Francesco Guccini - Style

Style

Guccini is the voice of what was once called the "social movement". Now it's simply a voice of truth, of rock-like coherence with its own language and thoughts. In his works there's a never-ending discourse about irony, friendship and solidarity

Guccini's lyrical and poetic style has been praised by many, including famous authors and singer-songwriters. Fellow singer-songwriter Roberto Vecchioni said about Guccini: "he's not a singer of stories, he's a singer of thoughts and a singer of doubts", while Nobel prize winner Dario Fo called him a "voice of truth".

Despite the length of his career, there are some defining characteristics, such as the use of different registers, the literary references to several writers, and the use of a variety of themes in order to reach moral conclusions. His lyrics frequently have a metaphysical tone and existential motifs, and are often centered around portrayals of people and events. Guccini's voice is baritonal, with a noticeable rhotacism. Most of his songs, especially early in his career, are folk rock.

Guccini has been seen as a sociopolitical chronicler, and some of his songs express his opinion about a political issue. In "La primavera di Praga", he expressed criticism of the Sovietic occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and "Piccola storia ignobile" supported the Italian abortion law. "Canzone per Silvia" was dedicated to Silvia Baraldini, and both "Canzone per il Che" and "Stagioni" were dedicated to Che Guevara. "Piazza Alimonda" was about the riots at the G8 summit in Genoa and "La locomotiva" was about a failed anarchic railroad attack.

Guccini defines himself an anarchic, and he expressed his thoughts about the relation between music and politics in his song "L'avvelenata"; "I never said that with songs you can make revolutions or you can make poetry."