Contrariedad
Libre LD-003 · San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Artist
- Noel Hernández
- Title
- Contrariedad
- Release
- De rebeldes a revolucionarios
- Label
- Libre # LD-003
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- Spanish
- Country
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Songwriter
- Noel Hernández
- Genre
- Hispanic Music · Nueva canción latinoamericana
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation — Puerto Rican Songs
Noel Hernández, born on 3 June 1945 in Patillas, Puerto Rico, released the song "Contrariedad" (Disco Libre # LD-003), which is about social-economic inequality in Puerto Rican society. He is noted to be influential and one of the earliest Nueva canción artists in Puerto Rico: this was a musical movement in Latin America in the 60s and 70s, inspired by the North American contemporary folk movement, with lyrics looking at social, political, and cultural events.123 The song tells the story of a woman whose son "they killed in Vietnam". Released on the same label as Roy Brown's Yo protesto (above), owned by the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. Sources1Wikipedia: Noel Hernández↩2prpop.org: Noel hernandez↩3media.smithsonianfolkways.org: Liner notes (archived copy)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: A house well equipped from today's profits, / The servant is tired, the family is not at home. / The poor in the slums with their melancholy, / Working all day, never can rest. / A mother is crying, they'll send her a check / But her son won't come back. / They killed him in Vietnam. / Contradictions, what contradictions! / What disillusion in this rotten society. / Contradictions, what contradictions. / The people are going to fight for justice! __________ Spanish: Una casa equipada con los lucros de hoy en día / La sirvienta está cansada, la familia no está. / El pobre en la barriada con su melancolía / Trabajando todo el día, nunca puede descansar. / Y una madre que lloraba, la pensión la enviarían, / Su hijo no regresaría, / Se lo mataron en Vietnam. / Contrariedad, qué contrariedad, / Qué desilusión en esta podrida sociedad. / Contrariedad, qué contrariedad, / Por una justa el pueblo va a luchar.
Notes
Disco Libre LD-003, "De Rebeldes a Revolucionarios", Noel Hernández, black label; Lado A ("Nacional") track 4: "Contrariedad" (letra y música de Noel). Producción Frank Ferrer Ltd.; musical arrangements by the Colectivo. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
born on 3 June 1945 in Patillas, Puerto Rico
Themes
In collections
Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Puerto Rican Songs