"Fusil contra fusil" (
Spanish for "Rifle Against Rifle") is a song written and recorded by
Silvio Rodríguez in 1968 as a tribute to
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who had died in 1967. It was first released by
Casa de las Américas on the 1971 album ''Hasta la victoria siempre, Che querido''. The lyrics of the song praise revolutionary heroism, as was commonplace in the incipient
nueva trova
Nueva Trova (, "new trova") is a movement in Cuban music that emerged around 1967/68 after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and the consequent political and social changes.
Nueva Trova has its roots in the traditional trova, but differs from it beca ...
movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
"Fusil contra fusil" was written before Rodríguez received formal musical training at
ICAIC.
The song was included in the third compilation album by the Grupo de Experimentación Sonora del ICAIC, an ensemble featuring the leading figures of the nueva trova movement. Lyrically, the words "fusil contra fusil" refer to Guevara's "name and his last name".
The melody is composed in
Dorian mode and uses the VII-I progressions and
common tone third progressions that were usual in the
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
genre of that period.
The song also uses a
modal mixture for a
Picardy third ending.
The song has been popular in Cuba and was covered by several artists, such as Raquel Hernández and
Blaak Heat
Blaak Heat (formerly known as Blaak Heat Shujaa) is a French-American outfit whose recordings blend psychedelic rock with a number of outside sources, such as traditional Middle Eastern music, progressive rock, surf rock, spaghetti western, and m ...
. The song was included in the first part of the 2008 film ''
Che''. "Fusil contra fusil" is considered one of the most popular songs by Silvio Rodríguez.
See also
*
Che Guevara in popular culture
Appearances of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara (1928–1967) in popular culture are common throughout the world. Although during his lifetime he was a highly politicized and controversial figure, in death his stylized image has been t ...
References
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1968 songs
Cuban songs
Cultural depictions of Che Guevara
Nueva trova