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.
Lunes (Lunes trece) is a Tango written by Francisco García Jiménez and composed by José Luis Padula.
The song “Lunes (Lunes trece)” captures the stark contrast between the leisure and excess of the weekend with the mundane and often harsh realities of the working week. The lyrics open with a university professor who digs in his pocket for a nickel to buy a meal, a far cry from his previous day’s gambling on sure bets at the races. The transition from Sunday’s fantasies to Monday’s sobering dawn is a theme that resonates with the grind of early 20th-century working-class life in Argentina. The song mourns the end of the weekend’s revelry—filled with dance, poker, and champagne—only to confront the workplace’s demands as Monday arrives.
The title “Lunes (Lunes trece)” or “Monday (Monday the thirteenth)” in English, conveys a sense of foreboding, as the number thirteen often symbolizes bad luck in many cultures, enhancing the grim view of Mondays. Symbolic contrasts between the descriptions of the weekend and Monday vividly illustrate the cyclic highs and lows of life. The imagery of a character reverting from being a queen at the ballroom to a worker heading to a factory underscores the transient nature of joy and social status. Jiménez cleverly uses the tango as a mirror to the dramatic fluctuations in emotions and fortune, exposing the harsh tug of reality as the festivities end.
Recorded in the early 1930s, a period marked by economic upheaval globally and local political instability in Argentina, “Lunes (Lunes trece)” reflects the societal concerns of its time through the lens of the average Argentinean citizen. The mention of specific locations like “Dique 3” places the narrative in recognizable settings, making the lyrics relatable to its audience. It highlights how ordinary individuals grappled with economic inconsistencies and employment challenges, with the fleeting respite provided by weekends.
Francisco García Jiménez was a prominent lyricist known for his contributions to the tango genre in Argentina.