Run, Run, Run

by Ben Stoneking, Undergraduate student in Political Science

“El Aparecido” (“The Apparition” or “The Manifestation”) is a Chilean song originally written and recorded by Víctor Jara which was included in the 1967 album Victor Jara. The lyrics tell the story of a man persecuted for his political ideologies. Written about Ernesto Che Guevara months before he died in Bolivia

Musical Characteristics

“El Aparecido” begins with a drum intro followed by wind instruments. Immediately, one can notice the use of a triple-meter, the pitches are organized into a 1-2-3 1-2-3 pattern. Victor Jara’s voice becomes strained in many parts, signifying the struggle he is singing about. Even to a non-Spanish speaker, you can tell from his voice that something is wrong.  The vocal verses are accompanied by instruments with many instrumental phrases separating the verses and chorus. Especially towards the end of the song, his voice and the instruments are all building to a grand release. “El Aparecido” is in the key of E minor and switches between the relative major scale.

Lyrics

The song describes a ghost, or apparition, embodying the spirit of those who have been oppressed and silenced. The spirit tells the listener to “Run or they will kill you” referring to how the regimes targeted political opponents and those critical of the regime in power. It serves as a testament to the resilience and strength of the Chilean people, who refused to be silenced even in the face of adversity. Jara’s emotional tone adds an extra layer of passion, making “El Aparecido” a symbol of hope and resistance. El Aparecido became an anthem for the people fighting against injustice and the suppression of human rights.

Context of Creation

Nueva Canción

Nueva Canción, (“new song”) is a genre of Latin American popular music, best known for political movements in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Cuba during the 1960s and ’70s. The music’s instrumentation, rhythmic structure, melodic structure, and textual form and content have been inspired largely by the region’s rural traditions.

Largely inspired by popular political uprisings throughout the continent in previous decades, musicians began to recognize their potential role in political movements. Throughout the years of the 1960s and 1970s, Nueva Canción’s relationship with the state was transformed. In Chile, Nueva Canción music began in resistance to old regimes and support for new revolutionary forces. However, in 1973, changes in each nation led to transitions in the political use of music by the people, the government, and the musicians themselves. In Chile, Nueva Canción became a symbol of resistance following Augusto Pinochet’s coup.

El Aparecido

El Aparecido portrays the spirit of resistance in a time of political turmoil. Victor Jara wrote this song as a response to the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, who took power through a military coup in 1973. Victor Jara’s personal experiences as a politically active artist and a victim of persecution under the Pinochet regime influenced the lyrics of El Aparecido. He was a prominent voice for social justice and used his music as a powerful tool to express dissent. The Pinochet regime saw El Aparecido as a direct challenge to their authority and attempted to suppress the song. Victor Jara was arrested shortly after the military coup and was brutally tortured and murdered.

References

Titon, Jeff Todd. Worlds of Music: An introduction to the music of the world’s peoples. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2018.