Composed by Argentinian pianist Julio Cesar Sanders, ‘Adios Muchachos’ was intended as a playful hymn for a group of friends, but since its inception in September 9, 1927, the tango has evolved in many ways.
One night, Sanders had been in a cafe with his friends in the Buenos Aires district of Flores. As the evening ended and they parted ways, one of them said, “Adios, muchachos (goodbye, boys).” Inspired by this, Sanders created the song on the piano and a friend, Cesar Vedani, added lyrics.
When Sanders and his friends performed the tango in public, it was highly acclaimed. Many singers and orchestras recorded the tango, supposedly reaching 1,500 recordings within the first few months of its debut. However, a tango database notes that the song has had 118 distinct recordings.
The first recording was by Agustin Magaldi in 1927. Carlos Gardel recorded it as well in 1928 and the song became a hit throughout Europe when Gardel went on tour. The tango has appeared in numerous films as well as on television, including ‘Scent of a Woman’ (1992) and an episode of ‘I Love Lucy.’
The original lyrics portray a very ill man on the verge of death, saying farewell to his friends while fondly looking back at his life. Below is a translation of Vedani’s lyrics.
Goodbye boys, fellows of my life,
Loved bar from those times.
It’s my turn, today, to commence the retreat
I have to move away from my good group of young people
Goodbye boys, I go now and I resign,
Nobody beats the destiny.
All the parties/mockeries are over, for me,
My ill body doesn’t resist anymore.
In my mind come memories from other times,
Of the beautiful moments that I have long ago enjoyed,
Close to my mother, old saint,
And to my beloved one, whom I have so much idolised.
They remember that she was beautiful, prettier than a Goddess,
And what a full of verve love, did my heart give her.
But, God, jealous of her charm,
Took her away, sinking me in cry.
God is the supreme judge, nobody resists in front of Him,
I am now accustomed, to respect His law,
Well, my life ended with His orders
Taking away my mother and my beloved one, also.
Two sincere tears cried at my depart
For the loved bar that never forgot me,
And giving to my friends, my last goodbye
I give them, my blessing, with all my heart.
Goodbye boys, fellows of my life,
Loved bar from those times.
It’s my turn, today, to commence the retreat
I have to move away from my good group of young people
Goodbye boys, I go now and I resign,
Nobody beats the destiny.
All the parties/ mockeries are over for me,
My ill body doesn’t resist anymore.
In the United States, the jazz musician Louis Armstrong recorded ‘Adios Muchachos’ in 1951, but with the title changed to ‘I Get Ideas.’ Dorcas Cochran was credited as the lyricist and this version became an international hit. While it retained its title in Italy, the new lyrics have been criticized for straying too far from the original essence of the tango. The new words were more about a man about to be imprisoned for a year. This version was recorded by the singer Milva, whose interest in tango was so great, she was called “an Italian that loves Buenos Aires.” In Great Britain, two versions were recorded, one called ‘I’ll Always Keep You in My Heart’ and ‘Paul the Dreamer.’
After the 1943 Argentine coup d’etat, some changes to the lyrics were made by the military dictatorship. A 1945 recording by Enrique Rodriguez had the words ‘la barra querida (beloved gang)’ changed to ‘viejos amigos (old friends),’ ‘nadie la talla (no one size fits all)’ to ‘nadie batalla (no battle),’ and ‘todas las farras (all those binges)’ to ‘todas las fiestas (all those parties).’
Sources: http://www.todotango.com/english/history/chronicle/357/Adios-muchachos-Milva-and-Adios-muchachos-a-prison-tango/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiós_muchachos_(tango) http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Adios-muchachos-Adios-muchachos.html https://todayintango.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/1927-september-9-1st-recorded-adios-muchachos/
