"¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!" (;

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "The people united will never be defeated") is one of the most internationally renowned songs of the ''

Nueva canción chilena Nueva is the Spanish feminine form of the word for "new" and may refer to: * Isla Nueva, an uninhabited island in Chile * The Nueva School The Nueva School is a private school, with two campuses—the lower and middle school in Hillsborough, ...

'' (New Chilean Song) movement. The music of the song was composed by Sergio Ortega and the text written by

Quilapayún Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with the revolution th ...

. The song was composed and recorded in June 1970.

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 elected

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...

for the

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

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

. ''New Chilean Song'' music ensembles such as Vientos del Pueblo,

Inti-illimani Inti-Illimani (; from Quechuan ''Inti'' and Aymara '' Illimani)'' are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The band was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in ...

among others, made successful recordings 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 Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

regime, both within Chile and among the community of Chilean

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

s and their political allies abroad. However, it was especially after Pinochet's September 1973 coup that the Chilean group

Inti-Illimani Inti-Illimani (; from Quechuan ''Inti'' and Aymara '' Illimani)'' are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The band was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in ...

made it famous around the world, after they published the song in the album ''La Nueva Canción Chilena''. During the course of time the song has been used in various protests around the world against either left or right-wing dictatorships, most of which have no direct connection to the Chilean coup or

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. The lyrics have been adapted or translated into many languages.

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

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, especially from 1974 to 1977, pro-democracy, populist, centrist and left-wing groups (especially communists) sang a song called ''Portugal Ressuscitado'' (Resurrected Portugal), written by

Ary dos Santos José Carlos Ary dos Santos, GCIH or just Ary dos Santos ( Lisboa, December 7, 1936 – Lisboa, January 18, 1984) was one of the most relevant names of the Portuguese popular poetry of the 20th century. Born of a bourgeois family, Ary dos Sa ...

and sung by

Fernando Tordo Fernando Travassos Tordo (born March 29, 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal) is Portuguese singer and songwriter. Since 2003 he has been a Commander of the Order of Merit, an honor bestowed on him by the Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. Considered one ...

and an accompanying chorus. The song was recorded immediately after the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...

with the famous encore ''Agora o Povo Unido nunca mais será vencido'' (Now 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 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

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, the melody was used for a revolutionary song with

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

lyrics, entitled "''Barpakhiz''" (in

"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

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, 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 The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan () or Bayan is an alliance of left-wing Philippine organizations. It was founded on International Workers' Day, May 1, 1985 as part of the opposition during the Marcos dictatorship. Politics Ideology The prin ...

also used its loosely Tagalog translation of the title as its motto: "''Ang tao, ang bayan, ngayon ay lumalaban!''" *In 1975

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. His major compositions, which often incorporate social an ...

composed 36 piano variations on this song. *In 1977, the German folk singer

Hannes Wader Hannes Wader (born Hans Eckard Wader on 23 June 1942) is a German singer-songwriter (" Liedermacher"). He has been an important figure in German leftist circles since the 1970s, with his songs covering such themes as socialist and communist resis ...

released the song "El pueblo unido" on the live album "Hannes Wader singt Arbeiterlieder" recorded at a folk festival organized by the DKP newspaper

Unsere Zeit ' (') is a weekly newspaper published by the German Communist Party. The paper's full name is ' (). History and profile ''Unsere Zeit'' was established in Düsseldorf in 1969. It is the organ of the German Communist Party. Its circulation was 6 ...

. *In 1978 the Italian singer and composer Gianfranco Molle released the album "Horo da opozicio" with an Esperanto version of the song translated by

Renato Corsetti Renato Corsetti (born 29 March 1941) is an Italian Esperantist who served as President of the Universal Esperanto Association between 2001 and 2007. Born in Rome, Corsetti supports the idea that the people of the world should be able to communic ...

. *In 1979, "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" was chanted at the

White Night riots The White Night riots were a series of violent events sparked by an announcement of a lenient sentencing of Dan White for the assassinations of George Moscone, the mayor of San Francisco, and of Harvey Milk, a member of the city's Board of Supe ...

after the sentencing of former

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

supervisor

Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall. White was convicted of manslaugh ...

in the murders of

George Moscone George Richard Moscone (; November 24, 1929 – November 27, 1978) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. He was known ...

and

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

. White only served 5 years of a 7-year sentence. * In 1982, the American bassist

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

recorded a version with Carla Bley and the

Liberation Music Orchestra Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

on the album ''Ballad of the Fallen'' which was voted top jazz album of the year in Downbeat's 1984 critics' poll. * In 1983, during the "Resistance March" (Marcha de la resistencia) in Argentina, the song was revived with the lyrics "Ahora! Ahora! Resulta indispensable! Aparición con vida y castigo a los culpables" ("Now! Now! It's essential that they return the disappeared, and that the guilty be punished"). The song was still being sung in the 2000s in Argentina with the disappearance of Julio Lopez. *In 1990, Turkish rock band Bulutsuzluk Ozlemi released the song "Şili'ye Özgürlük" (which translates to "Freedom to Chile") on their second album "Uçtu Uçtu". The song is included lyrics "El pueblo unido jamás será vencido". *In the second half of 1990s, Turkish protest band

Grup Yorum Grup Yorum is a band from Turkey known for their political songwriting. Grup Yorum (''Yorum'' means interpretation or comment in Turkish) has released twenty-three albums and one film since 1985. Some of the group's concerts and albums were bann ...

occasionally interpreted the tune with a different set of anti-fascist lyrics. *In 1995 the Hungarian

Ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

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 1998 the British electronic music trio

Dario G Dario G is the stage name of English musician Paul Spencer. Dario G was originally a trio, who are best known for their 1997 hit " Sunchyme", which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The group formed in Cheshire, England and consisted of ...

used the phrase in the song "Revolution". *In 2002 Russian singer

Garik Sukachov Igor Ivanovich (''Garik'') Sukachov (russian: И́горь Ива́нович (Га́рик) Сукачё́в; 1 December 1959) is a Russian people, Russian musician, singer-songwriter, poet, actor, film director and TV presenter. Career Igor I ...

used the phrase in his song "Svobodu Andzhele Devis" ("freedom for

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...

