Ancora translates to "anchor". While it can also mean "still" or "again" in Italian, in this song, it's used as a noun, referring to the heavy object used to moor a ship.
Marco Mengoni uses this word in a striking metaphor: "Saranno un'ancora agganciata al cielo" (They will be an anchor hooked to the sky). This imagery is both beautiful and paradoxical, suggesting that his memories, like an anchor, provide stability, but instead of grounding him, they connect him to something vast and ethereal like the sky. It's a unique and thought-provoking use of a common word.
“Tutti I Miei Ricordi” is Marco Mengoni’s heartfelt road-movie in song form. Picture him walking alone, eyes locked on a distant horizon, while a whirlwind of memories swirls behind him like a colorful kite. He sings to a once-close companion, firing off questions that hang in the air: What do you see? What do you think? Somewhere along the way the two of them “ran against time,” but now their clocks are out of sync. So Mengoni turns to the only luggage he can truly trust – his memories. They are a back-shield against the wind, an anchor fastened to the sky, and a light pinned beneath the clouds, all at once.
Under the pop-rock sheen lies a universal message: when life feels paused, broken, or off-course, our past experiences can guide us like a secret map. Mengoni admits he has “too many rips to mend” and has sometimes mistaken fool’s gold for the real thing, yet every stumble teaches him how to keep moving. The song invites listeners to cherish, not escape, their personal history, because every scar, late-night journey, and shared laugh becomes fuel for the next chapter.
Marco Mengoni is an Italian singer-songwriter born on December 25, 1988, in Ronciglione, Italy. He rose to fame in 2009 after winning the third season of "X Factor Italy," and became one of Italy's most celebrated pop and soul artists in the years that followed.
Mengoni has won the Sanremo Music Festival twice, in 2013 with "L'Essenziale" and again in 2023 with "Due Vite," which also represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest. Known for his powerful, soulful voice and emotionally direct lyrics, he has released multiple platinum-certified albums and remains one of the most streamed Italian artists both at home and internationally.