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Champagne tango

Champagne tango is a Tango written by Manuel Aróztegui and recorded by Héctor Varela in 1952. Héctor Varela has recorded Champagne tango as an instrumental Tango.
“Champagne Tango,” or “Tango de Champán” in Spanish, bubbles with an effervescent elegance that dances through the air. It is a composition that mirrors the lively spirit of celebration, where each note tingles like the laughter of fizzy whispers. Within its rhythm, one can feel both the seduction of the dance and the sparkling allure of life’s exuberant moments.

Tango

Style

Héctor Varela

Orchestra

Instrumental

Singer

Pascual Contursi

Author

Manuel Aróztegui

Composer

1952/9/19

Date

Instrumental
Instrumental
Héctor Varela
Héctor Varela

Discover Other Orchestras

Ángel d’Agostino – Demasiado tarde – 1946/9/10
Ángel d’Agostino – La chiflada – 1942/10/15
Ángel d’Agostino – Porque me siento feliz – 1945/7/17
Ángel d’Agostino – Así era el tango – 1944/4/5
Ángel d’Agostino – Un lamento – 1942/7/15
Alfredo De Angelis – Isla de Capri – 1964/3/30
Alfredo De Angelis – El pial – 1945/1/9
Alfredo De Angelis – El mimoso – 1956/4/3
Alfredo De Angelis – Te quiero – 1957/12/16
Alfredo De Angelis – Virgen de Guadalupe – 1955/4/26
Osvaldo Fresedo – Tristezas – 1927/4/12
Osvaldo Fresedo – Chorra – 1928/9/11
Osvaldo Fresedo – Tradición – 1927/11/22
Osvaldo Fresedo – Esperar – 1937/8/2
Osvaldo Fresedo – Sosteniendo recuerdos – 1952/10/16
Enrique Rodríguez – Danza hungara na.5 – 1947/1/29
Enrique Rodríguez – Anda que te aguante Lola – 1969/5/13
Enrique Rodríguez – Si soy así – 1952/7/11
Enrique Rodríguez – Titere (2) – 1967/7/28
Enrique Rodríguez – Un copetín – 1939/6/5

Recommended

These Tangos, Valses, and Milongas were recorded around the same time. Take a look to discover what else this orchestra—or others—may have recorded during the same week or even on the exact same day.

Champagne tango recorded by other Orchestras

Champagne tango recorded by other Orchestras

1952/9/19 – A tres bandas – Hector Varela
1952/9/19 – Flores negras – Julio De Caro
1952/9/18 – La casita de mis viejos – Osvaldo Fresedo
1952/9/18 – Sollozos – Osvaldo Fresedo
1952/9/17 – El entrerriano – Francini-Pontier
Champagne tango – 1944/7/20 – Carlos di Sarli – Instrumental
Champagne tango – 1952/10/27 – Carlos di Sarli – Instrumental
Champagne tango – (unknown date) – Carlos di Sarli – Instrumental
Champagne tango – 1938/6/22 – Juan D-Arienzo – Instrumental
Champagne tango – 1952/9/19 – Hector Varela – Instrumental
Champagne tango – 1946/9/25 – Cuarteto Tipico Roberto Firpo – Instrumental

Letra del Tango Champagne tango

Esas minas veteranas

que siempre se conformaban,

que nunca la protestaban

aunque picara el buyón,

viviendo así en su cotorro

pasando vida pibera

en una pobre catrera

que le faltaba el colchón.



¡Cuántas veces a mate amargo

el estomago engrupía

y pasaban muchos días

sin tener para morfar!

La catrera era el consuelo

de esos ratos de amargura

que, culpa ‘e la mishiadura

no tenía pa’ morfar.



Se acabaron esas minas

que siempre se conformaban

con lo que el bacán les daba

si era bacán de verdad.

Hoy sólo quieren vestidos

y riquísimas alhajas,

coches de capota baja

pa’ pasear por la ciudad.



Nadie quiere conventillo

ni ser pobre costurera,

ni tampoco andar fulera…

Sólo quieren aparentar

ser amigo de fulano

y que tenga mucho vento

que alquile departamento

y que la lleve al Pigall.



Tener un coche,

tener mucama

y gran ‘chapó’

y pa’ las farras

un gigoló;

pieza alfombrada

de gran parada,

tener sirvienta

y… ¡qué se yo!

Y así…

de esta manera

en donde quiera

‘champán tangó’.

English lyrics of the Tango "Champagne tango"

Those veteran women
who were always content,
who never complained
even when the soup stung,
living in their shacks
living a boyish life
on a poor cot
missing its mattress.

How often with bitter mate
did they deceive their stomachs
and many days went by
without having something to eat!
The cot was the comfort
during those times of bitterness
that, due to poverty
they had nothing to eat.

Gone are those women
who were always content
with what the fancy man gave them
if he was truly a fancy man.
Today they only want dresses
and very rich jewels,
cars with low tops
to parade around the city.

No one wants a tenement
or to be a poor seamstress,
nor to look shabby…
They only want to show off
to be friends with so-and-so
and for him to have plenty of money
to rent an apartment
and take her to Pigall.

Having a car,
having a maid
and a great hat
and for the parties
a gigolo;
a carpeted room
of grandeur,
having a servant
and… what do I know!
And so…
in this manner
wherever
champagne tango.

Champagne Tango by Pascual Contursi

Champagne Tango is a Tango written by Pascual Contursi and composed by Manuel Aróztegui.



Story behind the Tango Champagne Tango

The lyrics of “Champagne Tango” lament the changing times and desires, portraying a shift from modesty and hardship to aspirations of luxury and vanity. Contursi poetically describes the old days when women were less demanding and more resigned to their tough lives, contrasting sharply with the modern woman’s desires for glamour and high society. The primary themes revolve around societal changes, materialism, and the evolving concept of femininity in Argentinian culture.



Symbolism of Champagne Tango

The transformation in women’s aspirations is symbolically depicted through contrasting imagery: the old, mattress-less ‘catrera’ (a makeshift bed) versus modern desires like low-top cars and luxurious jewels. This contrast is a symbolic critique of the increasing materialism and loss of simpler, contented living. The “Champagne Tango” itself, as named in the lyrics, symbolizes a dance of opulence and pretense, a metaphor for society’s shift towards a more superficial, show-off culture.



Champagne Tango in Historic Context

The song was written in 1952, a period when Argentina was undergoing significant social and economic changes. Post-World War II, Argentina was marked by rapid urbanization and industrialization, influencing social classes and lifestyles. This context helps to understand the nostalgia for the past and criticism of the contemporary changes in society that Contursi expresses through his lyrics.



Pascual Contursi

Pascual Contursi was a noted Argentine lyricist and playwright, known for pioneering Tango lyrics that incorporated the language of the streets of Buenos Aires and themes of everyday life.