For Millennials. By Millennials.
Bella Ciao is the iconic anthem straight out of Netflix‘s most popular foreign series, La Casa De Papel. The song is a symbol for the Heisters and their supporters. Basically, it represents the resistance. Fans of the show all over the world sing the song at all times. Their symbolism of the song is that of their love for the show. However, as it turns out, that is not the case all around the world. The song is a combination of lyrics from a time of the World War. Do not take it lightly as, Italian Swing Band, Mark Zitti i e Fratelli Coltelli have received quite some negative feedback from their Italian listeners.
When the band usually plays Bella Ciao, their fans typically jump at the first chord. In a recent performance in UAE, the same was the case but not with all his listeners. After the gig, Mark Zitti talks to Arab Emirates National media and says:
They will ask why I played that song? For many Italians, particularly those who are older, this song is not about celebration. It is about war and it brings back many painful memories.
Here’s Money Heist’s Bella Ciao history. The show went straight from World War II to Netflix. And well, now is etched into hearts all over the world. All thanks to The Professor (Álvaro Morte) and Berlin (Alonso Pedro).
Bella Ciao originates from World War II
Even though right now the song is loved all over the world, it comes from a bloody battlefield. Seems like it was not The Professor’s father who taught him the tune after all. National AE digs out that song was sung by poorly paid hard-working women from the Northern Italian Region of Po Valley. They made it as a way to cope with their ‘backbreaking’ workload. So, Bella Ciao is more of a symbol of the day ending after a lot of hard work.
The song begins with “in the morning I got up/ to the paddy rice fields, I have to go,” before moving on to describe the “insects and mosquitoes” and the malevolent presence of the supervisor, who is rendered as the “the boss [is] standing with his cane.”
Bella Ciao is a work of the women from the fields who dreamt of building enough power to work in freedom. Thus, resistance. The increase in pace and stress also represents a pretty iconic rise.
The song’s lyrical power comes through its unfolding resolve. Each line increases in intensity and illustrates that the unknown composer of the song is no victim. She is in fact resilient and patiently awaiting the time when the tides will turn. This is brought home in its signature the last line: “but the day will come when we all will work in freedom.”
That said, soon after the tune was made, 80,000 Italian civilians were killed in their civil war. So if anything, the song makes warning bells go off in their heads about something evil coming.
Mark Zitti’s personal experience with the song
Mark Zitti recalls how the now world-famous song once came on the radio when he was a kid. His grandfather’s reaction was one to observe!
He was not very happy at all. You have to understand that the civil war is something that is very close to us in Italy. Nearly every Italian family has been affected by it. There are many grandfathers and their brothers who were involved in both sides of the conflict. It is for this reason you can’t really play that song in Italy. It is not banned, but it would be considered impolite.”
Well, fans around the world probably know nothing about this. And well, neither is it their fault. So, let us know in the comments how you feel about the Bella Ciao!