Carlos Gardel and the Tango

August 1, 2007 1:29 PM

Carlos Gardel was a singer who became a national icon of Argentina. He sang the tango among other styles, but would now be most famous for this, which was originally this. (Lyrics here.) For those of you who think this is all too romantic, listen to another side of tango...(Translation here.)
posted by StrikeTheViol (10 comments total)

Previously, on MeFi.
posted by StrikeTheViol at 1:37 PM on August 1, 2007

One of your links leads to a version of the lyrics of the song with an anecdote (in Spanish) from the day he wrote it.

It's sad to hear that Gardel is "most famous" somewhere for a version of a song where you can't even hear his voice. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic post, StrikeTheViol. Hopefully now more people will remember him more directly after finding about him here.
posted by micayetoca at 3:08 PM on August 1, 2007

SO MUCH AWSUMS. Translation: I'm a huge fan of tango, especially Carlos Gardel. Great post.
posted by katillathehun at 3:27 PM on August 1, 2007

And let's not forget that he sang this which became this
posted by Grangousier at 3:28 PM on August 1, 2007

Carlos Gardel will always have a place in my heart. Great post, StrikeTheViol.

Almost as important as his own music was the foundation he laid for the future of tango. Ástor Piazzolla used jazz to take the sounds of tango somewhere completely new, and today people like Fernando Otero are continuing where he left off. I love this stuff.
posted by invitapriore at 3:46 PM on August 1, 2007

It's worth noting that whether Carlos Gardel was originally Argentinian or Uruguayan is a matter of considerable debate, and much ill will between Argentinians and Uruguayans, since both want to claim him as their own. Of course, Argentinians and Uruguayans hate each other on principle, despite being indistinguishable to outsiders.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:57 PM on August 1, 2007

Joakim: no kidding. I'm amazed that the ferry running between Bs. As. and Colonia, full of hapless tourists, hasn't been torpedoed yet.
posted by invitapriore at 3:59 PM on August 1, 2007

invitapriore: I once heard an interview with one of those Uruguayan football players who got stuck in the Andes after their plane crashed in the seventies (made into the movie Alive).

The interviewer was an Argentinian woman who was rather arrogant (but I repeat myself), and the guy finally got really annoyed when she snarkily asked "Did you know there was an Argentinian ski resort very close to the crash site, but you walked in the opposite direction to get help?"

The guy answered "Yes, we knew that, but we didn't want to get rescued by Argentinians."
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 4:18 PM on August 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

Don't let the tango or dancing parts put you off if you're not into tango or dancing. Gardel is a beautiful, mysterious vocalist and it's just great stuff to listen to at home or on headphones. In some ways, his recordings remind me of Edith Piaf ... but more manly, obviously. Also, he predated her by decades.
posted by kenlayne at 11:08 PM on August 1, 2007

Wonderful post! I'm a little late because I'm just now getting over being enraged: this exact topic was going to be my first FPP. Bravo, StrikeTheViol!

I would like to share my absolute favorite performance of Cambalache. Performed by Julio Sosa.

My favorite singer is actually Edmundo Rivero, but Sosa is just so in-charge in that performance. (Discúlpame, Feo! Y gracias por todo, Sr. Gardel!)

BTW, folks, on the same site as the second-to-last link is WAY too much Gardel info.
posted by redteam at 6:46 AM on August 6, 2007