El pueblo unido jamás será vencido
Encyclopedia
"¡El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!" (el ˈpweβlo uˈniðo xaˈmas seˈɾa βenˈsiðo; English
: "The people united will never be defeated") is one of the most internationally renowned songs of the Nueva Cancion Chilena
(New Chilean Song) movement. The music of the song was composed by Sergio Ortega
and the text written by Quilapayún
. The song was composed and recorded in June 1973.
Salvador Allende
for the socialist transformation of Chile
. During Allende's campaign El pueblo unido jamás será vencido was a frequent slogan. The song was interpreted and recorded by a number of music groups shortly after it was composed and performed publicly by Sergio Ortega
and Quilapayún
. New Chilean Song music ensembles such as Vientos del Pueblo, Inti-illimani
among others, made successful recording of the song that filled the airways and the backgrounds of political rallies. After the U.S.-backed September 11, 1973 Chilean coup the song became the anthem of the Chilean resistance against the Pinochet regime, both within Chile and among the community of Chilean exile
s and their political allies abroad.
However, it was especially after Pinochet's September 1973 coup
that the group Inti-Illimani
(also from Chile
) made it famous around the world.
During the course of time the song has been used in various protests around the world, most of which have no direct connection to the Chilean coup or Latin America
. The lyrics have been adapted or translated into many languages.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "The people united will never be defeated") is one of the most internationally renowned songs of the Nueva Cancion Chilena
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
(New Chilean Song) movement. The music of the song was composed by Sergio Ortega
Sergio Ortega
Sergio Ortega was a Chilean composer and pianist.- Biography :Ortega was born in Antofagasta, Chile. He studied composition with Roberto Falabella and with Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt in the National Conservatory at the Universidad de Chile...
and the text written by Quilapayún
Quilapayún
Quilapayún are an instrumental and vocal folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential exponents of the Nueva Canción Chilena movement. Formed in Chile during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with the revolution that occurred in the popular music of the...
. The song was composed and recorded in June 1973.
History
The song was initially composed as an anthem for the popular unity government, reflecting the spirit behind the mass mobilization of working class people who in 1970 had electedChilean presidential election, 1970
A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. A narrow plurality was secured by Salvador Allende, the candidate of the Popular Unity coalition of leftist parties...
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
for the socialist transformation of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. During Allende's campaign El pueblo unido jamás será vencido was a frequent slogan. The song was interpreted and recorded by a number of music groups shortly after it was composed and performed publicly by Sergio Ortega
Sergio Ortega
Sergio Ortega was a Chilean composer and pianist.- Biography :Ortega was born in Antofagasta, Chile. He studied composition with Roberto Falabella and with Gustavo Becerra-Schmidt in the National Conservatory at the Universidad de Chile...
and Quilapayún
Quilapayún
Quilapayún are an instrumental and vocal folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential exponents of the Nueva Canción Chilena movement. Formed in Chile during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with the revolution that occurred in the popular music of the...
. New Chilean Song music ensembles such as Vientos del Pueblo, Inti-illimani
Inti-Illimani
Inti-Illimani is an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The group was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in Chile for their song Venceremos which became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador...
among others, made successful recording of the song that filled the airways and the backgrounds of political rallies. After the U.S.-backed September 11, 1973 Chilean coup the song became the anthem of the Chilean resistance against the Pinochet regime, both within Chile and among the community of Chilean exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
s and their political allies abroad.
However, it was especially after Pinochet's September 1973 coup
Chilean coup of 1973
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état was a watershed event of the Cold War and the history of Chile. Following an extended period of political unrest between the conservative-dominated Congress of Chile and the socialist-leaning President Salvador Allende, discontent culminated in the latter's downfall in...
that the group Inti-Illimani
Inti-Illimani
Inti-Illimani is an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The group was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in Chile for their song Venceremos which became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador...
(also from Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
) made it famous around the world.
During the course of time the song has been used in various protests around the world, most of which have no direct connection to the Chilean coup or Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. The lyrics have been adapted or translated into many languages.
Various versions
- In a more militant version, the phrase El pueblo unido jamás será vencido is changed in the last verse to El pueblo armado jamás será aplastado — "The people armed will never be crushed".
- In PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, especially from 1974 to 1977, pro-democracy, populist, centrist and left-wing groups (especially communists) sung a song called Portugal Ressuscitado (Resurrected Portugal), written by Ary dos SantosAry dos SantosJosé Carlos Ary dos Santos, GCIH or just Ary dos Santos was one of the most relevant names of the Portuguese popular poetry of the 20th century....
and sung by Fernando TordoFernando TordoFernando Tordo, born March 29, 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal, is a singer and composer. In 1969, he made his singing debut on Portuguese television, while competing to represent his country in the Eurovision Song Contest . He would try again for the next 3 years until he finally won in 1973, with his...
