Spain, la gran puta

There are various explanations of Spanish anti-Americanism. The post-colonial hypothesis is popular: Spain is bitter about its loss of empire, its defeat in 1898, its not being invited to the G-whatever. An alternative hypothesis is that anti-Americanism is frustration arising from the idea that an implicit bilateral dollars-for-favours deal has been violated. In Luis Berlanga, Miguel Mihura and Juan Antonio Bardem’s powerful socio-political satire on Francoism, Bienvenido Mister Marshall (1953), a stereotypically backward Castilian village hears that American officials are coming to distribute largesse and sets out to reinvent itself as picture-postcard Andalusia.

(It’s possible that Chris Wiegand wrote his BBC review before watching the film, because part of the joke is that the Americans are not actually from the Marshall Plan–Spain was excluded–but from the subsequent European Recovery Program. Thing is, the mayor ain’t going to understand that.)

Here’s the famous song, “Coplilla de las divisas,” featuring Lolita Sevilla:

The Yankees have arrived bearing a thousand gifts–(hard) currency for the best bullfighter, and shirts and stockings for the fanciest girls:

Los yanquis han venido,
olé salero, con mil regalos,
y a las niñas bonitas
van a obsequiarlas con aeroplanos,
con aeroplanos de chorro libre
que corta el aire,
y también rascacielos, bien conservaos
en frigo y de aire. (= frigidaire)

Americanos,
vienen a España
guapos y sanos,
viva el tronío
de ese gran pueblo
con poderío,
olé Virginia,
y Michigan,
y viva Texas, que no está mal,
os recibimos
americanos con alegría,
olé mi mare,
olé mi suegra y
olé mi tía.

El plan Marshall nos llega
del extranjero pa nuestro avío,
y con tantos parneses
va a echar buen pelo
Villar del Río.
Traerán divisas pá quien toree
mejor corría,
y medias y camisas
pá las mositas más presumías

Americanos,
vienen a España
guapos y sanos,
viva el tronío
de ese gran pueblo
con poderío,
olé Virginia,
y Michigan,
y viva Texas, que no está mal,
os recibimos
americanos con alegría,
olé mi mare,
olé mi suegra y
olé mi tía.

So if people took that parody deal seriously, then maybe the violation is Americans (Bush) saying, we want you to be a serious partner, not a version of Italy with flamenco skirts and unsold developments, which believes it will escape from the crisis by hosting Vicky Cristinas and sending Andalusian bureaucrats on “promotional trips” to the New York marathon. A modern conception of marriage, if you like.

Actually that’s all a load of pseudo-analytical crap, and simply an excuse to post video. Here’s the mayor’s speech with English subtitles: