Mariah Carey's hunchback is ironic: the lyrics to "Nel blu dipinto nel blu" are becoming memes on social media.

The lyrics of the song scrolled on the screen, the American star followed them with a fixed gaze and pronounced them like a student in her first Italian lesson

Not just the fall of the French Olympic champion Jules Lapierre live on air. Not just the absence of the Belgian flag bearer Maximilien Drion due to a missed train connection. Also unexpectedly taking center stage during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Olympics was Mariah Carey's hunchback.

The display scrolled with lines that have now become memes on social media: “Poy deem-proh-vee-zoh, veh-knee-voh, doll vehn-tow rah-peato”, “nell chay-lo een-fee-nee-toe”. And while the whole of San Siro was singing In the blue painted blue by Domenico Modugno with the American pop star, she followed her phonetic guide with a fixed gaze like a model student in her first Italian lesson.

A little help to navigate a difficult language, which however did not escape the cameras and especially the web. "Contemporary art", as radio speaker and DJ Michele Caporosso ironically defined it on Instagram. Next to him, Tommaso Zorzi dedicated a post to the American star, calling her "devastating."

Within minutes, Carey's choice to rely on the teleprompter to avoid pronunciation errors went viral on social media, from Instagram to TikTok to X. And, alongside the memes, many comments also came in her defense: "Why make fun of her? We should be grateful that Mariah Carey is here," "She's not Italian, it's normal that she needs help," "Incredible pronunciation," "Iconic."

Some even saw something familiar: "They look like the emails I send on Monday mornings," wrote someone, along with those who remembered elementary school, when we wrote down the pronunciation under difficult words.

The singer herself, under photos of the evening in a sparkling dress, wrote on her social media profiles: "Performing (in Italian) at the ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games is a dream come true. Nothing is impossible."

I'm not However, the criticism was lacking: from the suspicious playback to the usual questions about why the song shouldn't be entrusted to an Italian artist. The controversy was not far removed from that leveled at Ghali for his participation with a possible poem recited in Arabic, which ultimately didn't happen, confirming the fact that when it comes to major international events, debate and criticism are never far away.

Despite the discussions, the ceremony was nevertheless a success, with music, dance, artists, and internationally renowned figures. There was a climate of enthusiasm in the stands and in the streets: on the one hand, the curiosity and excitement of the tourists, on the other, the pride of the Milanese for their city.

Link to the site: https://milano.repubblica.it/c...