The Resistance Will Be Heard: Charly García’s Way of Singing an Opinion.
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Daley, Clare
Date of Issue
2023-04-28
Type
Presentation
Language
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Abstract
The study of music can also be the study of history or revolution. A look at the representation of women in the work of Argentinian musician Charly García illuminates the attitude of Argentina’s citizens under a misogynist dictatorship from 1976-1983. According to Jacques Rancière, it is important that political messages have an art form, and, in this way, Charly García’s music is rich in archetypes that communicate his political stance. Thanks to this exercise in a rhetorical art form, the Argentinian musician’s fame gave a voice to the people who lived under oppressive dictators. With this in mind, what are the lessons woven into Charly García’s lyrics and how can they continue to influence people after so many decades? The theme of this essay is my interpretation that the women in Charly García’s songs are a representation of Argentina and the suffering the country has experienced. I will illustrate how his songs, in a time of oppression for many, were acts of resistance against an unjust and dangerous totalitarian government. In addition to this, I will demonstrate how Charly García, in order to protect himself from the persecution of the dictators, used imagery from well-known stories and fairytales to talk about issues of life and death. In conclusion, I will show how, through Charly García’s songs, we learn to have creativity and use our voice to express the messages of liberty that we carry in our hearts.