Learn Italian With Nek with these 14 Song Recommendations (Full Translations Included!)

Nek
LF Content Team | Updated on 2 February 2023
Learning Italian with Nek's music is fun, engaging, and includes a cultural aspect that is often missing from other language learning methods. It is also great way to supplement your learning and stay motivated to keep learning Italian!
Below are 14 song recommendations by Nek to get you started! Alongside each recommendation, you will find a snippet of the lyric translations with links to the full lyric translations and lessons for each of the songs!
CONTENTS SUMMARY
Laura Non C'è (Laura's Not Here)
Laura non c'è
È andata via
Laura non è più cosa mia
E te che sei qua
Laura's not here
She's gone away
Laura's not mine anymore
And you who are here

“Laura non c’è” is a catchy 90s pop-rock anthem that hides a bittersweet confession. Nek sings about a man who is physically with a new girlfriend yet mentally trapped in memories of his ex, Laura. Every line shows the tug-of-war between wanting to move on and being unable to shake the ghost of a past love. He tries to fill the void by diving into a new romance, urging “Se vuoi, ci amiamo adesso” (“If you want, we can make love now”), but instantly admits it will never feel the same. The chorus pounds home the dilemma: Laura is gone… and still everywhere.

The song’s energy makes you want to dance, while the lyrics reveal a man suffocating from nostalgia. He imagines Laura in someone else’s arms, feels his world collapse, and finally accepts that her “riflesso” still stands between him and any future partner. The result is a relatable story of heartbreak wrapped in an irresistibly sing-along melody—perfect for practicing Italian pronunciation while exploring universal feelings of love, loss, and the struggle to let go.

È Con Te (And With You)
In questo venerdi
Mi fermo per scriverti
E tra queste righe io
Ti vedo
This Friday
I stop to write you
And between these lines I
see you

È Con Te is Nek’s tender love letter written on a calm Friday, where he pauses life’s rush to imagine the future of his child. As he pictures tiny smiles that carry traces of his own face, the Italian songwriter lets his emotions vibrate, promising that every beat of this music is shared with you. The verses glow with anticipation: the joy of seeing the child grow, the thrill of holding them close, and the sheer wonder that a new life can inspire.

The chorus repeats like a heartbeat: È con te – with you – lie the melody, the coming years, and every spark of courage. Nek vows to shield the child from every bruise, to be a constant source of hope, energy, and dreams. The song blooms into a celebration of unconditional parental love, asserting that the child’s presence is both the fuel for his vitality and the symphony that makes his world worth living.

Fatti Avanti Amore (Come Forward Love)
Abbiamo gambe
Per fare passi
Trovarci persi
Avvicinarci e poi
We have legs
To take steps
Find ourselves lost
Get closer and then

Fatti Avanti Amore (Step Forward, Love) is Nek’s rally cry to hesitant hearts. By playfully naming each body part - legs for losing and finding ourselves, mouths for tasting kisses, hands that lock together like gears - he reminds us we are physically engineered for connection. Even tears serve a purpose: they give meaning to hurt and guide us back to one another. Over an irresistible beat, Nek invites his lover to close their eyes, listen to the thunder of a solitary heart, and recognize the miracle of two souls meeting.

The chorus hammers home a bright declaration: Siamo fatti per amare (We are made to love). Despite insecurities, we are simply two arms sharing one heart, and Nek is ready to hand over its best half. "Fatti avanti" is both a gentle request and an electric dare - step closer, trust the design of our humanity, and let love do what it was always meant to do.

La Metà Di Niente (Half Of Nothing)
Che cosa stai aspettando
Non vedi sono qui?
Basterebbe un solo passo per
Raggiungermi
What are you waiting for
Can't you see I'm here?
It would only take one step to
Reach me

La Metà Di Niente ("Half of Nothing") is Nek’s heartfelt cry from the edge of a love that is slipping away. The singer stands just one step from his partner, desperately waving for attention, but silence and distance answer him instead. Every unanswered question makes him feel like la metà di niente – half a person, weightless, unanchored. The lyrics feel like a conversation stuck in one ear: he pleads, waits, repeats, while she retreats behind a wall of unspoken words. The chorus hammers home that love only works in pairs; if one side disappears, what remains is a painful vacuum.

Yet, beneath the sorrow, there is an urgent energy. Nek is not ready to surrender: he promises to stay, to fight, to believe, even if it means fooling himself for a moment. The song captures that electric point between hope and resignation, when you still reach out even though your fingers no longer meet. Wrapped in melodic Italian pop-rock, it urges listeners to rethink their own relationships and take that "single step" before the silence grows too loud.

Congiunzione Astrale (Astral Conjunction)
Non è mai com'era ieri
Cambia il senso cambiano i pensieri
E ti sembra tutto da rifare
Sbagli se ti guardi indietro
It's never like it was yesterday
Meaning changes, thoughts change
And it feels like everything's to redo
You're wrong if you look back

Congiunzione Astrale literally means astral conjunction, the rare moment when planets align in the sky. Nek uses this cosmic image to celebrate a romance that feels just as extraordinary. Life keeps changing, yesterday never repeats itself, yet the lovers move forward together, certain that there is always another road to explore and that their connection cannot be slowed.

