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1930s
This memorable tango is one of several composed by the great pianist and bandleader Carlos Di Sarli, who recorded it no fewer than three times in the 1950s (twice with Mario Pomar and once again with Jorge Durán). The song had previously been a hit under the baton of Francisco Canaro…
The anthemic protest song “Cambalache” by Enrique Santos Discépolo (1901-1951) is one of the few tangos that transcends the genre entirely, and it has been adapted by punk bands as well as crossover hip-hop artists. Written in 1934 amid Argentina’s “Decade of Infamy” during the Great Depression, the song gave voice to the disaffected…
“Quiero verte una vez más,” the 1939 hit tango with lyrics by José María Contursi and music by Mario Canaro, the youngest of the Canaro brothers. This dance-floor favorite foregrounds the intense longing of lost love, and features a double-length chorus—something very common in jazz standards but not often encountered in tango.
Composed by songwriter duo Juan Carlos Cobián and Enrique Cadicamo, who would later produce “Los mareados” without even conferring with each other, “Nostalgias” has become a big hit with singers and dancers alike. Its memorable lyrics carry the tune perfectly…
As the title number of the 1935 film, “El día que me quieras” became an instant classic and added yet another immortal hit to the repertoire of Carlos Gardel. With its recitative opening and interlude, the song hearkens to the tango’s most conspicuous inspiration: the arias of Italian opera.
