Chilean New Song and the Paradox of Cultural Hybridity

• In Event: Rethinking Chilean New Song: Musicians and Activists Look Back over Five Decades

Abstract

The Chilean New Song genre is commonly known as the fusion of folkloric Latin American music with political lyrics. The founders of New Song were spurred on in their search for identity expression by the glut of U.S. popular culture that was flooding Chile in the 1960s – also the inspiration for Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart’s seminal work on cultural imperialism Para Leer el Pato Donald. New Song musicians decried cultural imperialism and rejected Anglo-American pop music, turning toward Latin American folk genres for their musical base. The influences on New Song, however, were broader than the Latin American folk styles it is known for. There were overt elements of classical music, and crossovers with rock ‘n roll. In the 40 years since the peak of the genre, the musical sources employed in New Song have expanded.

This paper analyzes the formative influences of Chilean New Song within a framework of cultural hybridity, specifically employing Marwan Kraidy’s concept of critical transculturalism. In tracing the multiple musical underpinnings of New Song, it addresses the paradox of external influences in the work of musicians who were explicitly rejecting cultural imperialism. Despite the creators’ rejection of imported popular culture, New Song shows traces of Anglo-American popular music, such as the Beatles, that permeated popular culture. The contrast between the cultural imperialism claims of the time and the multiplicity of influences in the gestation of this music is now acknowledged by some New Song musicians who are rethinking Chilean New Song.

Author

• Nancy Morris, Temple University