He then lists the sparks that fuel this "inguaribile follia"—her intense gaze, thoughtful silences, zest for life, easy laughter, and the way she teaches him without even noticing. These details turn their relationship into an unstoppable force: distance fades, obstacles shrink, and what remains is a universal sign of love so bright it looks written among the stars.

Hey Dio (Hey God)
Hey Dio
Avrei da chiederti anch'io
Cos'è quest'onda di rabbia
Che poi diventa follia
Hey God
I've got something to ask you too
What's this wave of rage
That then turns into madness

In “Hey Dio,” Nek turns his eyes to the sky and fires off a heartfelt questionnaire to God. Why is the world so flooded with anger? Why do TV screens headline only hate? Over pulsing pop-rock guitars, he confesses his fear that tomorrow might look even darker than today, yet he refuses to give in. The singer’s voice becomes a mirror of our own doubts, echoing every time we feel powerless in the face of global chaos.

The answer Nek keeps circling back to is simple yet revolutionary: “c'è bisogno d'amore”“we need love.” He invites us to start from scratch, rebuild our conscience, and tear indifference apart with words of compassion. By the end of the song, the plea morphs into a rallying cry: love is not only the cure for a “sick world,” it is also the key to feeling truly alive and free.

Almeno Stavolta (At Least This Time)
Se non ti vuoi fidare
Almeno ascoltami
Di rimanermi ostile
Non serve a te
If you don't wanna trust
At least listen to me
Staying hostile to me
Doesn't help you

"Almeno Stavolta" ("At Least This Time") is a heartfelt plea for a second chance. Nek sings from the perspective of someone who feels the distance growing in a relationship yet refuses to give up. He is not interested in blaming or interrogating his partner; instead, he wants them to pause the hostility, listen, and remember who they used to be together. Lines like "Ridammi l'effetto di un battito nel petto" ("Give me back the effect of a heartbeat in my chest") capture his yearning to revive the excitement that once made their hearts race.

The song’s mood balances vulnerability with determination. Nek admits they may both be tired, weighed down by flaws and unanswered questions, but he believes courage and honest eye-to-eye conversation can cut through the doubt. By asking for just one hour, one moment of genuine openness, he hopes to spark a renewed desire to stay and shout each other’s names with passion again. Ultimately, "Almeno Stavolta" reminds listeners that love often survives when we silence our fears long enough to truly listen and face each other.

La Voglia Che Non Vorrei (The Desire That I Wouldn't Want)
So la parte che mi fai
Diversa come tante
Che sorriso inventerai?
Ho i sensi deboli
I know the role you give me
Different like many
What smile will you invent?
My senses are weak

“La Voglia Che Non Vorrei” is Nek’s confession of being caught between an irresistible flame and the need to protect himself from getting burned. The singer addresses a former lover whose mere presence feels like an incantesimo (spell): her eyes are an open sea, her smile is invented on the spot, and every gesture makes his senses tremble. He keeps repeating that she is “the only desire I wish I didn’t have,” admitting that—even though he sees her cry and knows their story belongs to the past—her magnetism still pulls at him like smoke curling in the air.

Yet the song is more than a lament; it is a moment of self-liberation. Surrounded by imagery of sunsets, fragile glass, and fleeting sparks of fire, Nek recognizes how quickly her charm can ignite and fade. He tells himself he will be the first to “dissolve the spell,” stepping away before the short-lived flame consumes them both. The result is a bittersweet anthem about letting go of a love that feels thrilling but ultimately toxic, capturing the push-and-pull between irresistible attraction and the courage to walk away.

Se Una Regola C'è (If There Is A Rule)
Mi dici cosa c'è
Che non va
Pensi ancora a quella storia là
Lo so già
Tell me what's wrong
What's not right
Are you still thinking about that story
I know it already

Se Una Regola C’è feels like a pep-talk set to music. Nek plays the role of a loyal friend who sees you drowning in memories of an ex and decides to pull you back to the surface. He listens, understands the ache in your chest, then gently shakes you by the shoulders: “If there’s a rule in love, don’t ask me for it—just break it.” The verses switch between empathy and friendly teasing, turning heartbreak into something almost adventurous, a problem that can be fixed with a dose of courage and a night out.

The chorus drives home the main idea: love has no instruction manual. Instead of obsessing over someone who walked away, the singer urges you to shrug off the gloom, get moving, and notice the many other people ready to say yes. Under the upbeat rhythm hides a simple but powerful message: you create your own path, and the only real rule is the one you write for yourself.

Sei Solo Tu (It's Just You)
Perchè mi piaci
In ogni modo
Da ogni lato o prospettiva tu
Perchè se manchi
Because I like you
In every way
From every angle or perspective, you
Because when you're gone

Nek and Laura Pausini turn up the romantic heat in Sei Solo Tu ("You Are Only You"), a duet that celebrates the kind of love that eclipses everything else. The singers trade lines like two halves of the same heartbeat, confessing how every angle, gesture, and glance of the other person feels irresistible. When that loved one is absent, breathing itself feels tied in knots; when they are near, a simple embrace could last forever. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of passion that is both tender and intense, where even the innocent look in a lover’s eyes can be "fatal" in the best possible way.

