Pablo Motos, presenter of the Antena 3 late show, had as guests in “El Hormiguero” the coaches of La Voz España, the singing contest franchise, among whom were Pablo López, Antonio Orozco, Luis Fonsi and Laura Pausini.
During a game, Motos began to sing along with two stuffed characters from the show “Trancas” and “Barrancas” the first verses of “Bella Ciao”. Motos invited Laura Pauisini to join them in singing it, but the Italian refused.
“No, no and no. It’s a very political song and I don’t want to sing political songs,” said the coach, which changed the song and all his teammates and Pablo Motos kept silent to start with another topic.
It’s a very political song and I don’t want to sing political songs
The reaction of the singer who became famous with the ballad “Se fue” caused Internet users to point out her “unfriendly” reaction for not being part of that television moment, in addition to marking her in a political position.
Laura Pausini refuses to sing ‘Bella Ciao’ in ‘El Hormiguero’: “It’s a political song”
Welcome to the fachas club, dear Laura. You never walk alone
— Doctor Tricorn (@Doct_Tricorn)
September 13, 2022
Laura Pausini has refused to sing Bella Ciao in El Hormiguero because it is “a political song”. The good news is that she knows what the song means. The bad news is that we already know which side she is on.
– Miguel Muñoz (@miguelmunozort)
September 13, 2022
The Italian did not leave things like that and through her social networks she spoke out for this episode lived in “El Hormiguero”.
“In an improvised and purely entertaining television situation, I chose not to sing a hymn that has been used repeatedly over the years in different Italian political contexts,” Pausini said in the statement.
“I wanted to avoid being dragged and used in such a heated and unpleasant moment of the Italian electoral campaign, unfortunately it was not like that. I respect my public and I will continue to do so, with the freedom to choose how to express myself,” the Italian concluded.
What is the origin of “Bella Ciao”?
At first there is the version of the mondinas, women who worked in the rice fields of northern Italy, sang the lyrics of the song as a protest against the harsh working conditions they experienced daily. The historian Cesare Bermani details that the origin of “Bella Ciao” comes from a song called “Fior di tomba” (Tomb Flower) and that the poet Costantino Nigra already mentioned in the second half of the 19th century.
Another version of this song reached the Mondinas of the provinces of Vercelli and Novara, both located in the Piedmont region. There is one more version indicating that the anthem could have Ukrainian roots. Mishka Ziganoff, a musician born in Odessa in 1889, moved to New York and composed a piece that could be the origin of the start of the “Bella Ciao” tune. Later, Italian migrants spread the notes on the subject in the European nation.
Regardless of its origin, this theme has become popular and has taken on a political meaning due to the parties organized by the communist youth in several European nations. It was in the summer of 1947 that the World Festival of Youth and Students. There, the partisan version of the anthem was released, which is what is currently known, which later reached the Festival of the Two Worlds in 1964.