Chan Chan and Juanica

Subject: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 01:08 AM

In the liner notes to the Buena Vista Social Club album which I found on the Internet (will post the link here when I can find it), the description for the Compay Segundo(Francisco Repilado) song Chan Chan says he took inspiration for the song from a folk tale/song told in rural Santiago de Cuba.

I've been searching around for any references to the folk tale, but found nothing except more references to the album and statements like "Chan Chan and Juanica were folk characters." The PBS Buena Vista Social Club site says "The two central characters 'Juanica' and 'Chan Chan' are legends of Cuban folklore." Does anyone know anything about this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Chan Chan (Francisco Repilado)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 01:15 AM

De Alto Cedro voy para Marcane
Llego a Cueto voy para Mayari


El cariño que te tengo
Yo no lo puedo negar
Se me sale la babita
Yo no lo puedo evitar

Cuando Juanica y Chan Chan
En el mar cernian arena
Como sacudia el 'jibe'
A Chan Chan le daba pena

Limpia el camino de pajas
Que yo me quiero sentar
En aquel tronco que veo
Y asi no puedo llegar

De Alto Cedro voy para Marcane
Llego a Cueto voy para Mayari

De Alto Cedro voy para Marcane
Llego a Cueto voy para Mayari

De Alto Cedro voy para Marcane
Llego a Cueto voy para Mayari

From here .

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 02:27 PM

Rough translation:

Chan Chan

The passion I feel for you
I can no longer deny.
It makes me tend to shake all over,
It's not something I can hide.

When Juanica and Chan Chan
Wiggled sand along the water,
Her bottom jiggled
And Chan Chan was thoruoghly aroused.

Clear away the shit from my path,
All I want is to sit down
On that tree trunk I see
And I will not go away.

Based on posts by "amphibian" and "pxdtone" on the internet.

Limpia el camino de pajas is a Cuban expression that means take all the trash, "shit," away.

The subject is so general that it would be difficult to attach any specifics to it, but there may be a tale or poem on the subject in the Oriente.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 02:46 PM

thoroughly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rRJP8rVg-4

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 29 Apr 13 - 06:27 PM

So, the question is, what's the story or song Compay heard? I asked a friend about this, and she didn't know anything.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 30 Apr 13 - 05:50 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 04 May 13 - 11:30 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 09 May 13 - 05:21 AM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 01 Jun 13 - 09:16 PM

Can anyone help with this? Refresh.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Aug 13 - 10:55 PM

http://www.radiorebelde.cu/de-cuba-y-de-los-cubanos/alto-cedro-cueto-marcane-chan-chan-20110921/

Subject: RE: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 03:31 AM

Bump

Subject: RE: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 06:37 PM

"Una canción campesina." With these words, the artist and songwriter known as Compay Segundo describes the source from which he drew the inspiration for "Chan Chan." Which I understand to mean, not a tale or story, but a "traditional song from the countryside."

Then there are these words:
"dos personajes de mil ochociento." My translation is, Two characters from the years of the 1800's.

So if you put those two together, what you have for Compay Segundo's source material is: a traditional song lyric, with a setting from an earlier century, from the 19th century sometime. That does not limit the song to the 19th century, it seems to me; the song could be a more recent traditional song, with a nostalgic recollection of an earlier era.   

It may also be noted that the municipality of Santiago de Cuba, on the eastern part of the island, was the capitol city in the 1500's before the government of the island was relocated to Habana. So this is a region whose traditions go back well into the earliest colonial centuries.

Subject: RE: Chan Chan and Juanica
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jul 16 - 07:44 PM

There exists a Spanish-language biography of Compay Segundo; perhaps there is detail to be found there.