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El gran varn
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Wikipedia article
"'", (English: The Great Male) also known as , or is a salsa song written in 1986 by Omar Alfanno and sung by Willie Coln. The song narrates the story of , a transgender woman who is rejected by her father for her lifestyle and dies presumably of AIDS, alone in a hospital in New York.
Release and success
The song was written in 1986 by the Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno and was sung by Willie Coln with his group Legal Alien. It was included in the album 'Top Secrets' in 1989, the last album produced by Fania. The record went gold and platinum and received a Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Latin Performance. "" peaked at number 13 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States. The song was at the top of musical lists in ten countries and ranks # 23 'Billboard's list of 50 best Latin songs of all time.
Historical value
"" tells the story of , a father's pride and joy. father is sure his son will follow in his footsteps and be "a great man" but instead leaves Puerto Rico for the mainland to embrace her transgenderness and initiate her gender transformation. father pays her a surprise visit one day and finds his son has transitioned into a woman. father flatly rejects her while the chorus reminds her that nature cannot be changed. Years later, her father wants to reconnect with but discovers she died in a hospital alone at the age of thirty. According to Alfanno, "" is a song about a friend of his.
"" was the first Spanish-language song to broach the subject of AIDS and HIV; however, it did not mention the disease by name, saying died "of a strange disease." The song is a symbol for LGBT rights, as it talks about homophobia and transphobia. At the time of its release, it was banned by many radio stations.
Versions
There are two versions made by Willie Coln; the original is 6:54 minutes long. In this version is born in 1956 and dies in 1986 ("'Willie Coln, Super xitos"'). In the second version, the song is 6:03 minutes long, is born in 1963 and dies in 1993 ("'Willie Coln, Slo xitos'" or "'Willie Coln y Rubn Blades, Frente a frente'").
The song has been covered by other groups and artists. Sonora Kaliente covered it, selling six million copies. In 2007, Danny Frank, a Colombian singer, did a version of the song. A reggae version was done by Eclipse Reggae. A rap version was made by Jako. Cumbia versions were made by Damas Gratis and La Sonora Tropicana.
In popular media
is also the name of a Mexican movie filmed in 2002 and inspired by the topic of the song. It was directed by Miguel Barreda Delgado and features artists Alberto Estrella, Victor Carpinteiro, and Alicia Encinas.
See also
* 'Pedro Navaja'
References
Category:Songs about HIV/AIDS
Category:1989 songs
Category:Willie Coln songs
Category:Songs written by Omar Alfanno
Category:Transgender-related songs
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