Music of a wonderful world

[Tango] Famous Tango Songs: Recommended Popular Tracks

Representative, Elysion Philharmonic Orchestrasai-kisaragi
Heisei College of Music, Composition Course. Studied composition and conducting under Keizo Ideta, piano under Chinami Kira, and arts management under Takuma Konishi. With a focus on community and music, I work to revitalize my hometown of Saga Prefecture. While performing as a double bassist with wind ensembles and orchestras across Kyushu, I participated on double bass in the “Orchestra Without Borders” orchestra camp of the professional game and anime music ensemble Eminence Orchestra, held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in September 2012. During CAPCOM’s Kyushu Tour in 2016, I not only performed as an orchestra member but also served on the production staff. I currently serve as the managing representative for the game and anime performance groups Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra (Saga Prefecture) and Fukuoka Game Music Wind Orchestra (Fukuoka Prefecture), and handle conducting, arranging, and public relations.
Piano-playing singer-songwriter / Executive Committee Member, Special Music Festival in Rinku OsakaHousui Sachiyo
I learned to hit the keys on a toy piano, started Electone lessons at six, and began piano at ten. I loved the piano so much that I declared, “I want to go to a music college!” and from junior high I studied vocal music, ear training, and music theory (though I never even took the entrance exam in the end). In my childhood, my saxophone-playing father introduced me to jazz, and my mother to rockabilly. I was utterly obsessed with classical music in junior high. In high school, my grandmother took me to hear live tango performances, and before I knew it I’d become an eclectic listener. Lately, influenced by my high-school-aged daughter, I’ve been listening to koto music and nagauta. I hold the rather rare qualification of ‘Music Proficiency Test Level 3, Western Music track.’

A tango whose passionate rhythm and wistful melodies stir the heart.

Born on the street corners of Argentina, this music is now loved all around the world.

Have you ever felt a strange nostalgia or a flutter in your heart just by hearing the poignant tone of the bandoneon? Perhaps you’ve heard that memorable phrase in a movie or commercial and found yourself wanting to dive deeper into the world of tango.

In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of classic and famous tango pieces.

Whether you’re listening for the first time or already familiar with tango, you’re sure to discover something new.

We hope you’ll find a new favorite track!

[Tango] Famous Tango Songs: Recommended Popular Tracks (11–20)

Gunshots and Diamondsitō keisuke

Gunshots and Diamonds

Gunshots and Diamondsitō keisuke

This piece layers a glossy bandoneon with taut, high-strung violins.

Composed by Keisuke Ito of the game music studio noisycroak, it was created as the theme song for the PSP title “Guns, Voice, and Diamonds,” released in June 2009.

Reflecting the game’s focus on “negotiation,” it’s a tango-style number that blends the tense, second-by-second psychological mind games with an adult, seductive allure.

As the musical face of a classic that earned Gold Hall of Fame honors in Weekly Famitsu’s Cross Review, it underpinned the entire play experience.

A must-listen for those who enjoy thrilling back-and-forths or seek urban, sophisticated music.

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Tango of the Red Ogre and the Blue OgreFukuda Wakako

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

Tango of the Red Ogre and the Blue OgreFukuda Wakako

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.

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Tango of the Night (Tango Notturno)Otto Borgmann

“Tango Notturno” — Alfred Hause Orchestra

Tango of the Night (Tango Notturno)Otto Borgmann

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.

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Winter in Buenos AiresÁstor Piazzolla

Piazzolla: Winter in Buenos Aires

Winter in Buenos AiresÁstor Piazzolla

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

Blue TangoLeroy Anderson

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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