For me the great thing about Pedro Laurenz (no, not the guy on the picture, this is the singer, as usual) is that his music always complements his singers in such a particularly sensitive way. Not just a nice dance beat and a redundant guy behind a microphone, but a very real interaction. This is, of course, the case for a lot of tango music, especially as far as Caló is concerned, but I find the effect especially notable in Laurenz songs of this specific period.

So, when you have listened to the following song and understood the meaning of the words, I advise you to listen again: try to pay attention to what the instruments are attempting to add to the story, how they complement the very sad character of what the singer is bringing accross. For me this is just a typical early example of the somehow more sophisticated nature of Golden Age music. I shall now stop harassing you with my philosophy, but do not abandon this browser tab before having drooled over Laurenzes bandoneon greatness starting at 3:00 in this video.

—

This channel may not work for some people, there are a few alternative videos on YT.

—

As I saw her pass by (Al verla pasar, singer Martin Podesta)

Yesterday, as I saw her pass by,
I came to the conclusion that I cannot return,
and I understood that everything has ended,
that we are but shadows of that past.
With so much sadness I watched that what I
thought would be my rescue …poor me!
And in the terrible doubt between
talking to her or not,
I stepped back.

Poor little thing….
she looked so old and pale!
Her black eyes looked at me
without sparkle…
Life wanted to cause her pain and enjoy it….
The thought… that she used to be so beautiful
and now, the world has forgotten about her.
If she only knew
that I have changed too
that my spirit has been destroyed
and that I sometimes even
thought of killing myself
and, well… that for me, everything, everything,
everything has already perished.

(Then, I left that place, trembling and
yearning to cry heavily….
Driven crazy by sadness,
cold in my soul,
ice in my veins.
And I left.. without knowing where to go
together with taunts and laughter.
And now, knowing that I am lost,
without strength, defeated…
I cannot live.)