Analysis of “Los Hermanos” by Atahualpa Yupanqui

“Los Hermanos”

Written by Atahualpa Yupanqui,

Performed by Deigo El Cigala and Andrés Calamaro

“Los Hermanos” by Atahualpa Yupanqui was written and recorded in the year 1969.  Atahualpa was born on January 31, 1908 as Héctor Roberto Chavero in Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He lived until May 23, 1992.  Yupanqui’s mother was from the Basque Country in Spain while his father was of indigenous descent.  Before Atahualpa became a recording artist he was a very active member of the radical Communist Party of Argentina and even took part in an uprising against the de facto government of José Félix Uriburu.  Due to his close affiliation with the Communist Party, Atahualpa was exiled to Uruguay.  He later returned to Argentina in 1934 but was detained and incarcerated many times by President Juan Perón for his affiliation with the communist party.  Consequently, Atahualpa decided to leave for Europe in 1949 but would continue to be a member of the Communist Party until 1952.  While in Europe, Yupanqui began to focus on music and was eventually signed to the “Chant Du Monde” record label.

Although Atahualpa is the composer of “Los Hermanos”, the song was made famous by artists Deigo El Cigala and Andrés Calamaro.  Deigo was born in Madrid in December of 1968.  His birth name is Deigo Ramón Jiménez Salazar, although his nickname, El Cigala (which means “Norway lobster” in Spanish), was given to him because he is very thin.  Both Deigo’s mother and father were born in Spain.  Andrés Calamaro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on August 22, 1961 as Andrés Calamaro Masel.

“Los Hermanos” is a poetic folk music song that is often thought of to be a protest song.  Although it was written and recorded in the late 1960s, the influence for the song undoubtedly came from the political-social context of Argentina during the 1930s.  During this era, Atahualpa was very passionate about the Communist Party and the movement away from a military dictatorship and into democracy.  At this time, Britain and Europe were investing heavily in the cattle and wheat industry in Argentina.  Coincidentally, the proletariat, or middle-class, started to become prominent in Argentina.  The proletariat class was manipulated and abused by the military dictatorship at the time and longed for democracy.  The message portrayed in this song is one of protest, but also one of hope.  The song serves to tell the story of the middle class’s struggle against the oppressive government during the 1930s.  The lyrics refer to los hermanos, (or the brothers) as being all of the middle class, as if the middle class were one enormous family all fighting with the same goal in mind.  As the song goes on, we are told about the struggle and that even as the social situation started to look promising, it only became worse.  This is supported by the historic event known as the coup d’état in 1930 that sent Argentina back into a military dictatorship.  During the coup d’état, General José Félix Uriburu led his forces to overthrow the democratic government of Hipólito Yrigoyen.   After the coup Uriburu suspended political parties, elections and the 1853 Constituion, making Argentina a fascist regime.  This angered many of the middle-class citizens as they were treated very poorly.  Throughout the song the lyrics tell that all the brothers carry their dead inside them, so no one is left behind.  This is another way of making sure that no one will forget the struggles that the middle-class went through on their way to achieve democracy in Argentina.  Not only does this lyric serve to preserve the history of Argentina but it also pays respect to those who have died fighting for their basic civil rights.  At the very end of the song the brothers claim that they have a most beautiful fiancée call freedom.  This lyric is an appropriate end to the song because it leaves the listener with a feeling of optimism that the brothers are destined to become free from military rule eventually.  This song is very important to Latin American people, especially indigenous peoples living in Argentina.  The song serves to commemorate the middle-class that fought to win freedom for future generations to come.  It is important to the Latin American people that this fight is not forgotten and respect is paid to the brothers that fought so bravely for democracy.  Being of indigenous descent, Atahualpa adds a very emotional aspect to this song when he sings it.  Not only is he telling the story of the middle-class or the brothers, he is telling the story of his life, and what he stands for.  When people hear this song, they know that they are hearing the story told in first person, not some regurgitated story that lacks the passion and experience of being there in person and suffering the hardships endured during the 1930s.

In comparing the original version by Atahualpa to the duet by Deigo and Andrés, there are some very significant differences.  Both versions are heavily dominated by the rich sound of the classical guitar (an acoustic guitar with nylon strings).  However, there are some very important differences between the two versions.  The original seems to lack the detail and clarity in the guitar playing compared to Deigo and Andrés’ version.  I personally enjoyed listening to the latter much more because the guitar riff is much more pronounced and the chord progression seems to set the right emotions that go along with the lyrical content.  I found the original to be somewhat boring in comparison.  This is mainly because the guitar doesn’t accentuate the different moods in the song like that of Deigo and Andrés’ cover.

The song is composed of two main parts, or chord progressions, that alternate throughout the song.  The first and opening chord progression is that which accompanies the verse.  The guitar intro is very melodic, yet it brings a feeling of tension to the listener.  This emotion is reinforced by Deigo when he starts off the verse with a powerful cry that makes the listener feel like he/she can hear the cries of all the middle-class people that have been suffering under oppressive military rule for so long.  The second part of the song is when the chorus comes in.  This new chord progression relieves the listener from the previous feelings of tension and sorrow to a new uplifting feeling of optimism.  The lyrics of the chorus follow the chord progression closely when they talk about the proletariat people pushing to achieve their freedom.  However, the chorus is fairly short before the first chord progression comes back, adding to the tension built up in the first verse.  The tension felt in the transition from the chorus back to the verse is supported by the lyrics claiming that “For when it seems that it’s closer, It’s when it’s moving further away,” meaning that just as the optimism is built up, it comes crashing down back into the tension of the first chord progression.   The last chorus builds the feelings of optimism again as the singer claims that he has a most beautiful fiancée called freedom.  But then the main riff comes in to add that familiar feeling of tension.  This is because even though the brothers know they are destined to become free, there is a long, tense battle that lies ahead before it can happen.

Overall I quite enjoyed listening to this song.  Even though it is sung in Spanish, it is easy to feel the strong emotions associated with the different parts of the song.  The first sound that caught my attention was the guitar playing.  Being a guitar player myself, I was instantly drawn to the emotions of tension and sorrow that the opening guitar riff portrays.  This song is very simple, yet effective in expressing the feelings of tension and anger that the proletariats feel toward the military dictatorship that governed Argentina for far too long.