''Sólo le pido a Dios'' (in English: ''I only ask of God'') is a famous

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. ...

, written by Argentine singer-songwriter

León Gieco Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco, better known as León Gieco (born on November 20, 1951) is an Argentine folk rock performer, composer and interpreter. He is known for mixing popular folkloric genres with Argentine rock, and lyrics with social and ...

. It is the first song of Gieco's 1978 album, ''IV LP''.

History

Gieco wrote it in 1978, at his parents' house in his childhood village of

Cañada Rosquín Cañada Rosquín is a small town (''comuna'') in the . It is located in the San Martín Department, from the provincial capital ( Santa Fe). It has a population of 6,985 inhabitants (). The town was founded in 1891 by Rafael Escriña. As of the ...

, a small town in the north of

Santa Fe Province The Invincible Province of Santa Fe (, , lit. "Holy Faith") is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco Province, Chaco (divided by the 2 ...

, Argentina. He wrote it in the presence of his father, who told him that the song would be "world-renowned", which it eventually was. Gieco composed this song by first trying out melodies with his

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, then writing personal feelings which gradually turned into phrases inspired by the harsh social events of the time, such as the military dictatorship of his country, Mercedes Sosa’s exile, and the threat of war between Chile and Argentina at the time. Gieco doubted whether or not to include the song on his 1978 album ''IV LP'', believing it was "boring and monotonous", but finally did, following the advice of

Charly García Carlos Alberto García Moreno (born October 23, 1951), better known by his stage name Charly García, is an Argentine singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and record producer, considered one of the most important rock musicians in ...

. Thereafter, Gieco sang it as his closing song and has played it in all his national and international tours. Since then it has been interpreted by various artists, both from Argentina and around the world.

Versions

This song has been covered by various artists around the world and translated into more than twenty-five languages, including English, Portuguese,

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

, Catalan,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

. *

Ana Belén María del Pilar Cuesta Acosta (born 27 May 1951), known professionally as Ana Belén, is a Spanish actress and singer. She and her husband are considered symbols of the Spanish Transition, and her songs and albums often feature boldly-titled ...

Antonio Flores Antonio González Flores (14 November 1961 – 30 May 1995) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and actor. He was Romani people, Romani on his father's side and maternal grandmother's side. Antonio is known for his pop rock style of singing. Hi ...

Beth Carvalho Elizabeth "Beth" Santos Leal de Carvalho (May 5, 1946 – April 30, 2019) was a Brazilian samba singer, guitarist, cavaquinist and composer. Biography Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone. Her fathe ...

Emma Shapplin Emma Shapplin is a French soprano. Biography Emma Shapplin was born Crystêle Madeleine Joliton Interview video with Emma Shapplin for the Russian TV channel TVC. on 19 May 1974, in the Paris suburb of Savigny-le-Temple) Vocal career When she ...

* Fiel a la Vega *

Florent Pagny Florent Pagny (; born 6 November 1961) is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include "N'importe quoi", "Savoir aimer" and "Ma Liberté de p ...

* Gervasio * Ginevra Di Marco * Imca Marina * Javiera y Los Imposibles *

Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer, and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style has b ...

Juan Diego Flórez Juan Diego Flórez (born Juan Diego Flórez Salom, January 13, 1973) is a Peruvian operatic tenor, particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the ''Knight Grand Cross in t ...

* Luciano Pereyra *

Mercedes Sosa Haydée Mercedes "La Negra" Sosa (; 9 July 1935
at BrainyHistory.com – 4 October 2009) was an

Miguel Ríos Miguel Ríos Campaña (born 7 June 1944) is a Spanish singer and composer. He is one of the pioneers of rock and roll in Spain. Biography Ríos was born in La Cartuja, a neighborhood of Granada. The youngest of seven children, he went to wor ...

* Nicole * Mario Guerrero *

Kata ''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts ...

* Leo Rey * Outlandish *

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successf ...

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

* Pibes Chorros * Piero De Benedictis *

Raúl Porchetto Raúl Porchetto (born November 15, 1949) is an Argentine musician and songwriter. History Porchetto emerged from the Acoustic movement of Argentine rock during the early 1970s, releasing his debut record in 1972, following the subgenre's popu ...

* Sergio Denis *

Sixto Palavecino Sixto Doroteo Palavecino (March 31, 1915 – April 24, 2009) was a poet, musician and singer of Argentine folk music, who started playing the violin when he was 10-years old. Palavecino was influential as a player, a compiler of folk traditions ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

* Tania Libertad * Kleiton e Kledir * U2León Gieco cantó con Bono en la última fecha de U2 en La Plata.
Retrieved March 6, 2016 * Víctor Heredia * Víctor Manuel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solo le pido a Dios 1978 songs Argentine songs Argentine rock songs Protest songs

History

Versions

See also

References