Gardel possessed a baritone voice deployed with unerring musicality and dramatic phrasing, creating miniature masterpieces among the hundreds of three-minute tangos which he recorded during his lifetime. Together with his long-term collaborator, lyricist Alfredo Le Pera, Gardel also wrote several classic tangos, notably 'Mi Buenos Aires querido', 'Amores de Estudiante', 'Soledad', 'Volver', 'Por una cabeza' and 'El día que me quieras'.
Gardel was born to unmarried 25-year-old laundress Berthe Gardes, the baby registered under the name Charles Romuald Gardes in Toulouse, France, on 11 December 1890. The father of the baby boy was listed on his birth certificate as "unknown"; eleven days later Berthe Gardes signed a statement establishing the baby's father as Paul Laserre, a married man who left Toulouse a few months before the baby was born. Berthe Gardes left Toulouse a few years later, likely to escape the social stigma of having a child born out of wedlock. In early 1893 in Bordeaux, France, mother and son boarded the ship SS Don Pedro and sailed to Buenos Aires, arriving on 11 March 1893. Berthe Gardes had her passport recorded; she told immigration authorities that she was a widow. The two-year-old boy was recorded as Charles Gardes.
Gardel grew up going by Carlos, the Spanish version of his French name, and often by the familiar diminutive form Carlitos. He lived in the Abasto neighborhood of Buenos Aires. He attended Pio IX Industrial high-school located in the Almagro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. His mother worked pressing clothes in the French style.
Gardel began his career singing in bars and at private parties, and in 1911 formed a duet with Francisco Martino, and after with José Razzano (which would last until 1925), singing a wide repertory. Gardel made the music his own by inventing the tango-canción in 1917 with 'Mi Noche Triste', a theme by Pascual Contursi and Samuel Castriota, which sold 100,000 copies and was a hit throughout Latin America. Gardel went on to tour Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia and made appearances in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and New York. He sold 70,000 records in the first three months of a 1928 visit to Paris. As his popularity grew, he made a number of films for the Paramount in France and the USA, which were essentially vehicles for his singing and matinée-idol looks.
When Gardel and his collaborator Le Pera were killed in an airplane crash in Medellín, Colombia in 1935, millions of his fans throughout Latin America went into mourning. Hordes of people thronged to pay their respects as the singer's body travelled via Colombia, New York and Rio de Janeiro to its final resting place in La Chacarita cemetery in Buenos Aires.
Gardel is still revered from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, where people like to say that "he sings better every day." His fans still like to place a lit cigarette in the fingers of the life-sized statue which adorns his tomb. One of Gardel's favourite phrases, 'Veinte años no es nada' (Twenty years is nothing) became a famous saying across Latin America.
A Media Luz
Carlos Gardel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No hay porteros ni vecinos, adentro cocktel de amor.
Pisito que puso Maple, piano, estera y velador,
Un telefono que contesta, una fonola que llora,
Viejos tangos de mi flor y un gato de porcelana pa que No maulle el amor.
Y todo a media luz, que es un brujo el amor,
Y todo a media luz, crepsculo interior,
Que suave terciopelo la media luz de amor.
Juncal doce venticuatro, telefonea sin temor,
De tarde te con masitas, de noche tango y amor,
Los domingos t danzante, los lunes desolacin.
Hay de todo en la casita, almohadones y divanes como en botica,
Coco, alfombras que no hacen ruido y mesa puesta al amor...
The song "A Media Luz" by Carlos Gardel is a beautiful tango that encapsulates the feeling of falling in love in secret, away from prying eyes. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a lover who has found a secret hideaway where they can be alone with the object of their affection. The setting is described in detail - a small apartment on the second floor of a building, reached by an elevator. It's a private place with no doorman or neighbors to disturb them. The apartment is furnished with items that create an atmosphere of intimacy, including a piano, rug, and bedside table. There is a telephone and a record player that plays old tangos that remind the singer of his lover. The lyrics refer to a porcelain cat that sits in the room, serving as a symbol of love that should be kept quiet.
