Carlos Gardel "The King of Tango"

        

       "Behind every great love is a great story [3]." Carlos Gardel is the legendary man behind the tango. He had a love for music and Buenos Aires where the tango originated so it is safe to say that Gardel is the love that sparked the tango. He is legendary to this day in Buenos Aires where he was raised. Gardel is an idol to many because he was an immigrant from France who worked in an opera house and sang in local bars to get noticed. He learned to sing by working at the opera house where he learned Spanish opperettas and the folkloric music of Argentina’s country side called criolla. 

Gardel’s first song that he recorded is called “Mi Noche Triste.” It is a song about rejection but it also reveals how Buenos Aires was during this time. Before Mi Noche Triste, all other tango music was instrumental. Once he came out with this song, everyone started writing poetry for tangos. Gardel's romantic music and graceful style are what makeup of every tango musician after him.

The statue of Gardel
in Buenos Aires

Gardel is the reason why the tango is known all over the world. He change the bad connotation it once had for being the poor man’s dance to being fashionable in Europe. In 1910 through World War I, Gardel traveled all over the world introducing the tango and everyone fell in love with it. With it’s popularity, Argentina started to become very rich so the songs changed from being about poor immigrants to love and romance which is what we think goes along with the tango today.

Gardel is still a legend through out the tango world. Unfortunately, he died in a tragic plane crash in 1935 in Africa. But his style and work are what inspired artists like Juan D’Arienzo in the Golden Age of Tango in the 40s and 50s. Gardel not only came from Italy to Argentina but he traveled country to country throughout the world to introduce the tango. Now, people all over the world pay tributes to him and his music which keeps his legend going.[1] [2]

       
          This video is of Carlos Gardel's song "Mi Buenos Aires Querido." The music was written by him and the lyrics were written by Alfredo Le Pera in 1934. The song is about a love for a women but how the city of Buenos Aires buries that pain away. So to me it is an anthem to their beloved city while still in the tango genre speaking about love and sorrow. 

"Mi Buenos Aires querido...

                                                             cuando yo te vuelva a ver...

    no habra más penas ni olvido..."

Which translates to:

"My beloved Buenos Aires,  

                                                               the day I see you again,  
                                                   there will be no more sorrow or forgetfulness"

Click here to see the rest of the lyrics and translation.