Welcome to part 2 of my series on revolutionary songs.

Stay tuned to the end for a controversial take on a Latin music superstar’s political stance on dictator Augusto Pinochet.

I often talk about Chilean revolutionary song here on the podcast. Its close to my heart, not because of any personal connection to that beautiful country whatsoever, but because their history, music and culture is deep in my heart and I have deep admiration for the struggles, successes and achievements. I often talk about nueva cancion and its suppression under Pinochet as well, but what happened in Chile was not unique. The US history of interventionism is long and continues to grow longer even in this present moment. The history of fascism attempting to destroy art and culture is also long. These dictatorships understand that music and art holds an immense power of communication. Many of these dictatorships began actually suppressing their own cultures and traditional music and art. In Chile, we have perhaps the most severe case of artistic suppression, the murder of Víctor Jara as well as his records and many others being banned, Pablo Neruda’s books were burned and it was illegal to sing revolutionary songs. In Spain Franco officially banned Catalan and other languages from school and public spaces.

Revolutionary artists suffered exile simply for singing about the reality of their people, yet they became part of the strong international community that not only brought attention to the atrocities being committed, but also played a role in ending those dictatorships with their tireless work and denouncements of their atrocities.

Today we will be celebrating what many would call “protest music”, however I, like Víctor Jara, prefer the term “revolutionary song”, from around the world. All of these artists faced various consequences for their activism and We need this inspiration right now, we actually need more revolutionary song after all, no hay revolucion sin canciones, so at this time let us take inspiration from these courageous and talented artists.

SONGS:

Violeta Parra — Rin de Angelito

Ángel Parra — Me Gustan los Estudiantes

Inti Illimani — Canción del Poder Popular (live in East Germany 1974)

Patricio Manns — Elegia para una muchacha roja (live)

Osvaldo Rodriguez Musso — cancion de muerte y esperanza por Víctor Jara

Horacio Guarani — Recital a La Libertad

Facundo Cabral — Pobrecito Mi Patron

Piero — para el pueblo lo que es del pueblo

Alfredo Zitarrosa — Desde Exilio

Los Olimareños — Adios Mi Barrio

Chico Buarque — Calice

Luis Llach — L’estaca

Pete Seeger — Turn, Turn (live)

Roy Brown (with Pablo Milanés) — El Negrito Bonito

Vicente Feliú — Una Canción Necesaria

Grupo Manguaré — Guantanamera

Celina y Reutilio — Que Viva Fidel

Gabino Palomares — Espejos De Mi Alma

Venceremos — Quilapayún