"Guantanamera" (pronounced[ɡwantanaˈmeɾa];Spanish for 'The woman fromGuantánamo')[1] is aCuban patriotic song, which uses a poem from the collectionSimple Verses, by the Cuban poetJosé Martí, for the lyrics. It is an expression of love for Cuba and of solidarity with the poor people of the world.[2]
The official writing credits have been given toJoseíto 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 groupthe Sandpipers, based on anarrangement bythe Weavers from their May 1963 Carnegie Hall Reunion concert, became an international hit. The song has notably been covered or interpreted byCelia Cruz,Compay Segundo andWyclef Jean.
The music for the song is sometimes also attributed to Joseíto Fernández,[1][3] 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 hisradio 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; thePeople'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.[4]
Shortly after the Weavers'Carnegie Hallreunion concert recording in May 1963,Pete Seeger included the song on his albumWe Shall Overcome, which was also performed live at Carnegie Hall. Seeger's recording is described by Stewart Mason atAllMusic as the "definitive version" of the song.[5][6]
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 thepeace movement at the time of theCuban 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 inSpanish to "hasten the day [that] the USA ... is some sort of bilingual country."[7]
The most commercially successful version of "Guantanamera" in the English-speaking world was recorded by theeasy listening vocal groupthe Sandpipers in 1966. Their recording was based on the Weavers' 1963 Carnegie Hall reunion concert rendition and was arranged byMort Garson and produced byTommy LiPuma. In addition to the group's vocals, the version includesRobie Lester on background vocals and narration by producer LiPuma.[9] It reached No. 9 on theBillboardHot 100[10] and No. 7 on theUK Singles Chart.[11]
"Guantanamera" is one of the songs most commonly identified with Cuban singerCelia Cruz (1925–2003). It appears on at least 241 different records or compilations of hers,[20] her earliest commercial recording of it being on the Mexican label Tico Records[21] in 1968. She mentions her special memories of singing "Guantanamera" nine times in her posthumous 2004 autobiography.[22]
Wyclef Jean's version of the song is not a cover of the original, but an incorporation with additional lyrics/music.[24] The album version of the song featured singing by Jeni Fujita alongsideCelia Cruz (who re-recorded her vocals for the song), with an additional rap verse byLauryn Hill.[25]
Square ofGuantanamera. Guantánamo, Cuba. March 2016.
The song is featured prominently in the 1968 Cuban filmLucía.
The tune of this song is a commonly used in Britishfootball chant, such as "There's only one [insert player/manager name]". For example, it was used forPaul Gascoigne ("There's only one Paul Gascoigne"), but modified forGary Stevens ("There's only two Gary Stevens") since there were two players of thesame name active at the same time.[39] Other chants using the same tune include "You only sing when you're winning", and "You're gettingsacked in the morning".[40] It is also used on the soundtrack ofPro Evolution Soccer 2014, a football video game developed and published byKonami.Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum's 2019television commercial campaign also features this chant.[41] Real Madrid also use this tune to sing "Reyes de Europa".
On the American sitcom series ofGimme a Break!'s third season episode "Samantha's Protest", Samantha (Lara Jill Miller) leads a protest with other protesters against the demolition of a local historic Spanish site with the first few phrases of the song, which even the site's new owner (Abraham Alvarez) – who happens to be Hispanic – joins in momentarily before stopping himself.[46]
On theSaturday Night Live episode of October 27, 1990,Patrick Swayze andDana 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 ofGuantanamera.[47]
Pakistani pop starAlamgir recorded an adaptation in the 1980s interspersed with unrelatedUrdu lyrics, titledAlbela Rahi, which has become an informal signature tune and title for the singer (now based in the United States).[48]
In a flashback scene on season 3 episode 3 ofMoney 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 theBank of Spain.[49]
In 2014 the multimedia music projectPlaying for Change recorded and produced a track joining together over 75 Cuban musicians around the world, from Havana and Santiago to Miami, Barcelona, and Tokyo.[50]
^abCheal, David (March 13, 2015)."The Life of a Song: 'Guantanamera'".Financial Times. Financial Times Ltd. RetrievedMay 22, 2016.His chorus sings the praises of a guajira (peasant woman) from Guantánamo (the Guantanamera of the title)
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