http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm1anurhbeg The CNN retrospective that reported Seeger's death made a statement that moved me: "Seeger won't be remembered so much for what he sang as why he sang." That's paraphrasing, but you get the idea. Seeger was an activist first and a musician second; a major theme of his career was trying to peacefully unite people through music. "Guantanamera" is a major example of this. Let's go back to 1962. Fidel Castro was in power in Cuba, and he was allying himself with Russia. This freaked the United States out, to say the least. Seeger didn't like this state of tension between Cuba and the U.S., so he went about trying to put together a song to be used in peace rallies. Eventually, Seeger came across a song called "Guantanamera," written by a Cuban songwriter named Joseito Fernandez. Seeger liked the melody and refrain, but the lyrics (about a guy making a pass toward a girl and getting rejected) didn't seem right for a protest song. Seeger did obtain permission, however, to use the melody and "Guantanamera" refrain. Seeger found the verses he wanted from a Cuban poem, Versos Sencillios, by Jose Marti. Seeger took the stanzas, wrote an English interpretation, and put them against Fernandez's musical backdrop. "Guantanamera" is a patchwork song; some would say that Seeger didn't write the song but cobbled it together. I would disagree with that. Seeger was the one who combined Marti's lyrics and Fernandez's melody, creating the relaxing and touching song that we have today. Therefore, it deserves its place on this list.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).