Cacho Castaña developed an interest in music during his early years, and by age fourteen, he was a piano teacher. Raised in modest circumstances in the Flores neighborhood, he worked with his father, a shoe cobbler, until age 16. He began his career in music in his teens as a pianist in Oscar Espósito's orquesta típica, one of numerous such groups that performed tango music at the time, and also performed in the Chamamé folk genre.
Castaña became famous as a bolero singer during the 1970s, performing on Argentine television programs such as Tiempo Final and Un Cortado, among others. He authored numerous hits, including Me gusta, me gusta ("I like it, I like it"), Lo llaman el matador ("He's Nicknamed the Killer") and Hay que encontrar al ladrón ("The Thief Must be Found"), and his signature bolero: Para vivir un gran amor ("To Live a Great Love"). His lyrics became known for their extemporaneous and often autobiographical style, which he described as "writing as I would speak."
He is much better known, however, for his contributions to tango music: some of his compositions are considered classics by his fans, including Qué tango hay que cantar ("What Tango Must One Sing", with Rubén Juárez), Garganta con Arena ("Throat full of sand", an homage to Roberto Goyeneche, his mentor), "Tita de Buenos Aires", (Tita de Buenos Aires, dedicated to Tita Merello), A dónde vas? Quedate en Buenos Aires ("Where are you going? Stay in Buenos Aires"), and his ode to the Flores neighborhood: Café la Humedad. Castaña composed around 2,500 songs, of which 500 have been recorded. He produced 44 records, of which fifteen became gold records (over 20,000 sold, per CAPIF ratings), and ten, platinum (over 40,000 sold).
Castaña also starred in thirteen Argentine films, including two for which he wrote the score, El mundo que inventamos ("The World We Created", 1973) and Los hijos de López ("López's Sons", 1980); numerous picaresque comedies; and in Felicidades (2000). A confirmed bachelor for much of his life, his numerous relationships included one with Susana Giménez during the 1970s (Giménez would later become a top-rated talk show hostess in Argentina). He ultimately married Andrea Sblano, the 27-year-old daughter of a close friend, in 2006; among his other close friends was former President Carlos Menem. His television appearances in later years included a cameo on the popular Argentine telenovela, Los Roldán. He earned a Konex Award in 2005 for his work as songwriter, and his tango album released that year, Espalda con espalda ("Shoulder to Shoulder") earned a Gardel Prize.He was invited to perform "with all the other monsters" in Leopoldo Federico's series, Selección Nacional de Tango Argentino (an event he considered "the happiest day of my life"), and was inducted into the National Academy of Tango in 2007.
Castaña's career declined during the 1990s, but rebounded after 2003, and he became active in Argentina's stage and festival circuit. He headlined numerous Corrientes Avenue shows, and was a regular performer in the National Peña Festival, in Villa María. A heavy smoker, he developed emphysema in later years, and was twice hospitalized as he prepared to appear in shows. He and his wife opened a children's clothing boutique, Las Castañitas.[8] Their marriage suffered, however, and they separated in 2011. He was again hospitalized following the separation, and made a speedy recovery.
After two weeks hospitalized, Cacho Castaña died on October 15, 2019.
La ultima Curda
Cacho Castaña Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu ronca maldición maleva
Tu lágrima de ron me lleva
Hacia el hondo bajo fondo
Donde el barro se subleva
Ya sé, no me digas tenes razón
La vida es una herida absurda
Y es todo, todo tan fugaz
Mi confesión
Contame tu condena
Decime tu fracaso
No ves la pena que me ha herido?
Y háblame simplemente
De aquel amor ausente
Tras un retazo del olvido
Ya sé que me hace daño
Yo sé que te lastimó
Llorando mi sermón de vino
Pero es el viejo amor
Que tiembla, bandoneón
Y busca en el licor que aturda
La curda que al final
Termine la función
Corriéndole un telón
Al corazón
Un poco de recuerdo y sinsabor
Gotea tu rezongo lerdo
Marea tu licor y arrea
La tropilla de la zurda
Al volcar la ultima curda
Cerrame el ventanal, que arrastra el sol
Su lento caracol de sueño
No ves que vengo de un país
Que esta de olvido siempre gris
Tras el alcohol
Contame tu condena
Decime tu fracaso
No ves la pena que me ha herido?
Y háblame simplemente
De aquel amor ausente
Tras un retazo del olvido
Ya sé que me hace daño
Yo sé que te lastimó
Llorando mi sermón de vino
Pero es el viejo amor
Que tiembla, bandoneón
Y busca en el licor que aturda
La curda que al final
Termine la función
Corriéndole un telón
Al corazón
In "La Ultima Curda" by Cacho Castaña, the lyrics speak to the emotional pain and struggle of living in a world filled with absurdity and fleeting moments. The bandoneón, a traditional Argentine musical instrument, is personified as the singer's companion in their journey through life. The bandoneón's sound and presence evoke a sense of melancholy and rebellion, symbolizing the harsh reality and struggles experienced by the singer.
