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.
Suerte loca is a Tango written by Francisco García Jiménez and composed by Anselmo Aieta.
Translated as “Crazy Luck,” “Suerte loca” unveils the harsh realities and the disillusionment in life through the metaphor of a card game. The lyrics reflect the journey of accepting life’s deceitful aspects, recognizing that what often seems like luck is, in reality, a result of learning from deceit and manipulation. The protagonist hears people remarking on his luck, but he knows it is more about his experiences which taught him to anticipate and counter betrayals. The phrase “En el naipe del vivir, para ganar, primero perdí” which translates to “In the card game of living, to win, I first lost,” encapsulates this notion of gaining wisdom through initial failures or loss.
The central symbols in “Suerte loca” are the cards and card games, representing life’s unpredictable nature and the dishonesty encountered by individuals. Cards of “illusion” that eventually reveal themselves as “cards of pain” suggest bitter realities veiled as initial attractions or hopes. Moreover, incorporation of “death” as a stake in the game symbolizes the ultimate risk or loss one might need to prepare for. The verses reflect a realization that despite knowledge and experience, the seductive pull of hope – “the mat is hope” – can still plunge one back into a state of vulnerability, highlighting the eternal conflict between wisdom gained from disillusionment and the intrinsic human tendency to hope.
The song was written and registered in the 1980s, a period in Argentina marked by social and economic turmoil following the repressive military dictatorship that ended in 1983. This environment might explain the thematic focus on deceit, betrayal, and survival against odds. In this context, “Suerte loca” can be seen as a reflection on the resilience and coping mechanisms that the society had to adopt in the face of systematic betrayal and disillusionment. The card game emblematically narrates how life during such troubling times was a gamble, filled with uncertainty, where trust was often a luxury that many could not afford.
Francisco García Jiménez was an influential writer and lyricist in Argentine Tango, known for his poignant and reflective contributions to the genre’s literary base.