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Guantanamera

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Wikipedia article




"'Guantanamera'" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantnamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet Jos Mart for the lyrics. The official writing credits have been given to Joseto Fernndez, who first popularized the song on radio as early as 1929 (although it is unclear when the first release as a record occurred). In 1966, a version by American vocal group the Sandpipers, based on an arrangement by the Weavers from their May 1963 Carnegie Hall Reunion concert, became an international hit.

Lyrics



By Jos Mart



The better known "official" lyrics are based on selections from the poetry collection 'Versos Sencillos' ('Simple Verses') by Cuban poet and independence hero Jos Mart, as adapted by Julin Orbn. The four verses of the song were adapted from four stanzas of 'Versos Sencillos', each from a different poem. They are presented here in the original Spanish (poem:stanza).

By Joseto Fernndez

Given the song's musical structure, which fits ABAB (sometimes ABBA) octosyllabic verses, "Guantanamera" lent itself from the beginning to impromptu verses, improvised on the spot, similar to what happens with the Mexican folk song "La Bamba". Joseto Fernndez first used the tune to comment on daily events on his radio program by adapting the lyrics to the song's melody, and then using the song to conclude his show. Through this use, "Guantanamera" became a popular vehicle for romantic, patriotic, humorous, or social commentary in Cuba and elsewhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

The lyrics often sung by Fernndez are about a peasant woman or country girl from Guantnamo (" Guantanamera"), with whom he once had a romantic relationship, and who eventually left him. Fernndez provided several explanations during his lifetime, including that she did not have a romantic interest in him, but merely a platonic one.

By other artists



Various other versions have combined lyrics based on the Jos Mart poem. Additional verses commonly sung are:

:Y para el cruel que me arranca

:el corazn con que vivo

:cardo ni oruga cultivo

:cultivo la rosa blanca.

:Yo s de un pesar profundo

:entre las penas sin nombre:

:la esclavitud de los hombres

:es la gran pena del mundo.

:No me pongan en lo oscuro

:A morir como un traidor

:Yo soy bueno y como bueno

:Morir de cara al sol

Music



The music for the song is sometimes also attributed to Joseto Fernndez,[http://www.josemarti.org/jose_marti/guantanamera/mariaargeliaguan/guantanameraparte1-1.htm Vizcano, Mara Argelia, Aspectos de la Guantanamera, La Pgina de Jos Mart] , Part 1, and Manuel, Peter (2006), "The Saga of a Song: Authorship and Ownership in the Case of 'Guantanamera'". 'Latin American Music Review' 27/2, pp. 147 who claimed to have written it at various dates (consensus puts 1929 as its year of origin), and who used it regularly in one of his radio programs. Some claim that the song's structure actually came from Herminio "El Diablo" Garca Wilson, who could be credited as a co-composer. Garca's heirs took the matter to court decades later, but lost the case; the People's Supreme Court of Cuba credited Fernndez as the sole composer of the music in 1993. Regardless of either claim, Fernndez can safely be claimed as being the first to promote the song widely through his radio programs.

Recordings



Joseto Fernndez

Recorded in the 1930s.

Compay Segundo

Recorded in the late 1940s.

Pete Seeger

Shortly after the Weavers Carnegie Hall reunion concert recording in May 1963, Pete Seeger included the song on his album 'We Shall Overcome', which was also performed live at Carnegie Hall. Seeger's recording is described by Stewart Mason at Allmusic as the "definitive version" of the song.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/pete-seeger-at-carnegie-hall-mw0000883882 Stewart Mason, Review of 'Pete Seeger at Carnegie Hall', Allmusic.com]. Retrieved May 24, 2013

The version of the song created by Mart and Orbn was used by Seeger as the basis of his reworked version, which he based on a performance of the song by Hctor Angulo. Seeger combined Mart's verse with the tune, with the intention that it be used by the peace movement at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He urged that people sing the song as a symbol of unity between the American and Cuban peoples, and called for it to be sung in Spanish to "hasten the day [that] the USA... is some sort of bilingual country."

