The phrase “bella ciao,” which officials said was inscribed on an unfired bullet casing tied to the man accused of killing the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is likely a reference to a popular Italian folk song with a sprawling cultural history.
The song, “Bella Ciao,” was popularized as an antifascist anthem in Italy after World War II, but in recent years it has become known worldwide thanks to its inclusion in the hit Netflix series “Money Heist” and in video games, including in the first-person shooter video game Far Cry 6.
It has also been remixed by folk singers and EDM producers and sung by soccer fans and protesters around the world.
Sung annually on April 25 as part of Liberation Day, celebrating the end of Benito Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship and the Nazi occupation in Italy, the song’s most widespread version tells the story of a “partisan,” according to English translations, “who died for freedom.” Addressed to a lover, the fighter requests to be buried atop a mountain “under the shade of a beautiful flower.”
According to Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, the suspect in Mr. Kirk’s assassination, Tyler Robinson, 22, had the lyrical refrain — “oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao” — written on a bullet casing, along with other phrases that seemed to reference internet memes.
The exact origins of the song are disputed, with some historians believing it originated from a melody recorded in 1919 by the klezmer accordionist Mishka Ziganoff. While the original lyrics are thought to reference the hard labor of female rice paddy weeders, the more explicitly political version was solidified in a popular rendition by the Italian-born French actor Yves Montand in the early 1960s.
On Spotify and YouTube, one can find dozens of versions, as performed by the guitarist Marc Ribot and folk singer Tom Waits; the indie singer-songwriter Mitski; the pop artist Becky G; the British anarchist pop group Chumbawamba, and many more.
In recent years, the song has seen renewed popularity thanks to its inclusion in the Spanish crime show “Money Heist,” an international smash on Netflix, as well as a dance music remix by El Profesor and Hugel (93 million views).
Gamers know it thanks to its inclusion in the video game Far Cry 6. (It is also sometimes used on TikTok to score highlights from the game Call of Duty: Warzone.)
“Bella Ciao” has resonated in the real world, as well. It was sung last year by progressive members of the European Parliament at Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and adopted by protesters in Iran, Ukraine and Italy, where it was also belted from balconies as a show of unity during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Even European soccer fans have adopted the tune, reworking the lyrics to praise their preferred players.
“‘Bella Ciao’ is a ball of yarn interwoven with many threads of various colors,” the Italian folk singer Carlo Pestelli, who wrote a book about the song, has said.
Eli Tan contributed reporting.
Joe Coscarelli is a culture reporter for The Times who focuses on popular music and a co-host of the Times podcast “Popcast (Deluxe).”
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