Cara al Sol (English: Facing the Sun) is the anthem of the Falange Española de las JONS. The lyrics were written in December 1935 and are usually credited to the leader of the Falange, José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The music was composed by Juan Tellería and Juan R. Buendia.
The circumstances of its creation are unusual. The Falangists needed a stirring song of their own to counter the popular appeal of El Himno de Riego (the official anthem of the Second Spanish Republic) and A las Barricadas (a very popular Anarchist song).
To solve the problem, Primo de Rivera formed a committee meeting on 2 December 1935 in the home of Marichu de la Mora Maura.Those present included José María Alfaro, Rafael Sánchez Mazas, Agustín de Foxá, Pedro Mourlane Michelena, Dionisio Ridruejo, Agustín Aznar, and Luis Aguilar. The result of their efforts, following a period of sub-committee review (at the Cueva del Orkompon, a Basque bar in Calle Miguel Moya, Madrid) was provisionally entitled the Himno de Falange Española. It was first performed in a rally at the Cine Europa of Madrid on February 2, 1936.
The music was based on a 1935 piece by Juan Tellería, Amanecer en Cegama ("Dawn at Zegama") The song was registered with number 75 027 between 1936 and 1937 with the lyrics at the name of Juan Ruiz de la Fuente.
Its popularity was boosted by Primo de Rivera's execution on 20 November 1936 and his subsequent glorification by the Spanish Nationalists.
During the Spanish Civil War the Falange, which was since its inception quite military or paramilitary, like other equivalent youth parties in countries under totalitarian regimes, became an important part of the National Army (or National Movement), both ideologically and militarily, still as an independent organization but strengthening the regular insurgent army in the combat lines, which caused plenty of Falangist casualties, and Cara al sol was their anthem throughout "the war days", the lyrics acquiring an even more special signification for its remembering of the "fallen comrades".
In Francoist Spain, the Falange was merged with other far-right groups to form the "Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS", the only legal political party. Cara al Sol became a canto nacional ("national song") together with the Oriamendi, the hymn of the Carlist movement, and the anthem of the Spanish Legion, often played alongside the official anthem, the Marcha Granadera, and was regarded as the battle song of the Spanish far right. A decree from 1942 orders that, in official events, the national songs must be saluted with a Roman salute or, in exclusively military events, a military salute.
== Lyrics ==
Cara al sol con la camisa nueva
Que tú bordaste en rojo ayer,
Me hallará la muerte si me lleva
Y no te vuelvo a ver.
Formaré junto a los compañeros
Que hacen guardia sobre los luceros,
Impasible el ademán, y están
Presentes en nuestro afán.
Si te dicen que caí,
Me fui al puesto que tengo allí.
Volverán banderas victoriosas
Al paso alegre de la paz
Y traerán prendidas cinco rosas:
Las flechas de mi haz.
Volverá a reír la primavera,
Que por cielo, tierra y mar se espera.
Arriba escuadras a vencer
Que en España empieza a amanecer
España, una! España, grande! España, libre!
Arriba España!
18 сен 2024
