El gran varón explained

"", (English: The Great Man) also known as, or is a salsa song written in 1986 by Omar Alfanno and sung by Willie Colón. The song narrates the story of, a queer person who is rejected by his father for his lifestyle and dies presumably of AIDS, alone in a hospital in New York.

Release and success

The song was written in 1986[1] by the Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno[2] [3] and was sung by Willie Colón[4] [5] [6] [7] with his group Legal Alien. It was included in the album Top Secrets in 1989,[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] the last album produced by Fania.[13] The record went gold and platinum and received a Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Latin Performance.[14] "" peaked at number 13 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States.[15] The song was at the top of musical lists in ten countries and ranks # 23 Billboards list of 50 best Latin songs of all time.[16] [17] [18]

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." leaves his country to study abroad. father pays him a visit one day and meets someone unfamiliar in women's clothing - father is shocked when reveals himself. father flatly rejects him while the chorus argues with itself - nature cannot be changed-- a Masculist sentiment held by Simon's dad, Andres. The lyrical contrast immediately follows in the chorus-- a "bent" tree can never "be straightened". Simón is, indeed, comfortable in his identity. Years later, his father is enraged that has not called, until finally he learns that his son died alone in a hospital, presumably of AIDS.[19] According to Alfanno, "" is a song about a friend of his.

"" was the first Spanish-language song to broach the subject of AIDS (HIV is never mentioned); however, it did not mention the disease by name, saying died "of a strange disease." The song is a symbol for LGBT rights,[20] as it talks about homophobia.[21] [22] [23]

Versions

There are two versions made by Willie Colón; the original is 6:54 minutes long. In this version is born in 1956 and dies in 1986 ("Willie Colón, Super éxitos"). In the second version, the song is 6:03 minutes long, is born in 1963 and dies in 1993 ("Willie Colón, Sólo éxitos" or "Willie Colón y Rubén Blades, Frente a frente").

The song has been covered by other groups and artists. Sonora Kaliente covered it, selling six million copies.[24] In 2007, Danny Frank, a Colombian singer, did a version of the song.[25] [26] A reggae version was done by Eclipse Reggae.[27] A rap version was made by Jako.[28] Cumbia versions were made by Damas Gratis and La Sonora Tropicana.[29]

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.[30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: "Escribí el gran varón mientras mi amigo moría de sida": Omar Alfanno. Díaz Cárdenas. Jonathan. December 1, 2018. aldia. es.
  2. News: Omar Alfanno, su historia detrás de las canciones. Peña. Carolina. February 27, 2017. El Tiempo. es.
  3. News: Omar Alfanno: No haría una canción donde la letra se pusiera porno. Lasso. Miriam. October 7, 2018. Panamá América. es.
  4. News: Guayaquil vibró a ritmo de salsa. August 6, 2017. EXTRA. es. April 27, 2019. December 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181201005112/https://www.extra.ec/buena-vida/salvaviva-concierto-musica-williecolon-guayaquil-BB1605074. dead.
  5. News: Llueven las críticas de los asistentes al Superconcierto de la Feria de Cali. Manzano. Giancarlo. December 28, 2017. elpais. es.
  6. News: Omar Alfanno en Conversando La Salsa. Téllez. Robert. October 6, 2016. Radio Nacional de Colombia. es. April 27, 2019. December 1, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181201135159/https://www.radionacional.co/noticia/cultura/omar-alfanno-conversando-salsa. dead.
  7. Book: Aparicio, Frances R.. Listening to Salsa: Gender, Latin Popular Music, and Puerto Rican Cultures. 1998. Wesleyan University Press. 9780819563088.
  8. News: SIN CLÓSET: Todos somos Simón el Gran Varón. Rex. Fernando. July 29, 2015. El Gráfico. es.
  9. News: Why Willie Colón's "El Gran Varón" is Still Relevant Today. Trivino. Jesus. June 17, 2016. Latina.
  10. News: "Pésimas" las opciones para presidente de EEUU, afirma músico Willie Colón. October 18, 2016. el nuevo herald. es.
  11. Book: Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans: A Biographical Dictionary. Mendez-Mendez. Serafín. Rodríguez Deynes. Neysa. Cueto. Gail. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2003. 9780313314438. 125.
  12. Book: The Cambridge Companion to Singing. registration. 22. el gran varon willie colon.. Potter. John. Cross. Jonathan. April 13, 2000. Cambridge University Press. 9780521627092.
  13. News: Hispanic Heritage Month: The 50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time. September 15, 2017. Billboard.
  14. Web site: Grammys reach out to young listeners. February 21, 1990. April 24, 2010. Lodi News-Sentinel.
  15. Willie Colón Chart History: Hot Latin Songs . Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . June 9, 2019.
  16. News: Las 50 mejores canciones latinas, según 'Billboard'. November 14, 2015. Excélsior. es.
  17. News: Dos canciones de Armando Manzanero entre las mejores de la historia de la música latina. November 19, 2015. Ociolatino.com. es.
  18. News: Según Billboard, estas son las 50 mejores canciones en español. November 14, 2015. Cooperativa.cl. es.
  19. News: "Escribí 'El gran varón', mientras mi amigo moría de sida": esta es la historia real que inspiró la canción de Willie Colón. December 22, 2022 . El Universo.
  20. News: 30 años después de haberse grabado "El Gran Varon", sigue siendo un éxito. June 27, 2017. Fiesta FM. es.
  21. News: La homofobia en la música. Durán. I. M.. February 19, 2015. El tiempo. es.
  22. News: La pareja feliz es un programa horrible. Maldonado Muñoz. Mauricio. October 8, 2014. La RepúblicaEC. es.
  23. Web site: 7 canciones homofóbicas. Avendaño. Diego. December 15, 2014. sinetiquetas. es.
  24. News: La Sonora Kaliente de fiesta. Mercado Ramírez. Nesy. October 23, 2018. El Occidental. es.
  25. News:
    1. LoveIsLove 10 canciones que se rumora hablan de homosexualidad
    . Gutiérrez. Estephanie. December 9, 2017. De10.mx. es.
  26. News: El hijo de Siloé que alcanzó un Grammy. Saavedra. Ana Julieth. April 4, 2017. El Tiempo. es.
  27. News: Veinte años de "fresh reggae". Gorroño. Raúl. July 26, 2016. es.
  28. Web site: Jako - El gran varon. August 21, 2006.
  29. News: Bailan al ritmo de la cumbia en el Teatro del Pueblo. December 1, 2018. Noroeste. es.
  30. News: El gran varon. November 30, 2018. La Vanguardia. es.

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