"El gran varón", also known as Simón, el gran varón, or Simón is a salsa song written in 1986 by Omar Alfanno and sang by Willie Colón. The song narrates the story of Simón, a transgender woman who is rejected by her father for her lifestyle and dies presumably of AIDS, alone in a hospital in New York. The song, which addresses homophobia and transphobia, is one of the top Latin songs of all time.
Release and success
The song was written in 1986 by the Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno and was sung by Willie Colón with his group Legal Alien. It was included in the albumTop Secrets in 1989, the last album produced by Fania. The record went gold and platinum. "es" peaked at number 13 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States. The song was at the top of musical lists in ten countries and ranks # 23 Billboards list of 50 best Latin songs of all time.
Historical value
"italics=no" tells the story of Simón, a father's pride and joy. Simón's father is sure his son will follow in his footsteps and be "a great man" but Simón instead leaves Puerto Rico for the United States to embrace her homosexuality and initiate her gender transformation. Simón's father pays her a surprise visit one day and finds his son has transitioned into a woman. Simón's father flatly rejects her while the chorus reminds her that nature cannot be changed. Years later, her father wants to reconnect with Simón but discovers she died in a hospital alone at the age of thirty. According to Alfanno, "es" is a song about a friend of his. The song ridicules Simón's father for having rejected his son, given as the refrain repeats "no se puede corregir a la naturaleza, palo que nace doblado jamás su tronco endereza", . "italics=no" was the first Spanish song to broach the subject of AIDS and HIV; however, it did not mention the disease by name, saying Simón died "of a strange disease." The song is a symbol for LGBT rights, as it talks about homophobia. At the time of its release, it was banned by many radio stations.
Versions
There are two versions made by Willie Colón; the original is 6:54 minutes long. In this version Simón is born in 1956 and dies in 1986. In the second version, the song is 6:03 minutes long, Simón is born in 1963 and dies in 1993. The song has been covered by other groups and artists. Sonora Kaliente covered it, selling six million copies. In 2007, Danny Frank, a Colombian singer, did a version of the song. A reggae version was done by Eclipse Reggae. A rap version was made by Jako. Cumbia versions were made by Damas Gratis and La Sonora Tropicana.
Simón, el gran varón is also the name of a Mexican movie filmed in 2002 and inspired by the topic of the song. It was directed by Miguel Barreda Delgado and features artists Alberto Estrella, Victor Carpinteiro, and Alicia Encinas.
