Guantanamera

"Guantanamera"
Song
Language	Spanish
Released	1929
Genre	Guajira-son
Composer(s)	Joseíto Fernández

"Guantanamera" ([ɡwantanaˈmeɾa]; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo)^[1] is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credits have been given to Joseíto Fernández, 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 José Martí[]

Spanish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Versos sencillos

The better known "official" lyrics are based on selections from the poetry collection Versos Sencillos (Simple Verses) by Cuban poet and independence hero José Martí, as adapted by Julián Orbón.^[2] 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).

I:1	V:3	XXXIX:1	III:2
Yo soy un hombre sincero De donde crece la palma, Y antes de morirme quiero Echar mis versos del alma.	Mi verso es de un verde claro Y de un carmín encendido: Mi verso es un ciervo herido Que busca en el monte amparo.	Cultivo una rosa blanca En julio como en enero, Para el amigo sincero Que me da su mano franca.	Con los pobres de la tierra Quiero yo mi suerte echar: El arroyo de la sierra Me complace más que el mar.

By Joseíto Fernández[]

Given the song's musical structure, which fits A–B–A–B (sometimes A–B–B–A) 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". Joseíto Fernández 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 Fernández^[3] are about a peasant woman or country girl from Guantánamo ("guajira Guantanamera"),^[4] with whom he once had a romantic relationship, and who eventually left him. Fernández 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 José Martí poem. Additional verses commonly sung are:

Y para el cruel que me arranca

el corazón con que vivo

cardo ni oruga cultivo

cultivo la rosa blanca.

Yo sé 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

Moriré de cara al sol^[5]

Music[]

The music for the song is sometimes also attributed to Joseíto Fernández,^[1][6] 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^[who?] claim that the song's structure actually came from Herminio "El Diablo" García Wilson, who could be credited as a co-composer. García's heirs took the matter to court decades later, but lost the case; the People's Supreme Court of Cuba credited Fernández as the sole composer of the music in 1993. Regardless of either claim, Fernández can safely be claimed as being the first to promote the song widely through his radio programs.^[7]

Recordings[]

Joseíto Fernández[]

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.^[8][9]

The version of the song created by Martí and Orbón was used by Seeger as the basis of his reworked version, which he based on a performance of the song by Héctor Angulo. Seeger combined Martí's verse with the tune^{[citation needed]}, 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."^[10]

The Sandpipers[]

"Guantanamera"
Single by The Sandpipers
B-side	"What Makes You Dream, Pretty Girl?"
Released	1966
Recorded	1966
Genre	Pop, easy listening, Latin, Folk
Length	3:10
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Héctor Angulo, José Martí, Pete Seeger
Producer(s)	Tommy LiPuma
The Sandpipers singles chronology
"Everything in the Garden" (1966) "Guantanamera" (1966) "Louie Louie" (1966)

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.^[11] It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100^[12] and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart.^[13]

Celia Cruz[]

"Guantanamera" is one of the songs most commonly identified with Cuban singer Celia Cruz (1925–2003). It appears on at least 241 different records or compilations of hers,^[14] her earliest commercial recording of it being on the Mexican label Tico Records^[15] in 1968. She mentions her special memories of singing "Guantanamera" nine times in her posthumous 2004 autobiography.^[16]

Charts[]

The Sandpipers

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Top Tracks	10
Ireland (IRMA)[17]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18]	3
New Zealand (Listener)[19]	7
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[20]	2
UK Singles (OCC)[21]	7
US Billboard Hot 100[22]	9
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[23]	3
West Germany (Official German Charts)[24]	22

Celia Cruz

Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard World Digital Songs Sales[25]	2

Other recordings[]

It has been recorded by many other solo artists, notably by Willy Chirino, Julio Iglesias, Joan Baez, Albita, Jimmy Buffett, Celia Cruz, Bobby Darin, Raul Malo, Joe Dassin, Muslim Magomayev, José Feliciano, Tony Mottola, Biser Kirov, Wyclef Jean, Puerto Plata, Trini Lopez, La Lupe, Nana Mouskouri, Tito Puente, 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.^[26] Other chants using the same tune include "You only sing when you're winning", and "You're getting sacked in the morning".^[27] 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.^[28] 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".^[29]
• In 1998 on Australian television, Holden advertised the Holden Rodeo using the song, substituting "One Tonne Rodeo" for "Guantanamera".
• 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.^[30]
• 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.^[31] The album version also featured Celia Cruz, Lauryn Hill, and Jeni Fujita.^[32] This version was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.^[33] The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart,^[34] number 29 on the Billboard Rhythmic Airplay chart,^[35] and number 38 on the Billboard Mainstream Hip-Hop/R&B airplay chart.^[36]
• It is sung in the movie For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.^{[citation needed]}
• 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.^[37]
• It is performed as a dance number in the animated movie Antz.
• Richard Stallman wrote and sang a version titled Guantanamero, an ironic commentary on the Guantanamo prison and the War on Terror.^[38]
• The song features a variety of lyrics conforming to the action in the third part of the 1968 Cuban film Lucía.^{[citation needed]}
• Confronted by rabid dogs, a villain tries to contain them by singing "Guantanamera" to them in the 1994 comedy film, A Low Down Dirty Shame.^{[citation needed]}
• In Money Heist season 3, "La casa de papel".
• In The Backyardigans episode, "Surf's Up", Austin the Kangaroo sings a song in the tune called "Mystery Lifeguard" on Tall Palm Beach.^{[citation needed]}
• 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. ^[39]

References[]

External links[]

• José Martí's poem Versos Sencillos, from which the verses of Guantanamera were taken.
• http://www.cubamusic.com/Store/Artist/66/joseito-fernandez