The Sandpipers



The most commercially successful version of "Guantanamera" in the English-speaking world was recorded by the easy listening vocal group, The Sandpipers, in 1966. Their recording was based on the Weavers' 1963 Carnegie Hall reunion concert rendition and was arranged by Mort Garson and produced by Tommy LiPuma. In addition to the group's vocals, the version includes Robie Lester on background vocals and narration by producer LiPuma. It reached No. 9 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

Celia Cruz

"Guantanamera" is one of the songs most commonly identified with Cuban singer Celia Cruz (19252003). It appears on at least 241 different records or compilations of hers, her earliest commercial recording of it being on the Mexican label Tico Records in 1968. She mentions her special memories of singing "Guantanamera" nine times in her posthumous 2004 autobiography.

Charts

;The Sandpipers

;Celia Cruz

Other recordings



It has been recorded by many other solo artists, notably by Demis Roussos, Willy Chirino, Julio Iglesias, Joan Baez, Albita, Jimmy Buffett, Celia Cruz, Bobby Darin, Raul Malo, Joe Dassin, Muslim Magomayev, Jos Feliciano, Tony Mottola, Biser Kirov, Wyclef Jean, Puerto Plata, Trini Lopez, La Lupe, Nana Mouskouri, Tito Puente, Rauln Rodrguez, Andy Russell, Gloria Estefan, Pete Seeger, Robert Wyatt (under the title "Caimanera"), and by such groups as The Mavericks, Buena Vista Social Club, Los Lobos, Pozo-Seco Singers, Todos Tus Muertos, The Spinners and the Gipsy Kings.

In popular culture



* The tune of this song is a commonly used in British football chant, such as "There's only one [insert player/manager name]". For example, it was used for Paul Gascoigne ("There's only one Paul Gascoigne"), but modified for Gary Stevens ("There's only two Gary Stevens") since there were two players of the same name active at the same time. Other chants using the same tune include "You only sing when you're winning", and "You're getting sacked in the morning". It is also used on the soundtrack of 'Pro Evolution Soccer 2014', a football video game developed and published by Konami. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum's 2019 television commercial campaign also features this chant.[https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/food--cooking/getting-the-root-love-ginger/IMavfy5THqV7DtD6enswlI/# King, Bill. "Getting to the root of my love of ginger," 'The Atlanta Journal-Constitution', Wednesday, August 7, 2019.] Retrieved August 21, 2019 Real Madrid also use this tune to sing Reyes de Europa.

* Comedy by Paul Kelly and the Messengers features a hidden song, fading to silence, singing "there's only one David Gower".Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/Aco8F9TimH0 Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195807/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aco8F9TimH0 Wayback Machine]:

* Tony Lockett, a player in the Australian Football League, was praised in the song "One Tony Lockett", using the tune of "Guantanamera", performed by James Freud and the Reserves.

* Wyclef Jean presents The Carnival featuring the Refugee Camp Allstars released a song titled Guantanamera in 1997. Their song is not a cover of the original, but an incorporation with additional lyrics/music. The album version also featured Celia Cruz, Lauryn Hill, and Jeni Fujita. This version was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The song peaked at number 23 on the 'Billboard' R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart, number 29 on the 'Billboard' Rhythmic Airplay chart, and number 38 on the 'Billboard' Mainstream Hip-Hop/R&B airplay chart.

* The song is famously played in 'The Godfather Part II', at the New Year's Eve party in Cuba where Michael Corleone tells his brother Fredo Corleone that he knows that he betrayed him.

* Richard Stallman wrote and sang a version titled 'Guantanamero', an ironic commentary on the Guantanamo prison and the War on Terror.

* On the Saturday Night Live episode of October 27, 1990, Patrick Swayze and Dana Carvey perform a fake ad about a fake compilation album called "Super Feud" show in which two famous singers, Valendez and Montenero, brag about how much fan mail they receive - starting with "one ton of fan mail," followed by "two tons of fan mail" - to the tune of Guantanamera.

* Pakistani pop star Alamgir recorded an adaptation in the 1980s interspersed with unrelated Urdu lyrics, titled 'Albela Rahi', which has become an informal signature tune and title for the singer (now based in the United States).

* In a flashback scene on season 3 episode 3 of Money Heist, Berlin (Pedro Alonso) danced to the song recording by Compay Segundo after telling the Professor his plan of breaking into the vault of gold bars at the Bank of Spain.

References




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