The Cautionary Meaning Behind “Gossip” by Måneskin

Italian rockers Måneskin formed their musical union in high school, and five years after they began busking, jamming, and appearing on TV music competitions, the group blew up with their cover of The Four Seasons’ hit “Beggin’” after they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. It was exciting to see a young band turn a ‘60s pop gem into a modern rock hit five decades after it came out, and with their own spin on it. But they have penned plenty of popular originals like “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” “Zitti E Buoni,” and the hard-rocking track “Gossip,” featuring guitarist Tom Morello.

Finding the Message

Like many of their songs, “Gossip” was born from jamming and finding the song that way. The song is very relatable to young millennial and Gen Z fans.

“The first lyrics we wrote were a different kind of meaning,” frontman Damiano David told Rolling Stone in January 2013. “So we said OK, we don’t really like this one. Let’s try to switch it and make it more meaningful and deep. So what we did is basically make it harder, make it rougher actually. It was cool because I usually write lyrics all on my own, but in this case we shared the thing because we decided all together to change the meaning. We wanted to be all together changing the words and the sentences, so it was a good moment.”

Social Media Pressure

“The title, it’s very wide because gossip means a lot of things,” David told Rolling Stone. “Of course, we choose this word because we think it sums up a lot of the issues our society is facing today. The song in general talks about all the issues with the performance culture, with the perfection culture … and all these things that nowadays, with social media and media in general, are putting pressure mainly on younger generations.”

The lyrics are catchy, confrontational, and engaging:

Welcome to the city of lies
Where everything’s got a price
It’s gonna be in your favorite place
You can be a movie star
And get everything you want
Just put some plastic on your face

This place is a circus, you just see the surface
They cover s–t under the rug
You can’t see they’re faking, they’ll never be naked
Just fill your drink with tonic gin, this is the American dream, so

Sip the gossip, drink ’til you choke
Sip the gossip, burn down your throat
You’re not iconic, you are just like them all

Lest one think that these are just Italians criticizing American culture, the band have acknowledged some similarities between the two countries. They believe, for example, that Italy is a few years behind America in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. But both countries are still struggling with pushback on the issue. And in terms of “Gossip,” their observation of Hollywood culture translate to parts of Europe as well.

An Iconic Collaboration

The Italian quartet got a welcome collaborator in a personal hero, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who himself is of Italian heritage. When he first heard that there was an Italian band that was making waves, he didn’t believe it. But when he saw them live, he was impressed with the old-school rock vibes and energy they brought to their shows. He knew he had to collaborate with them, and once they connected, “Gossip” was the track he picked to solo on because he felt that the chord structure lent itself to his style of playing.

Morello also appears in the video where the band are performing behind a glass wall in a waiting room. He is a security guard monitoring the events as many fans and detractors arrive and taunt the band through the glass, and vice versa. When one man shatters the glass barrier, a concerned Morello decides to jam on his guitar, and the whole room turns into a big party with the members of Måneskin crowdsurfing across the throng.

Genuine Jibes

“Gossip” is one of Måneskin’s most successful tracks, clocking in at over 190 million Spotify plays and 15 million YouTube views. The song got some solid airplay around the world, and it reportedly sold 100,000 copies in their native Italy.

The song is relatable to even their Gen X fans who have become subsumed by the toxicity of social media. Indeed in a day and age where everyone seems to be fabricating an image online that’s not true-to-life, it’s refreshing to hear a takedown that demands authenticity. The group themselves have been criticized by some rock fans and critics as being inauthentic, perhaps for appearing on televised music competitions or always being dressed in high fashion at events. But the truth of the matter is the group started organically as youngsters and have bonded over the years. They really come off as an old-school rock band that’s a gang—they like to provoke others and each other.

That authenticity is a big reason why a song like “Gossip” works so well. It feels genuine and gritty. That’s something that rock ‘n’ roll needs more of these days.

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Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for MTV