The chorus of the song, "A media luz", which translates to "in the half-light," is repeated several times throughout the song. It refers to the low lighting of the apartment that creates an atmosphere of intimacy, secrecy, and romance. The song suggests the couple's love is real and passionate but must remain hidden away from disapproving eyes. The lyrics encourage the lovers to enjoy this time together with tenderness and care so that their love can endure despite the challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Corrientes tres cuatro ocho, segundo piso, ascensor,
The location of the apartment where love is brewed in secret - Corrientes street, on the second floor, with an elevator
No hay porteros ni vecinos, adentro cocktel de amor.
The apartment is devoid of nosy neighbors, and inside, love is being mixed like a secret cocktail
Pisito que puso Maple, piano, estera y velador,
Maple has furnished the apartment with a small place for a piano, a rug and a table lamp
Un telefono que contesta, una fonola que llora,
There's a phone that always answers and a record player that cries in the apartment
Viejos tangos de mi flor y un gato de porcelana pa que No maulle el amor.
There are old tangos playing, and a porcelain cat guarding the love from making a sound
Y todo a media luz, que es un brujo el amor,
Everything is in a dim light, which bewitches and adds an aura of magic to the love
A media luz los besos, a media luz los dos.
The kisses are shared in a half-light, as are the two lovers
Y todo a media luz, crepsculo interior,
The medium lighting adds an interior twilight-like setting to the apartment
Que suave terciopelo la media luz de amor.
The medium light has a gentle velvet-like quality, which adds grace and softness to the love
Juncal doce venticuatro, telefonea sin temor,
There's no fear when calling from Juncal street number 1224
De tarde te con masitas, de noche tango y amor,
In the afternoon, it's tea and snacks; at night, it's tango and love
Los domingos t danzante, los lunes desolacin.
Sundays are for dancing, while Mondays are depressing
Hay de todo en la casita, almohadones y divanes como en botica,
The apartment has everything one might need, from cushions to sofas
Coco, alfombras que no hacen ruido y mesa puesta al amor...
There are coco mats that don't make noise, carpets, and a table set up for love
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edgardo Donato, Carlos Cesar Lenzi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@10hetitor
Paco Medina, Cantor. Música: Edgardo Donato
Letra: Carlos Lenzi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVQ68DwqbX8 Corrientes 3, 4, 8,
segundo piso, ascensor.
No hay porteros ni vecinos.
Adentro, cocktail y amor.
Pisito que puso Maple:
piano, estera y velador,
un telefón que contesta,
una victrola que llora
viejos tangos de mi flor
y un gato de porcelana
pa' que no maulle al amor.
Y todo a media luz,
que es un brujo el amor,
a media luz los besos,
a media luz los dos.
Y todo a media luz
crepúsculo interior.
¡Qué suave terciopelo
la media luz de amor!
Juncal 12, 24
Telefoneá sin temor.
De tarde, té con masitas;
de noche, tango y cantar.
Los domingos, tés danzantes;
los lunes, desolación,
Hay de todo en la casita:
almohadones y divanes;
come en botica, cocó;
alfombras que no hacen ruido
y mesa puesta al amor...
@alicialopezsoto4512
HOOO QUE BELLEZA SOY HONDUREÑA ❤❤❤
@martharammirezlopez5114
Hoy en Buenos Aires fui a Corrientes 348 y ahí está la puertecita y los faroles y una placa q dice letra de Carlos C. Lenzi y música Edgardo Donato. Soy de Colombia y me encanta el tango
@lorenzoponce4667
Eso es mentira, en corrientes 348, en la parte frontal hay una tienda de ropa y artículos para caballero.
@marcelomarino5938
Ahi tenes el edificio original del tango
@marcelomarino5938
No es mentira...en el nuevo edificio hay un porton
@joseoctaviorodriguez-em8vc
Dios mio ... que impresionante voz entre lo que se describe: elegancia y ternura
Cuán lejos quedamos de aquella época
@mariafranciscateresasousag2779
❤
@amorrodriguez6220
No es gardel
@tomasfrancoochoa854
Papá...te extraño...quiero ser niña otra vez para oírte cantar esto.
@evyta79
❤