Un tuo sorriso splendido
"La regina del Celebrità" is the final of four singles associated with the 1999 album Grazie mille by 883. In 2000, this was followed up with the album Mille grazie, which includes a remix of "La regina del Celebrità" in collaboration with Eiffel 65. A mostly animated, partly live-action music video for this remix was released on April 3rd, 2000.
As before with "Nient'altro che noi", Stranemani was responsible for the animation. The video's animation is done in a typical 90s-00s Euro-anime-style. Where "Nient'altro che noi" goes for a Super-Deformed style, "La regina del Celebrità" goes for semi-realistic proportions with the exception that the band members that earlier appeared in "Nient'altro che noi" are kept largely the same to evoke youthfulness. Smaller differences with "Nient'altro che noi" are that the animation of "La regina del Celebrità" is more energetic yet also more repetitive.
The lyrics are from the perspective of Max Pezzali and give a fictionalized account of the circumstances and aftermath of his first visit to a night club during his early teens in the Late 80s. The club in question is Celebrità, one of only two clubs in all of provincial Pavia at that time (and no longer in existence as of 2003). The lyrics alone relay that Max and his friends were initially intimidated by the chaos of the club scene, but soon moreso struck by the appearance of one particular girl that works there. Due to their inexperience, they never approach her, but her presence that day has a lasting effect on them. About a decade later, Max happens to encounter the girl in town and notes that she's now happily married and mother to a three-year old. As before, he doesn't approach her, finding a profound sense of happiness in her happiness.
The music video conveys the past scenes with two notable additions. For one, the lyrics don't mention any bouncer, but he's a prominent character in the music video. For two, the lyrics give no suggestion that the night is anything special to the girl, while in the music video this is the night she meets her future husband. The third verse, where Max encounters the girl and her family in town, is visually replaced by another scenario, where the girl and her family attend an 883 concert, that can be interpretated as an alternative reality or as taking place after the events of the third verse. Notably, the girl knows of Max and what effect she had on him. Elated, he invites and helps her up on stage to dance to her own tribute song.
Tropes used in "La regina del Celebrità" include:
- Animesque: The video's animation is done in a typical 90s-00s Euro-anime-style.
- Art-Style Clash: Because the main characters' models are reused from Nient'altro che noi, they're in a Super-Deformed style whereas the rest of the characters are drawn with semi-realistic proportions.
- Bouncer: Not mentioned in the lyrics but prominent in the animation is a bald, hulking bouncer with sunglasses and a gold tooth. His key role is getting the blond patron away from the go-go dancer, because it's against the rules to get that close to the dancers. The patron's friends plead with the bouncer to let the guy stay, which he probably did seeing as the patron and dancer later get married.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Averted. In the lyrics, the girl never even learns about Max's existence. By all appearances, it's just a normal day at work for her while he's experiencing what'll become a lasting memory. In the music video, the night Max sees her for the first time is the same night she meets her future husband. She also at some point learns of Max's admiration for her and attends an 883 concert where "La regina del Celebrità" is played.
- The Cameo: The DJ at the club is a caricature of Claudio Cecchetto
, one of Italy's most famous D Js, music producers and talent scouts, being also the talent scout of 883 themselves. - Coming of Age Story: The song is about three friends having just reached the age that they can go clubbing. The evening has a profound effect on their outlook, courtesy of one particular girl that's out of their league. The encounter provokes Max to want to grow up further and become the kind of guy that would've been her match.
- Coolest Club Ever: The eponymous club Celebrità is depicting as a large, bright building crowded with people dressed to the nines unanimously having a great time.
- Happily Married: The third verse states that the girl has gotten married and enjoys her life with a partner. The music video adds context by making the night Max and his friends meet the girl the same night she meets her husband-to-be, who is another patron who climbs up on stage to dance alongside her. In the present, the two of them and their young son attend an 883 concert. Max invites the girl to come dance on stage, leading to a simple, wordless exchange in which her proud husband encourages her to go as he takes care of their son in the meantime.
- Holding Hands: Max helps the girl up to the stage to dance along to the song in her honor. The shot lingers on their hands clasping one another.
- The Muse: Not only is the eponymous La regina del Celebrità the inspiration to the very song, but the final lines of the second verse also contain a promise to become the kind of man that could've been with her if their life stages hadn't been so far apart.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: The song is a message to the radiant girl (specifically a go-go dancer in the video) about what her presence meant to three adolescent boys who went clubbing for the first time years ago. They do think highly of her looks and demeanor, but they weren't mature enough to go up and talk to her, which they're at peace with. The final portion of the song details Max's chance encounter with the girl in the present. She's married now and has a young son, observations that fill Max with an odd and intense sense of happiness.
- Roger Rabbit Effect: The past of the music video is animated, while the present of the video is footage from an 883 concert. From the crowd of live-action people emerge the girl, her husband, and their son, all three of which are animated. Towards the end of the video, there's one proper moment of live-action and animation interacting when Max helps the girl get up on stage to dance once more.
- Shout-Out: To two anime that were, and somewhat are, still popular in Italy. The girl is visually based on Lum Invader; when Max and friends get scared by the intimidating bouncer, they briefly laugh making goofy faces based on Dash Kappei's main character (known as "Gigi la Trottola" in Italy).
- Time Skip: About a decade lies between the second and the third verse. Max is an adult now and La regina del Celebrità is married and mother to a young son.
