Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ

La calle sin sueño

La calle sin sueño is a Tango written by Lucio Demare and recorded by Lucio Demare in 1957. Lucio Demare has recorded La calle sin sueño as an instrumental Tango.
“La calle sin sueño,” or “The Street Without Sleep,” evokes the restless pulse of a city that never rests. In its haunting melodies, you can hear the whispers of nocturnal wanderers and the echoes of unfulfilled dreams. It is a tango of longing, where shadows dance under flickering streetlights, and the night stretches endlessly in a timeless embrace.

Letra del Tango La calle sin sueño

El amor
Que he perdido y sin embargo lo sigo buscando,
Está vivo en mi carne doliente
Y lo siento en mis venas quemar.
En mi copa la veo asomando
Su rostro… sonriente…
Y juntando mi boca a su imagen
La beso… la absorbo… la siento embriagar.


Se llama la Calle sin Sueño
Ilusión nocturna de amor,
Su bar vende un rubio veneno
Que apaga la sed y el dolor.
Se llama la Calle sin Sueño
Y yo voy buscando al pasar,
Un poco de alcohol y de ensueño
Anclado en la barra del bar.

Ilusión
De encontrarla en el milagro de un loco espejismo,
De volver a soñar que me quiere
Y que nada nos va a separar.
Pero luego ese loco espejismo
Se burla… se esfuma…
Y otra vez todo rueda al abismo
Y quedo más triste bebiendo en el bar.

English lyrics of the Tango "La calle sin sueño"

The love
That I’ve lost and yet continue to seek,
Is alive in my aching flesh
And I feel it burning in my veins.
In my glass, I see appearing
Her face… smiling…
And bringing my lips to her image,
I kiss her… I absorb her… I feel intoxicated.

It’s called the Sleepless Street
Nocturnal illusion of love,
Its bar sells a blonde poison
That quenches thirst and pain.
It’s called the Sleepless Street
And as I pass, I seek
A bit of alcohol and dream
Anchored in the bar’s counter.

Illusion
Of finding her in the miracle of a mad mirage,
Of dreaming again that she loves me
And that nothing will separate us.
But then that mad mirage
Mocks me… fades away…
And once again everything spirals into the abyss
And I remain sadder, drinking at the bar.

La calle sin sueño by Enrique Cadícamo

La calle sin sueño is a Tango written by Enrique Cadícamo and composed by Lucio Demare.

Story behind the Tango La calle sin sueño

“La calle sin sueño” poignantly encapsulates the themes of lost love and unending search for solace, where alcohol becomes a temporary escape from profound emotional pain. The title itself, translating to “The Sleepless Street,” sets a backdrop of a locale haunted by memories and ceaseless yearning. The protagonist in the tango talks about an intense personal loss of a loved one, whose presence is continually felt “burning in the veins” and seen in the illusions brought on by alcoholic hallucinations in a bar—a space synonymous with escape and transient reliefs.



Symbolism of La calle sin sueño

The core symbolism in this tango pivots around the notion of a “street that never sleeps,” metaphorically a mind that cannot find rest due to pervasive thoughts of a past lover. The repeated reference to seeing the beloved’s face in the “glass” and the description of a bar dispensing a “blond poison” that “quenches thirst and pain” powerfully evoke themes of addiction—not just to substances but to memories and past attachments. This venue acts as an altar of sorrow where moments of intoxication bring fleeting reunions with the loved one, albeit illusory and ephemeral. “A little bit of alcohol and dream” stuck at the bar’s edge further exemplifies this escape and the entrapment within cycles of grief and temporary relief.



La calle sin sueño in historic Context

Written and composed in 1957, “La calle sin sueño” emerges from an era within Argentine cultural history where tango music reflected wider social sentiments of melancholy, nostalgia, and personal struggles, often intertwined with socio-political shifts in Argentina. The post-war environment and internal societal changes likely influenced Cadícamo’s lyrical emphasis on personal turmoil and societal escapism, reflecting broad themes of disillusionment and a collective grappling with the residues of conflict and transformation. This era saw tango as not merely entertainment but a profound commentary on human emotions and societal conditions.



Enrique Cadícamo

Enrique Cadícamo was a renowned Argentine poet and tango lyricist, remembered for his profound contributions to the tango genre with numerous classic songs marked by their lyrical depth and emotional resonance.