Fabrice Knecht Tango DJ
Style
Orchestra
Singer
Author
Composer
Date
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.
Yo te canto Buenos Aires is a Tango written by Carlos Waiss and composed by Héctor Varela.
The theme of “Yo te canto Buenos Aires” is a poignant blend of nostalgia and lament. The narrator returns to a Buenos Aires that has undergone significant changes, reflecting on the city’s transformation from the one he once knew and loved. The primary emotions conveyed in the lyrics include a deep love for the city paired with a sense of loss and melancholy over the changes it has undergone. The title itself, translated as “I sing to you, Buenos Aires,” underlines a personal and intimate connection to the city, despite the alterations time has made.
The lyric contains rich symbolism and notable language choices that deepen its emotional impact. The phrase “Cómo duelen los recuerdos con su gris melancolía” (“How painful memories are with their gray melancholy”) uses the color gray to symbolize the dullness and sadness that memories can bring. This paints a visual of the emotional landscape the narrator traverses. Moreover, the transformation of the city’s “varones” (men) and “guitarras y malvones” (guitars and geraniums) into “shadows”, serves as metaphors for the essential cultural elements of Buenos Aires that have faded or been lost altogether, depicting them almost as ghostly remnants of a vibrant past.
Recorded in 1963, the tango reflects a period of noticeable societal changes in Argentina. During the 1960s, Argentina faced political and economic challenges that likely influenced the cultural and social landscape of Buenos Aires. This time frame may explain the sense of loss expressed in the lyrics, symbolizing changes that possibly include shifts in traditional values and lifestyles as well as the physical appearance of the city. The narrator’s mourning of the city’s changes, therefore, taps into the broader feeling of longing for a simpler, perhaps more authentic, past.
Carlos Waiss was an influential figure in the realm of Argentinian tango, known for his evocative lyrics that often encapsulate deep emotional and cultural reflections.