Wait for Me

Music always has been a key ingredient of my life. The songs listed here are tethered to the respective chapters of my book, either because they were popular at the time when the featured stories unfolded, or because I turned to them to accentuate, to complement, to give deeper meaning to stories, with music that I already was familiar with.

The sub-chapter, Joe Cool, at the end of Chapter 6, Nicaragua and Nicaraguans, illustrates this point. The song, Love, Reign o'er Me, was first released by the English rock band, The Who, in October 1973, years before I first arrived in Nicaragua in 1979. But the song's message resonated with, and gives deeper meaning to, that evening in the 1980s as I walked alone on the shores of Masachapa.

The song's message resonates with me even today.

I hope you enjoy this component of Wait for Me.

-- Bill Gentile

1.First War

  1. "Night Moves," by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
  2. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," by Bob Dylan
Listen

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – A woman in one of Managua's poor slums pleads with members of the National Guard to stop the bombing of the neighborhood where her husband and son are holed up during the 1979 Sandinista insurrection.

2.Claudia

  1. "Black and White," by Jackson Browne
  2. "Falso Amor," by Los Bukis
  3. "Real Real Gone," by Van Morrison
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MANAGUA, Nicaragua – My first wife, Claudia Baca, worked as an editor for Barricada Internacional, the international version of the official Sandinista newspaper, Barricada.

3."My Permanent Constitution"

  1. "Racing in the Street," by Bruce Springsteen
  2. "Ave Maria," by Luciano Pavarotti
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UNKNOWN LOCATION – My maternal grandfather, David D'Eramo, his wife, Felicceta, and children.

4."Terrible and Glorious Days"

  1. "Sympathy for the Devil," by the Rolling Stones
  2. "Several Species Of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together In A Cave And Grooving With A Pict," by Pink Floyd
  3. "Jungleland," by Bruce Springsteen
  4. "Fortunate Son," by Creedence Clearwater Revival
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SAN JUAN DEL RIO COCO, Nicaragua – Mural of Augusto César Sandino, from whom Sandinistas take their name. Sandino led the struggle against U.S. Marines occupying the country during the 1920s and 30s. This image is taken from my book of photographs, Nicaragua.

5.The Mills Giveth and Taketh Away

  1. "Like a Rolling Stone," by Bob Dylan
  2. "Melissa," by the Allman Brothers Band, "Eat a Peach" album
  3. "Highway Patrolman," by Bruce Springsteen
  4. ("Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay," by Otis Redding
Listen

ALIQUIPPA, PA – This is the blast furnace of the J&L Steel Corporation in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. It is in this sprawling plant where my grandfather, my father, my uncles, my three brothers and I all worked at one time or another. (Photo courtesy of Beaver County Industrial Museum)

6.Nicaragua and Nicaraguans

  1. "Nicaragua, Nicaragüita," by Carlos Mejía Godoy & Los de Palacaguina
  2. "Rock n Roll Never Forgets," by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
  3. "I'm So Excited," by The Pointer Sisters
  4. "Jump," by The Pointer Sisters
  5. "I Don't Care Anymore," by Phil Collins
  6. "Thunder Road," by Bruce Springsteen
  7. "Shelter from the Storm," by Bob Dylan
  8. "Running on Empty," by Jackson Browne
  9. "Love, Reign O'er Me," by The Who
Listen

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – My Nicaraguan family includes (left to right) Claudia's father, Dr. Alberto Baca Navas, his wife, Norma, Claudia, her sister Gabriela, and her youngest brother, Danilo. Missing are brothers Jorge and Guillermo, and sister Johanna. The home where Claudia and I lived for much of the 1980s is in the background.

7.Walk Like a Man

  1. "Walk Like a Man," lyrics, by Bruce Springsteen
  2. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds
  3. "Highway Patrolman," by Bruce Springsteen
Listen

ALIQUIPPA, PA – The Ambridge Reservoir, near the town where I was raised. It was on the paved road to the right of this image that my brothers and I would jog along the water's edge, and where we would commune.

8.My War

  1. "Home by the Sea," by Genesis
  2. "Gimmie Shelter," by The Rolling Stones
  3. "Amiga," by Roberto Carlos
  4. "One Step Up," by Bruce Springsteen
  5. "Drive," by The Cars
  6. "Heart of the Matter," by Don Henley
  7. "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues," by Elton John
Listen

ATLANTIC COAST, Nicaragua – La Bestia and I during a trip to the eastern Atlantic Coast region of the country. I do not know who made this picture.

9."What's Happening to Me?"

  1. "Runnin' Down a Dream," by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  2. "You Lost That Lovin' Feeling," by Hall & Oates
  3. "Can't Find My Way Home," by Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks
Listen

SOUTHERN HONDURAS – Arturo Robles (center) Rod Nordland (right) and I in a contra camp in Honduras before heading south into Nicaragua for a three-week long journey with the anti-Sandinista rebels.

10.Walking On a Thin Line

  1. "Sultans of Swing," by Dire Straits
  2. "Walking On a Thin Line," by Huey Lewis & The News
  3. "Lawyers, Guns and Money," by Warren Zevon
Listen

UPPER HUALLAGA VALLEY, Peru – A Newsweek artist's rendition of the abduction by Peruvian drug traffickers shows correspondent Joe Contreras (with blue, "LA" cap) and photojournalist Bill Gentile (in light-colored shirt behind Contreras) before being turned over to members of the terrorist group, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path).

11.Moving On

  1. "Caminando por la Calle," ("Walking Down the Street,") The Gypsy Kings
  2. "With or Without You," by U2
Listen

NICARAGUA – The Güeguense dance is a folkloric event traditionally used by Nicaraguans to ridicule Spanish conquistadores. It is practiced to this day.

12.Revolution Betrayed

  1. "Take Me Home," by Phil Collins
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MANAGUA, Nicaragua – During a visit to Nicaragua in 2019 marking the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, I attended a rally in downtown Managua. I was uneasy. I felt that I was being watched by too many people from behind dark sunglasses.

Epilogue

  1. "To Make You Feel My Love," by Billy Joel
  2. "Won't Back Down," by Tom Petty
  3. "Summer Wind," by Frank Sinatra
  4. "Valerie," by Steve Winwood
Listen

ALIQUIPPA, PA – Esther and I stand on a wooden platform at the Ambridge Reservoir where we are married. Our eyes are closed, perhaps because we refuse to awaken from our dream come true.

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