Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
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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.
Coplas is a Tango written by Alberto Laureano Martínez and composed by Aníbal Troilo.
The lyrics of “Coplas” map a poignant narrative of love and loss, reflective of deep emotional struggles. The title itself, “Coplas,” which translates to “verses” in English, signals a form of traditional Spanish poetry often used to express personal sorrow and social injustice. This tango, with its repetitive and lamenting phrases, embodies a narrative of unrequited love and existential despair, where the persona offers their love in a metaphorical ‘street of sorrow’ but finds no takers due to the heart’s previous commitments.
Symbolism enriches the layers of meaning in “Coplas”. The imagery of selling one’s affection on “the street of sorrow” underscores the depth of the protagonist’s desolation. The reference to sleep not coming from tiredness but from a yearning to be with a beloved person illustrates a life given vitality only through dreams, highlighting a painful disconnection between reality and desire. Meanwhile, the dramatic act of throwing one’s life down a well symbolizes a final resignation to their emotional fate, with death metaphorically portrayed as a consequence of a life devoid of mutual love.
Recorded in the early 1960s Argentina, during a time marked by political and social upheaval, “Coplas” resonates with themes of melancholy and personal crisis reflective of the broader societal mood. In this era, tango often mirrored the public sentiment, serving as an outlet for collective emotionality. The repetitive lamenting in the lyrics can be seen as a reflection of the repetitive cycles of political and economic struggle experienced by the populace during this period.
Alberto Laureano Martínez was a distinguished Argentine poet and lyricist whose works primarily explore themes of love, loss, and existential despair.