Malena has the sadness of the bandoneon (Tango Malena)

Tango Malena by Susana Rinaldi
http://www.last.fm/music/Susana+Rinaldi/_/Malena?autostart

Have I already written how much like leaders that hum? It's a silly thing, really. It annoys some dancers, or so I hear. I suppose it could be distracting - but I don't find it so. It doesn't matter if they're off key, if they know the words, if they even keep on the music. If they're humming, it's verification that the music is speaking to them (or has at least done so at some point). I don't at all mean to imply that if my partner is not humming then the music doesn't speak to him. That's certainly not the case. It's just that singing or humming along is, for some reason, soothing like a lullaby to me.

On to Tango Malena....

In an earlier post I wrote about occasionally getting weepy over certain songs and Malena is one of them. I'm sentimental that way. Maybe that's why Malena is one of my favorites. The version I have is not the one that played Saturday night so I was surprised by it. The beginning strains weren't immediately familiar and my leader had to tell me which song it was. Then the singing started and I finally recognized it. What could be better?

Accompaniment.

My leader sang it, very quietly of course, in my ear. In Spanish.

*sigh*
*sniffle*

I probably became instantly difficult to lead at that point. I can't concentrate on dancing very well in that silly state I get in. In fact I can't remember a single thing he led. Or I followed. If I followed.

(I should give props, by the way, to our DJ, Fil, for the music he chose that night. So much wonderful music in one evening. )

"Tus ojos son oscuros como el olvido,
tus labios, apretados como el rencor,
tus manos, dos palomas que sienten frio,
tus venas tienen sangre de bandoneon.
Tus tangos son criaturas abandonadas
que cruzan sobre el barro del callejon,
cuando todas las puertas estan cerradas
y ladran los fantasmas de la cancion.
Malena canta el tango con voz quebrada;
Malena tiene pena de bandoneon. "

Translation:

"Your eyes are dark like the oblivion,
your lips, pressed tight in a grimace of rancor
your hands, two doves that suffer the cold,
your veins have blood of bandoneon.
Your tangos are forsaken creatures
that walk across the mud of a back alley,
when all the doors are locked
and the spirits of the song howl.
Malena sings the tango with a choking voice,
Malena has the sadness of a bandoneon. "

1 comment:

Jean said...

I sing while leading. I was wondering if ot was annoying for my followers and stumbled into your post. Thanks for the info. I guess its annoying for some, but not others.