A few days ago, I listened to the music of the French singer Zaz (Isabelle Geffroy), who has a rather unique style that can be described as a blend of chanson, soul, and gypsy jazz. I listened to her videos on YouTube and really enjoyed watching her both in the studio and on the streets of Paris. Anyway, this isn’t really about tango, but one of her songs stood out. It was a jazzy interpretation of ‘Historia de un amor’—still not a tango. Don’t think this song is new to me. It’s actually one of the biggest Latin American hits, which has been interpreted by more than 200 singers across South America, Europe, and even Russia. A day later, I still had the song stuck in my head and even started translating and partially reciting the lyrics. So, I had to write this blog post about a unique song. Don’t worry, tango will still play its rightful role here. To understand my feelings, we need to take a closer look at the story behind this song.
‘Historia de un amor’ was written as a bolero in 1955 by Carlos Eleta Almarán from Panama after the death of his brother’s wife [1]. The song describes the profound grief and suffering following the loss of the love of his life. It immediately became an international hit, primarily because it served as the soundtrack for the Mexican film of the same name starring Libertad Lamarque, who also performed the song. It was later used in a Colombian telenovela (‘La hija del mariachi’) [1].
Here is the original version with Libertad Lamarque from 1956:
Here is the version sung by Carolina Ramirez for the film score of “La hija de mariachi”. As you can see, many other songs of national and international South American significance were used.
So what’s the connection to tango? The song was also a huge hit in Argentina. Consequently, a tango version by Hector Varela, with Rodolfo Lescia as the singer, was recorded later that same year. Here is the original recording from 1956:
And just as an aside, here’s the same piece danced by Carlos Gavito and Marcela Duran:
Here is another version, closer to the original Bolero, performed by the group French Latino in Spanish and French:
And finally, the version by Zaz that inspired me to start this blog:
Here is the text in Spanish and English:
| Ya no estas mas a mi lado corazón En el alma sólo tengo soledad Y si ya no puedo verte Por qué Dios me hizo quererte Para hacerme sufrir mas Siempre fuiste la razón de mi existir Adorarte para mi fue religión En tus besos yo encontraba El calor que me brindaba El amor y la pasión Es la historia de un amor Como no hay otro igual Que me hizo comprender Todo el bien, todo el mal Que le dio luz a mi vida Apagándola después Hay que vida tan obscura Sin tu amor no viviré | You are no longer by my side, my love and in my soul there is only loneliness and if I can no longer see you Why did God let me love you? To make me suffer even more? You were always the reason for my existence Worshiping you was my religion In your kisses I found the warmth that gave me Love and passion. This is the story of a love like there is no other which made me understand all the good and all the bad She brought light into my life and then darkened it What a dark life Without your love, I will not live. |
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