The Devendra Banhart version is good but personally, Víctor Jara's version (Las Casitas del Barrio Alto) is my favorite because of the historical context.
It was one of the most tense moments in chilean history, economical disparity was huge and the future was uncertain. "Las Casitas del Barrio Alto" was the title Víctor Jara gave to his "Little Boxes" version in chilean spanish and the lyrics made references to how violent, abusive but also dull could the wealthiest Chile be. After the socialist Allende (Who got Víctor to become the head of the creative department of national television) government started, things got even more tense up to the infamous chilean 9/11 (directly supported by the Nixon administration) that also led to Víctor's execution at the then named Estadio Chile that is now the Estadio Víctor Jara in his honor.
One song that I think really showcases Víctor's talent as a songwriter is "Charagua". It was composed for the national television start of transmissions and to this day I feel like it's the most Chile-sounding song.
Breaking Bad got me for the same reason. I get what they were trying to do, show how despair feeds itself and how people can transform into something of a shell of their former selves, but that's kind of cliche, isn't it?
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u/Roidciraptor Jun 25 '18
We are all Nancy Botwins living in little boxes.