Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
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.
El último guapo is a Tango written by Abel Aznar and composed by Leo Lipesker.
The lyrics of “El último guapo” paint a vivid picture of a man who epitomizes the traditional Buenos Aires “guapo” or tough guy, a symbol of old Argentine masculinity, pride, and street honor. Clad with a hat cocked over one eye and characterized by a swaggering, yet casual walk, and his deliberate way of observing his surroundings, the protagonist walks through his old neighborhood, evoking nostalgia and a longing for the customs and places of the past. The essence of the tango revolves around this symbolic figure returning to his roots, resonating with a desire to bring back the simplicity and rawness of the old days.
“El último guapo” translates to “The Last Tough Guy” in English, symbolizing the end of an era or a certain traditional archetype in Argentine culture. The nostalgic elements through the use of specific locales like the narrow street, the old gate, and a once-forgotten neighborhood bring the cultural backdrop to the forefront, highlighting a melancholy longing for the past. The ‘whistling’ for his old love suggests a yearning not just for a person, but for the time and all that it represented. Each verse is laden with metaphors: the ‘lost street lantern’, the ‘dead-end alley’, and the ‘flower-filled tenement’ evoke images of a place frozen in time, yet offered in fleeting glimpses through the eyes of the guapo.
Recorded in 1966, this tango reflects a period in Argentine history when the traditional values and old ways of the barrios (neighborhoods) were dramatically changing due to modernization and societal shifts. The text captures a bittersweet depiction of these changes, using the narrative of “the last guapo” as a metaphor for a disappearing lifestyle. This tango, celebrating and memorializing the ‘tough guy’ epitome, speaks to a nostalgic revival of the arrabal, or the outskirts where tango once bloomed amidst the working class, articulating a resistance to the fading of old customs and community ethos specific to Buenos Aires.
Abel Aznar was an Argentine lyricist and tango composer known for his contributions to the genre with evocative lyrics that often depicted the culture and life of Buenos Aires.