Michelino is a diminutive of the name Michele (Michael). It literally means "Little Michael" and is used in the song to refer to a character who is perpetually sad and pessimistic.
The artist uses this name to personify a state of mind, describing someone who "dice sempre che è triste e se gli esce un sorriso poi si innervosisce" (always says he's sad and if a smile escapes him, he gets annoyed). It's an interesting and unique way to characterize a melancholic personality, making it memorable and central to the song's theme.
Have you ever felt so sad that even a smile feels wrong? Gazzelle's song "Michelino" dives into this feeling, but with a twist. The lyrics paint a picture of someone struggling with a "skyscraper of memories" and a sense of inadequacy that feels like burning salt. It's about a difficult moment, maybe after a breakup, where breathing feels hard and your heart feels like it's rusting.
But this isn't a song about staying sad. The singer urges a friend (or maybe themself) to wash their face and escape the gloom. They create a character named Michelino, who represents constant, self-indulgent sadness. Michelino is someone who gets annoyed if he smiles, cries even when he wins, and can't finish a book or appreciate a song. The main message is a powerful rejection of this attitude: "Ma noi non siamo così" (But we are not like that). It's a call to fight against overwhelming sadness and choose to live, even when it's hard.