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.
Sobre el pucho (Un callejón en Pompeya) is a Tango written by José González Castillo and composed by Sebastián Piana.
Set within a dimly lit alleyway in Pompeya, “Sobre el pucho” paints a vivid scene of a solitary figure, possibly a “malevo” or tough man, standing under a street lamp amidst the reflective muddiness, smoking and listening to the melancholic grind of an organito playing a tango. Amidst this setting, the malevo reflects deeply on a past love, the music triggering poignant memories of lost love and the passage of time. The image of smoking ‘sobre el pucho,’ referring to smoking a cigarette down to the stub, metaphorically parallels his lingering contemplation over what now only burns as a trace of its former self.
The symbolism in “Sobre el pucho” is rich and tied closely to the cigarette mentioned in the lyrics. In this tango, the cigarette, smoked down to the stub, embodies the fleeting nature of emotions and experiences, serving both as a physical representation of time’s erosion of sentiment and pleasure. The analogy continues as he compares his former lover’s inconstancy to the act of discarding a flavorless cigarette stub, highlighting the residues of a once passionate affair now faded into paltry remnants. Additionally, the organito grinding out a tango in the backdrop not only sets a soundscape but serves as a conduit for his emotions, the repetitive and mechanical nature of the music mirroring his intransigent rumination on the past. The metaphorical darkness illuminated by the “farolito” or small street lamp may signify hope or enlightenment as he processes his sorrow.
This tango, created in the turbulent times of 1968 in Argentina, resonates with the feelings of change and nostalgia. During this period, the country was undergoing significant social and political transformations, which are subtly mirrored in the song’s themes of loss and remembrance. Pompeya, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, is emblematic of the Argentine working class, hardened by their surroundings yet deeply cultural; thus, the setting itself adds a layer of authenticity and grit to the narrative. The dialogue about lost love can be seen as a metaphor for the general sense of change and melancholy experienced by society at that time.
José González Castillo was a prominent Argentine playwright, poet, and tango lyricist, well-known for his contributions to the Argentine cultural landscape during the early to mid-20th century.