and an accompanying chorus. The song was recorded immediately after the Carnation RevolutionCarnation RevolutionThe Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
with the famous encore Agora o Povo Unido nunca mais será vencido (Now the The People United will never more be defeated). The song, though, had only very small similarities with the tune of the Chilean song during most of its structure except (ironically) during the similar encore, and no lyrical similarity besides the spirit of popular struggle and the similar catchphrase/slogan. The song and the slogan are still quite popular and part of Portuguese collective memory. - In IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, the melody was used for a revolutionary song with PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
lyrics, entitled "Barpakhiz" (in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
"Arise"), with encore بر پا خیز، از جا کن، بنای کاخ دشمن! (Pronounced as Barpakhiz, az ja kan, banaye kakh-e doshman, Meaning: Arise, Demolish the Foundations of the Enemy's Palace!) by the Iranian leftist revolutionaries during the Revolution against the monarchy in 1979. The song has experienced a revival in popularity with the Iranian Green revolution as a rally and protest song. - In the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the song was loosely translated by the progressive band Patatag for their song "Awit ng Tagumpay" (which translates to "Song of Victory") with its Tagalog encore "Tibayin ang hanay, Gapiin ang Kaaway!" (Strengthen the ranks, destroy the oppressors). It is sung during demonstrations. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan also used its loosely Tagalog translation of the title as its motto: "Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!" - In 1975 Frederic RzewskiFrederic RzewskiFrederic Anthony Rzewski is an American composer and virtuoso pianist.- Biography :Rzewski began playing piano at age 5. He attended Phillips Academy, Harvard and Princeton, where his teachers included Randall Thompson, Roger Sessions, Walter Piston and Milton Babbitt...
composed 36 piano variationsThe People United Will Never Be Defeated!The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is a piano composition by American composer Frederic Rzewski.-History:The People United is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song "¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and Quilapayún, and received its world premiere on February 7,...
on this song. - In 1979, "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!The People United Will Never Be Defeated!The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is a piano composition by American composer Frederic Rzewski.-History:The People United is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song "¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" by Sergio Ortega and Quilapayún, and received its world premiere on February 7,...
" was chanted at the White Night riotsWhite Night RiotsThe White Night riots were a series of violent events sparked by an announcement of the lenient sentencing of Dan White, for the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. The events took place on the night of May 21, 1979 in San Francisco...
after the sentencing of former San Francisco supervisor Dan WhiteDan WhiteDaniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
in the murders of George MosconeGeorge MosconeGeorge Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
and Harvey MilkHarvey MilkHarvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
. White only served 5 years of a 7 year sentence. - In 1982, the American bassist Charlie HadenCharlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
recorded a version with Carla BleyCarla BleyCarla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
and the Liberation Music OrchestraLiberation Music OrchestraLiberation Music Orchestra is a jazz album by Charlie Haden, released in 1969 . It was Haden's first album as leader.The inspiration for the album came when Haden heard songs from the Spanish Civil War...
on the album Ballad of the Fallen which was voted top jazz album of the year in Downbeat's 1984 critics' poll. - In 1995 the HungarianHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
SkaSkaSka |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
group Szabad Idők (Free Times) released the song "El Pueblo Unido" on their album Vivan Los Zapatistas!. El Pueblo Unido included lyrics inspired by the Chilean song. - In 2002 Russian singer Garik Sukachev used the phrase in his song "Svobodu Anjele Davis" ("freedom for Angela DavisAngela DavisAngela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
"). - In 2002 the group Ska-pSka-PSka-P is a ska punk band formed in , Spain, in 1994.The band can be categorized, politically, as an anti-establishment musical group. It is one of the most popular ska bands in Spain, Europe, and Latin America....
released the song "Estampida" on their album ¡¡Que Corra La Voz!!. Estampida included lyrics inspired by the Chilean song. - In 2004 UkrainianUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
rap band GreenJollyGreenJollyGreenJolly is a Ukrainian rap band most widely known for their song, Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004.-History:...
paraphrased this song to create "Razom nas bahatoRazom Nas Bahato, Nas Ne Podolaty"Razom Nas Bahato, Nas Ne Podolaty" is a hip-hop song by GreenJolly, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004. The literal translation of the song title is "Together we are many! We cannot be defeated!"...
" ("Together We Are Many") during the first days of Orange RevolutionOrange RevolutionThe Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
. This song was the Ukraine's entry at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. - In 2007, during the Greek general elections, the song was used during the main campaign of the left party SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical LeftCoalition of the Radical LeftThe Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece...
) and it figured on the party's televised message. - In 2008, Thievery CorporationThievery CorporationThievery Corporation is a Washington, D.C. based recording artist and DJ duo consisting of Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and their supporting artists, including current drummer Jeff Franca...
released "El pueblo unido" on the album Radio RetaliationRadio RetaliationRadio Retaliation is the fifth studio album of electronica band Thievery Corporation. Planned to be a very political album, it was recorded in the band's hometown of Washington, D.C. A pre-release of the album was available on iTunes on September 9, featuring an exclusive track entitled...
, which is based on this quote. - In the protests in Tunis in 2010 and 2011 that lead to the ousting of president Ben AliZine El Abidine Ben AliZine El Abidine Ben Ali is a Tunisian political figure who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was...
, protesters chanted on the same rhythm the phrase "الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام" which translates to "The people want the regime down". The same phrase was chanted for the first time in Tahrir square in Egypt on 25 January 2011 in what turned into massive protests2011 Egyptian revolutionThe 2011 Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 and is still continuing as of November 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil...
that lead to the ousting of president Hosni MubarakHosni MubarakMuhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
. - In 2011, Amazonian indigenous groups in BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
protested Amazonian indigenous groups in, chanting "El Pueblo Unido jamas sera vencido!" - In the same week as the Bolivian protests, Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
used the English version of this chant.