Al Alba

In 1975 General Franco´s government was already on its last days. The most wedded to the idea of state, as it had worked until today,  rushed to create new laws that would guarantee them continued as before, approving repressive laws and cutting any attempt of freedom arose among the population.

One of the moments of political tension took place in September of that year. The trials celebrated a significant number of members of terrorist groups ETA (military-political) and FRAP and sentence was imposed on the death penalty, were the trigger for public rose their fierce cry of protest.

It was during the days before the executions, to be held in Barcelona, Madrid and Burgos (military prisons where convicts were), where the singer Luis Eduardo Aute composed one of his best songs, becoming throughout a declaration of love and suffering.

To avoid Francoist censorship, Aute send several songs for them to be examined by government censors. Most of they had a clear message that would be detected by them, so I made an innocent love song that went unnoticed by the adjudicators.

In the song a whole hiding plea against the death penalty and a proclamation of freedom. The metaphors of the composition completely unnoticed for censorship. People sang ... capturing the implicit message in the song and making it the anthem of a generation.

Abstract: En 1975 el gobierno del General Franco daba ya sus últimos coletazos. Los más aferrados a la idea de estado, tal y como había funcionado hasta ahora, se apresuraban a crear nuevas leyes que les garantizasen la continuidad como hasta entonces. Fue durante los días anteriores a esas ejecuciones, que tendrían lugar en Barcelona, Madrid y Burgos, en los que el cantautor Luis Eduardo Aute compuso una de sus mejores canciones: AL alba. Tras la canción se escondía todo un alegato contra la pena de muerte y una proclama a la libertad. Las metáforas de la composición pasaron totalmente desapercibidas para la censura.

Para toda la vida

The custom of marriage in the fifties was quite different from today. Marriage was much more linked to religious beliefs than today. Faith moved couples said  "I do" and always, with few exceptions, were married by the Church. Such marriages were for ever and "until death do them part"; no possibility of separations and divorces, at that time divorces were not intended or permitted, were illegal until the 22 of June of 1981, when divorce law was approved.

I put this title to this post ("Para toda la vida") because I have a good example to tell: My grandparents were married in 1955 and ... .for all their lifes. My grandparents have spent almost 60 years married. Such was their convinced that it was forever, they celebrated, in their fifty years of marriage, their "Golden Jubilee", convinced about what they did in 1955 and confident that they wanted to return to renew their vows at the shrine, the same in which they married for the first time.

Those "Golden Jubilee" tried to be an authentic replica of the first: musicians accompanying them to church, ceremony, accompanying musicians to house where they ate typical sweets, food, sweets were tasted in the afternoon ...

In the following photos you can see the two invitations ,the original in 1955 and the "Golden Jubilee".

Abstract: El rito del matrimonio en los años cincuenta era completamente distinto al actual. Se vinculaba muchísimo más a las creencias religiosas que hoy en día. La Fe movía a las parejas a darse el “Sí quiero” y siempre, salvo  muy raras excepciones, eran matrimonios por la Iglesia. No se barajaba la posibilidad de separaciones y nada de divorcios, en aquel entonces no estaban ni pensados ni permitidos legalmente, hasta que el 22 de junio de 1981  fue aprobada la ley de divorcio.

Ayudas a desfavorecidos

In the 70s, children orphaned or disadvantaged families, were granted seats on seminars, targeted schools, usually for the Church.

My grandfather had a serious car accident that forced him to be in a hospital six months in bed without moving and then low for another two years.He was the only member of a family of 5, bringing home income.  The school where my uncle studied (my mother's brother) and my grandmother,  for that reason, requested for him a place in the “Colegio Arzobispal de la Inmaculada y San Dámaso Seminario de Santa María”,  although, for being close to Madrid town Rozas de Puerto Real, is identified as “Colegio-Seminario de Rozas”. There, he studied until he was 18 and realized he had no priestly vocation.

According to my uncle's account, the idiom “Las letras con sangren entran” was strictly fulfilled.They were very strict about teaching and discipline. The culture of children studying in seminaries was much higher than the rest of the children, but all based on punishment and much military discipline.

I attached photo of what is called “Libro de Calificación escolar” of that period in the seminary. By the way, my uncle has a lot of culture but very few good memories of that school.

Abstract:  En la época de los setenta, a los hijos de huérfanos o de familias desfavorecidas, se les concedían plazas en seminarios, colegios dirigidos, normalmente por la Iglesia. Mi abuelo tuvo un grave accidente de coche que le obligó a estar en un hospital 6 meses en una cama sin moverse y posteriormente de baja durante dos años más. Era el único miembro, de una familia de 5, que traía ingresos a casa. Mi tío ingresó en un seminario en el cual "la letra con sangre entra" se llevaba a rajatabla.

Mujer contra mujer

 Esta canción es del grupo Mecano, fue lanzada en 1988 en su disco “Descanso Dominical” iba a titularse "Yo te quiero", un hombre enamorado de una mujer, aunque toda la letra de la canción fue cambiada para titularse "La bola de pelo". Canción que habla sobre la relación amorosa de dos mujeres y más tarde se titularía "Mujer contra mujer". La canción habla sobre la realidad de la homosexualidad femenina, como las relaciones intimas y la discriminación provocadas por la homofobia. Si bien el grupo con esta canción, ha tratado de superar los prejuicios y promover el respeto y la tolerancia de la comunidad homosexual.

La importancia de esta canción no solo radica en la fuerza que tiene su letra, sino en la revolución que causo cuando pudo escucharse por primera vez. Y es que es una de las primeras (si no es la primera) canciones que tocaba de manera abierta la homosexualidad y tenía éxito. Prácticamente fue número uno en todos los países en los que fue lanzada y aun ahora tiene el récord de canción extranjera siendo más semanas número uno en Francia con el título bajo el título “Une femme avec une femme”. Tanto fue el impacto mediático que hasta el Vaticano amenazó con excomulgar a los tres integrantes del grupo.

      

Hablar de amor homosexual explícitamente en 1988 ya no era tan “feo” después de esta canción, aunque desde luego estaba muy lejos de “estar bien visto”. Hablar abiertamente de amor entre dos mujeres y elevarlo a puro poema musical, estaba fuera de todo pronóstico, más aún que éste fuera coreado en conciertos multitudinarios por todo el mundo, cantado en diferentes idiomas por miles de jóvenes gays y heteros, cegados por las bellísimas notas de los hermanos Cano, mecidas por la preciosa voz de Ana.

Abstract: The importance of this song lies not only in the strength of it letter, but in the revolution that caused when was heard for the first time. Talking openly about love between two women and raise pure musical poem, it was out of all forecasts, even more than it was chanted in large concerts around the world.