Tra te e il mare

The song *Tra te e il mare* was born from the pen of Italian singer-songwriter Biagio Antonacci. It was Laura Pausini who originally recorded it, and she herself was involved in the production alongside Alfredo Cerruti and Dado Parisini. The Italian version was released on August 21, 2000, as the first single from the album of the same name. For the Spanish-speaking public, an adaptation into Spanish with lyrics by Ignacio Ballesteros was prepared, titled *Entre tú y mil mares*. This single was well-received, reaching the top positions in Italy and entering the top twenty of the *Hot Latin Songs* charts in the United States and the French singles charts.

Over the years, *Tra te e il mare* has had various lives. Biagio Antonacci recorded it in 2008 for his album *Il cielo ha una porta sola*, incorporating a fragment of "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones. In 2013, it was given a new lease of life with a different arrangement for Laura Pausini's greatest hits compilation, *20 - The Greatest Hits / 20 - Grandes Éxitos*. This new version was re-recorded in 2014 as a duet with Spanish singer Melendi. Live performances have also been notable: Pausini sang it in a medley at the Sanremo Festival in 2001, and she shared the stage with Biagio Antonacci at a concert in Milan in December of that same year, a performance that was recorded on the video album *Live 2001/2002 World Tour*.

Later, in 2009, she performed it with Elisa during the charity event *Amiche per l'Abruzzo*. In 2014, Antonacci sang it with Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini at the San Siro stadium. In 2020, an acoustic version recorded at the Colosseum in Rome was released, as part of the virtual event *I Love Beirut*. The original music video was directed by Alberto Colombo and has a duration of 3 minutes and 49 seconds. In 2015, a new video was filmed for the Spanish version with Melendi in Madrid, under the direction of Leandro Manuel Emede and Nicolò Cerioni.