"). *In 2002 the Spanish group

Ska-p Ska-P () is a Spanish ska punk band formed in 1994 in Vallecas, a district of Madrid, by a group of friends from Madrid, Navarre and Euskadi. Review by Chris Trueat Allmusic The band can be categorized, politically, as an anti-establishment mu ...

released the song "Estampida" on their album ¡¡Que Corra La Voz!!. Estampida included lyrics inspired by the Chilean song. *in 2003 the group Anti-Flag used the English translation "The people united will never be defeated" as chorus in the song "One People, One Struggle" from the album "

The Terror State ''The Terror State'' is the fifth studio album by Pittsburgh punk rock band Anti-Flag, released on October 21, 2003, on Fat Wreck Chords. The album's artwork was regarded as somewhat controversial (picturing lead vocalist Justin Sane's niece, ...

". *In 2004 Ukrainian rap band

GreenJolly GreenJolly ( uk, Ґринджоли, ''Gryndzholy'') was a Ukrainian hip hop duo best known for their song " Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty", which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004.

paraphrased this song to create "

Razom nas bahato "Razom nas bahato" ( uk, Разом нас багато, ; "Together we are many") is a hip hop song by GreenJolly, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004.Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...

. This song was the Ukraine's entry at the

2005 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

. * In 2007, during the Greek general elections, the song was used during the main campaign of the left party SYRIZA (

Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance ( el, Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς – Προοδευτική Συμμαχία, Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás – Proodeftikí Simachía), ...

) and it figured on the party's televised message. *In 2008,

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including bo ...

released "El pueblo unido" on the album

Radio Retaliation ''Radio Retaliation'' is the fifth studio album by American electronic music duo Thievery Corporation, released on September 23, 2008 by ESL Music. Intended to be a political album, it was recorded in the band's hometown of Washington, D.C. fro ...

, which is based on this quote. * In the protests in Tunis in 2010 and 2011 that led to the ousting of president Ben Ali, protesters chanted on the same rhythm the phrase "الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام" ( Ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam) which translates to "The people want the regime down". The same phrase was chanted for the first time in

Tahrir square Tahrir Square ( ar, ميدان التحرير ', , English language, English: Liberation Square), also known as "Martyr Square", is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political dem ...

in Egypt on 25 January 2011 in what turned into massive protests that lead to the ousting of president

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...

. Eventually, the protest slogan became the unofficial slogan of protesters throughout the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

. *The 2012

Flobots Flobots is an experimental rap rock band from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2005 by Jamie Laurie. The band's origins date back 5 years earlier to a similar project by Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut ''Fight ...

album ''

The Circle in the Square ''The Circle in the Square'' is the third full-length studio album by alternative hip-hop band Flobots." The album was released on August 28, 2012 and peaked at No. 198 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The Circle in the Square was released ...

''s titular track uses this line in its lyrics. *The 2013 song "

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

" by

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

featuring

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

and

Jay Electronica Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...

samples the recording by Sergio Ortega and

* In 2014, during the

Sunflower Student Movement The Sunflower Student Movement is associated with a protest movement driven by a coalition of students and civic groups that came to a head between March 18 and April 10, 2014, in the Legislative Yuan and, later, also the Executive Yuan of T ...

in Taiwan, this song was translated to Chinese as "" by Huáng Sī-nóng and Jiăng Tāo. *The 2015 song El Pueblo Unido by Austrian

ska-punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hard ...

band Russkaja uses the line from original song in the chorus.* *In 2016, in the student protests that rocked

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

, New Delhi against the sedition cases filed by the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP government, the PhD scholar and JNUSU President

Kanhaiya Kumar Kanhaiya Kumar is an Indian political activist who served as the president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union and leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF). He served as National Executive Council member of Communi ...

, raised this slogan in the protests. *In the 30 June 2018

Families Belong Together Families Belong Together refers both to an advocacy campaign devoted to reuniting immigrant families that were separated at the US-Mexico border by a Trump administration policy introduced in spring 2018, and also specifically to a series of pr ...

Marches, the title of the song was frequently chanted during demonstrations. *On 28 September 2019, during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, protesters sang a Cantonese version in Central, Hong Kong. *During the 2019–20 Latin American protests which began from the home of the slogan, it became a resistance motto for protesters in both Chile, Honduras, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Peru, Haiti, El Salvador, Brazil and Venezuela calling to end the corruption of governments and caudillism. *In 2022 the artist Mariah Parker used the phrase in the song "Wurk". *In 2022, Turkish-Kurdish music band Geniş Merdiven ("Wide Staircase") taking its name from Mikis Theodorakis's song "O Antonis" made an adaptation translation into Turkish and began to sing in concerts with an interlude in Spanish.

References

External links

Lyrics and translation of lyrics

Basque version
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido Nueva canción Spanish-language songs Protest songs 1973 songs Political catchphrases Political songs Communist songs

History

Versions

See also

References

External links