The lyrics convey a deep sense of loneliness and frustration, as the singer acknowledges that life is a pointless wound, and everything is transient and temporary. The reference to "curda" (a slang term for getting drunk) suggests that the singer seeks solace or escape from the harsh realities of life through alcohol. This "curda" is portrayed as both therapeutic and destructive, providing temporary relief but ultimately deepening the pain.
The singer asks the bandoneón to share their own sorrow and failure, suggesting that they are seeking empathy and understanding. They express their heartache and longing for a past love that remains absent, buried in forgotten memories. The bandoneón becomes a vessel for the singer's emotional outpouring, with their tears mingling with the drink, as they delude themselves with the false comfort provided by alcohol.
The singer's state of mind is further emphasized in the mention of a sun that drags its slow spiral of dreams, highlighting their weariness and the monotony of living in a country that is always forgotten or gloomy. They long for closure, for the end of the show, where the heart can rest and find solace. The closing of the metaphorical curtain represents the desire to escape from the pain and tumult of emotions that love has brought.
Overall, "La Ultima Curda" explores themes of existentialism, emotional turmoil, and the search for temporary relief from a harsh reality. It delves into the complexity of human emotions, highlighting the yearning for connection, understanding, and release from the burdens of life. The lyrics offer an intimate glimpse into the singer's inner struggles and the solace they seek through the cathartic power of music and alcohol.
Line by Line Meaning
Lastima bandoneón, mi corazón
Oh, pity bandoneon, my heart
Tu ronca maldición maleva
Your hoarse malevolent curse
Tu lágrima de ron me lleva
Your tear of rum takes me
Hacia el hondo bajo fondo
Towards the deep underworld
Donde el barro se subleva
Where the mud rebels
Ya sé, no me digas tenes razón
I know, don't tell me you're right
La vida es una herida absurda
Life is an absurd wound
Y es todo, todo tan fugaz
And it's all so fleeting
Que es una curda, nada más
That it's just a drunkenness, nothing else
Mi confesión
My confession
Contame tu condena
Tell me your sentence
Decime tu fracaso
Tell me your failure
No ves la pena que me ha herido?
Don't you see the pain that has hurt me?
Y háblame simplemente
And simply talk to me
De aquel amor ausente
About that absent love
Tras un retazo del olvido
After a shred of forgetfulness
Ya sé que me hace daño
I know it hurts me
Yo sé que te lastimó
I know it hurt you
Llorando mi sermón de vino
Crying my sermon of wine
Pero es el viejo amor
But it's the old love
Que tiembla, bandoneón
That trembles, bandoneon
Y busca en el licor que aturda
And searches in the intoxicating liquor
La curda que al final
The drunkenness that in the end
Termine la función
Ends the function
Corriéndole un telón
Pulling a curtain
Al corazón
To the heart
Un poco de recuerdo y sinsabor
A little bit of memory and bitterness
Gotea tu rezongo lerdo
Drips your slow nagging
Marea tu licor y arrea
Disorients your liquor and drives away
La tropilla de la zurda
The herd of the left
Al volcar la ultima curda
While pouring out the last drunkenness
Cerrame el ventanal, que arrastra el sol
Close the window, dragging the sun
Su lento caracol de sueño
Its slow snail of sleep
No ves que vengo de un país
Don't you see that I come from a country
Que esta de olvido siempre gris
That is always forgotten and gray
Tras el alcohol
After the alcohol
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OVIDIO CATULO GONZALEZ CASTILLO, ANIBAL CARMELO TROILO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
eduardo fuste
Este tango es una joya en una interpretacion magistral.!!!!
Armando Vértiz
Cacho has dejado una huella muy profunda, gracias por esta magistral interpretación.
Santiago Altamirano
Hermosa interpretación
Austin Arteaga Turcotte
Hermosa interpretación de Cacho
Liliana Iorio
Grande Cachito....!nos queda tu música...pero se te extraña.
Pedro Valdes leal
Cacho Castaña supo mejor que todos ubicarse en lo que quiso Don Catulo decir en esta hermosa y decidora letra.HERMOSO Y SIGNIFICATIVO TODO TLEEMUCO CHI
Fernando Navarro
Precioso tango, qué bien define en los últimos versos.
Carlos Patiño
Es el último tanguero es verdad excelente gracias
Fernando Fernandez
Que aturrrrrrrda, la currrrrrrrda. Que versión capo!!!
Federico Castaldo
es un groso cacho