In 1934, French Argentine composer Carlos Gardel along with lyricist Alfredo Le Pera created the tango ‘Volver.’ It is considered one of the most famous and beautiful tangos as it has become a symbol of nostalgia for all the Argentines forced to migrate from their homeland.
Like many migrants to the United States, Argentines were seeking better economic opportunities. However, it was in the 1970s when many of them fled the ‘Dirty War’ and political and military upheaval. The total number of people migrating numbered 44,803
This tango was recorded on March 19, 1935 for the film ‘El Dia Que Me Quieras (The Day you Love Me),’ which was also written by Le Pera and starred Gardel. In the movie, Gardel plays Carlos Arguelles, the son of a wealthy man whose only interests in life are business and making money. While trying to succeed in show business he falls in love with a dancer and they elope to marry.
In ‘Volver,’ Gardel sings about the pain and nostalgia of exile. This song symbolizes the fleetingness of life and the destiny of a man who is heading down the path of no return.
Only three months after the recording, on June 24, Gardel and Le Pera perished in a plane crash in Medellin, Colombia. ‘Volver’ is reputed to be his last song for his fans, a melodic and nostalgic piece for the adoring millions in mourning. It has since been surrounded by an atmosphere of veneration and superstition. No orchestra or discerning DJ would play this piece in a tango ball.
This tango has been covered by multiple singers, including Julio Iglesias, Libertad Lamarque, Los Panchos, Andres Calamaro, and Il Divo. In 2006, Pedro Almodovar’s film also entitled ‘Volver,’ utilized the tango, but turned it into a flamenco sung by Penelope Cruz.
Below is an English translation of the lyrics:
I imagine the flickering
of the lights that in the distance
will be marking my return.
They’re the same that lit,
with their pale reflections,
deep hours of pain
And even though I didn’t want to come back,
you always return to your first love
The tranquil street where the echo said
yours is her life, yours is her love,
under the mocking gaze of the stars
that, with indifference, today see me return.
To return
with withered face,
the snows of time
have whitened my temples.
To feel… that life is a puff of wind,
that twenty years is nothing,
that the feverish look,
wandering in the shadow,
looks for you and names you.
To live…
with the soul clutched
to a sweet memory
that I cry once again
I am afraid of the encounter
with the past that returns
to confront my life
I am afraid of the nights
that, filled with memories,
shackle my dreams.
But the traveler that flees
sooner or later stops his walking
And although forgetfulness, which destroys all,
has killed my old dream,
I keep concealed a humble hope
that is my heart’s whole fortune.
To live… with the soul clutched
to a sweet memory
that I cry once again
Source: www.planet-tango.com/lyrics/volver.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volver_(tango)
http://www.theaterkonstanz.de/tkn/veranstaltung/07046/index.html
http://www.americas-fr.com/musique/tango/tango-4.html
http://tango-argentin.com/volver.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_Americans
