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.
Una lágrima is a Tango written by Eugenio Cárdenas and composed by Nicolás Verona.
The tango “Una lágrima” translates to “A Tear” in English, and meticulously captures the sorrow and despair of a woman reflecting on lost love and betrayed expectations. Its lyrics describe the journey of a single tear, representing the culmination of her grief and the permanently scarred purity of her first love. The story unfolds around a heartfelt letter, dimmed by time, that reminds her of promises made and never fulfilled, embodying the anguish of a relationship that delivered more agony than solace.
The recurrent image of “Una lágrima,” a single tear, serves as a potent symbol of the protagonist’s emotional state. It represents the pain of unrequited love and the disillusionment that follows broken promises. The lyrics use elements of nature, such as a “lirio azul besado por el sol” (a blue lily kissed by the sun), to highlight the innate beauty and transient innocence of the woman’s feelings, which, though beautiful and pure, are fated to fade away. The faded, yellowing letter symbolizes the passage of time and the durability of her emotional scars.
Recorded during a time when tango was a profound expression of the Argentine soul, “Una lágrima” imagines the socio-emotional landscape of Argentina, 1967. During this period, tango often grappled with themes of existential angst, sorrow, and the politics of everyday life. “Una lágrima” stays intimate, focusing on personal tragedy, yet mirrors the collective sentiment of disillusionment that could be felt at the time, likely exacerbated by the political and social turbulence of Argentina in the 1960s.
Eugenio Cárdenas was a lyricist whose work piercingly and empathetically conveyed the intricacies of heartache and loss in the realm of tango.