As the chorus repeats Sei solo tu nei giorni miei—"You are the only one in my days"—the song underscores total devotion. Daily routines fade into the background, and the world shrinks down to two people who need nothing beyond each other. Whether it’s the thrill of nighttime intimacy or the aching silence of separation, the message stays crystal clear: everything else is invisible now. This is love that takes over mind, body, and soul, leaving no room for doubt—only joy in the realization that, for both singers, solo tu truly means "only you."

Semplici Emozioni (Simple Emotions)
Tra le luci accese dei lampioni
Cammino lentamente
La mia ombra che si allunga ti raggiunge ed io
Vicino a te
Through the glowing streetlights
I walk slowly
My shadow stretches and reaches you and I
Close to you

Nek invites us to follow him through city streets lit by lampposts, straight into a rush of memories that still tingle on his skin. Semplici Emozioni is a nostalgic snapshot of two lovers who once ran barefoot on the sand at dawn, tasting freedom, electricity and a hint of fear at feeling so intensely alive. Time, routine and distance are trying to pull them apart, yet every streetlight, every shadow and every gust of wind keeps lighting up the same simple feelings that first brought them together.

The song reminds us that love is not just a word but a heartbeat that resists schedules, planes and reason itself. Even when life pushes us to run faster than the wind, the singer believes those shared sensations still echo inside both hearts. No matter how far they travel or how many “nights without a moon” pass, a single cry can cross every border. In the end, Semplici Emozioni celebrates the stubborn power of genuine emotion — the kind you can never silence once it has taught you what it means to feel truly, unapologetically alive.

Instabile (Unstable)
Sai
In questa vita tutto sembra breve
Anche i nostri momenti spesi insieme
Dai camminiamo un pó
You know
In this life everything seems short
Even our moments spent together
Come on, let's walk a bit

Nek’s “Instabile” celebrates the beauty of quiet, late-night conversations, when the world slows down and two people can truly connect. Under a soft streetlight that pretends to be the moon, the singer invites a fragile friend to walk, sit, and simply talk about life. He offers a patient ear, reassuring hugs, and the promise to catch them if they stumble. Although time feels short, these small shared moments feel huge, turning an ordinary winter night into a tender refuge from life’s rush.

Instabile isn’t really about weakness; it is about discovering hidden strength. The snow may fall gently and uncertainties may shake us, yet Nek urges his friend to open their wings, leap, and trust that someone will be right there, cheering them on. The song turns insecurity into possibility, painting instability as a natural step on the path to soaring freedom.

Lascia Che Io Sia (Let Me Be)
Io non ti chiedo niente
Il tuo saluto indifferente mi basta
Ma tu non puoi più farmi
Male da starci male
I don't ask you for anything
Your indifferent greeting's enough
But you can't hurt me
Badly enough to keep me hurting

Lascia Che Io Sia is Nek’s passionate plea to revive a love that is drifting into indifference. The singer admits he no longer grants his ex the power to hurt him, yet he still yearns to be “il tuo brivido più grande” – the biggest thrill in her life. Every line is a tug-of-war between pride and vulnerability: on one side he declares that her cold greeting is enough, on the other he begs her to shorten the distance that has grown between them.

Listening to the track feels like watching sparks fly in slow motion. Nek contrasts past intimacy (“terra e stelle” – earth and stars) with awkward present-day silence in cafés where she laughs with friends and leaves him on the edge. Despite the pain, he never confuses anyone else’s arms for hers, and he senses her thoughts brushing against him like a near-miss touch. The chorus keeps circling back to a single request: let me be that shiver down your spine again. It is a modern pop ballad about holding onto love’s electricity even when the lights seem to have gone out.

Se Io Non Avessi Te (If I Didn't Have You)
Se io non avessi te
Forse mi arrenderei
Tu sei la prima che
Fa un viaggio dentro me
If I didn't have you
Maybe I'd give up
You're the first who
Takes a journey inside me

"Se Io Non Avessi Te" is Nek’s high-energy love letter to the person who flips his world from grayscale to full color. Imagining life without her, he admits he would probably give up, live only “half a life,” and stay locked inside himself. She is the first to dive deep into his heart and never let go, the missing piece that silences every outside doubt. When others say the relationship won’t work, he shrugs them off, trusts his own voice, and chooses her again and again.

The chorus hits like a surge of adrenaline: loving her is never enough, because she is everything he lacks. Side by side, they charge forward “sempre accelerando,” whether alone or in a crowd, pushing the pedal to the floor until they decide to stop. Nek’s message is clear and uplifting: the right person doesn’t just stand beside you; they ignite you, turning existence into a thrilling ride where giving up is no longer an option.

We have more songs with translations on our website and mobile app. You can find the links to the website and our mobile app below. We hope you enjoy learning Italian with music!