[Tango] Famous Tango Songs: Recommended Popular Tracks

Rodríguez PeñaNEW!Vicente Greco

Rodriguez Peña

This work, created around 1911 by bandoneon player Vicente Greco, who supported the dawn of Argentine tango.

When it premiered at a salon in Buenos Aires, an enthusiastic anecdote tells that the audience, overwhelmed by its brilliance, hoisted him onto their shoulders in praise.

Originally named after the street of the venue where it was first performed, it has long been cherished primarily as an instrumental without lyrics.

Featuring a classic rhythm and a memorable melody, it has remained a standard number recorded by many masters, including the Juan D’Arienzo orchestra.

A historic piece that helped propel tango into high society, it carries a nostalgic yet exhilarating lift to the heart.

It’s an ideal track for those looking to delve deeper into tango or seeking a passionate dance number.

Tango of the Red Ogre and the Blue OgreNEW!Fukuda Wakako

The Tango of the Red Ogre and the Blue Ogre / Minna no Uta

Broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta,” this classic children’s song has been beloved for many years.

Composed by Kazue Fukuda, who supported the music of numerous programs such as “Okaasan to Issho,” the piece first aired in December 1977.

A single version sung by Isao Bito was released in January 1978 and gained popularity, ranking 48th on the annual Oricon “TV Anime & Children’s Songs” chart at the time.

Set to a tango rhythm, its uniquely charming world depicts red and blue ogres cheerfully dancing under the moonlight.

Many listeners can’t help but smile at these endearing demons.

It’s a perfect song not only for the Setsubun season, but also whenever parents and children want to sing and dance together.

Por Una CabezaCarlos Gardel

Por una Cabeza – Carlos Gardel

Among Argentine tangos, it’s no exaggeration to call “Por una Cabeza” the most famous piece.

Its passionate melody weaves an exquisite portrayal of romance that is not to be missed.

Composed by Carlos Gardel as an insert song for the 1935 film Tango Bar, it’s a work admired by lovers of tango.

It also drew attention when Diego El Cigala, the great Spanish flamenco singer often described as the Sinatra of the flamenco world, covered it with added lyrics.

It’s an essential piece for understanding tango.

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Winter in Buenos AiresÁstor Piazzolla

Piazzolla: Winter in Buenos Aires

Here is “Winter in Buenos Aires” from Astor Piazzolla, the composer of “Libertango,” and another of his signature works “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, and as the title suggests, its weighty melody evokes the city’s winter.

Piazzolla’s Argentine tango, rich in free expression that broke with prior conventions, was not well received at first.

Gradually, however, his musicality was recognized, and today it is regarded as a masterpiece of Argentine tango.

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Blue TangoLeroy Anderson

06 Blue Tango – Blue Tango

This is a work by Leroy Anderson, celebrated as a master of American light music, who composed The Typewriter—treating a typewriter as a percussion instrument—and Sleigh Ride, a piece often heard in commercials and store BGM during the Christmas season.

He had an unusual background, studying classical music while earning a PhD in linguistics, and that career path led him to be influenced by a wide range of musical genres.

Among these, he also composed pieces related to tango, which have continued to be performed as standard repertoire for pops orchestras.

Blue Tango has become a representative tango piece performed by orchestras.

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Tango of the Night (Tango Notturno)Otto Borgmann

“Tango Notturno” — Alfred Hause Orchestra

It is the theme song of the German film “Night Tango,” composed by Otto Borgmann.

It has often been performed by leading tango orchestras such as the Alfred Hause Orchestra and has become a representative piece of Continental Tango.

The Japanese singer Yoichi Sugawara recorded it and it became a huge hit.

The melody and rhythm of Continental Tango seem to fit naturally with the Japanese language, so many Japanese singers besides Yoichi Sugawara have sung it, making it a classic tango that is very familiar to Japanese audiences.

Pearl Diver’s Tango (Perlenfischer Tango)Georges Bizet

ALFRED HAUSE ⑦ Perlenfischer Tango — The Pearl Fisher’s Tango ~ Alfred Hause

The original song is the aria “Je crois entendre encore” (Nadir’s Romance) from the opera Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers) by the French classical composer Bizet.

It was arranged for a tango orchestra by Alfred Hause, a Continental tango musician from Westphalia, Germany.

While the aria’s beautiful melody is still performed today, the full opera is not often staged, and it may be that Alfred Hause’s tango arrangement is actually more widely known.

Please listen and compare it with the original.