarà perche ti amo, crossover success
The single Sarà perché ti amo became such a hit in Europe that a crossover version for Latin American countries was recorded with Spanish lyrics. The song, now titled Será porque te amo, also became a huge hit in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.
Many groups started covering the song adapting it to different genres, including tropical, dance, and various forms of Mexican folk music known as Grupera. The Latin boy band project Menudo (featuring Ricky Martin) and the Italo-Dance band Eu4ya also covered the song, but the lyrics were heavily altered: only the chorus line was kept in one verse and the rest was rearranged to make the song more appealing to teenagers.
As of 2007 the song is still being covered in all genres and it has achieved somewhat of a cult/nostalgia status in several Spanish-speaking countries as a symbol of a generation. The song was remade in 2008 by Diana Sorbello as Das ist, weil ich dich liebe.
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