3,000 People Sang Patti Smith’s Own Anthem Back to Her. She Didn’t See It Coming.
Patti Smith came to Oviedo to collect an award. What she received was something else entirely.
On October 17th, the eve of the Princess of Asturias Arts Award ceremony, the godmother of punk stepped onto an improvised stage at the old Fábrica de Armas de La Vega. What she didn’t know was that 3,000 people — including choir members from across Spain, had spent weeks preparing a surprise.
When the first chords of “People Have The Power” began to play, Smith didn’t react immediately. It took her a few seconds to understand what was happening. Then her face said everything.
“I wrote this song to live moments like this,” she said, visibly moved, as the voices filled the space.
“People Have The Power” is not a ceremonial song. Smith wrote it in 1988 alongside her husband Fred “Sonic” Smith as a declaration of faith in the collective ability to change the world. For nearly four decades it has been the anthem of protests, marches, and moments where people decide they have something to say. That night in Oviedo, 3,000 voices decided to say it back to her.
Glass Moose, “Afterfloor”: Falling Slowly, Eyes Open.
The next day, Princess Leonor presented her with the official award at the formal ceremony. But the moment that will stay with anyone who saw it wasn’t that one.
It was a 79-year-old woman standing on a stage in northern Spain, hearing her own song returned to her, and understanding it all over again.
When was the last time music made you feel like this?
