Some believe it was written as early as 1898, however it is known that it was first performed in 1903 at the El Americano in Buenos Aires. The sheet music  in the photo  was published in 1905.

Even the title El Choclo has two or three stories – one attributes it to the name given to a pimp who had corn-coloured hair, another says that it was  the favourite food of the composer!

The original lyrics written in 1946 by Enrique Santos Discoepolo are the most commonly sung by tango singers on today's popularly played recordings of the orchestras of the Golden Age including Canaro, D'Arienzo, D'Agostino and Firpo. They were first performed by Libertad Lamarque in the movie ‘Gran Casino'- watch the clip from the movie.

Louis Armstrong and El Choclo

The music of El Choclo is so well-known because it was re-interpreted by Louis Armstrong as “Kiss of Fire” in 1955.  A new set of lyrics was written by songwriters Robert Hill and Lester Allen who simply ascribed it to Argentine tango music without actually acknowledging the original composer, except on recordings released  in Argentina.  

It has since been recorded and performed by numerous others including Frankie Laine, Georgia Gibbs, Billy Eckstine and is largely responsible for the song being so well known – it is  hardly ‘’the charming curiousity’’ that it is described as on the todotango website.

Here are the original

lyrics to  El Choclo

Con este tango que es burlón y compadrito
se ató dos alas la ambición de mi suburbio;
con este tango nació el tango, y como un grito
salió del sórdido barrial buscando el cielo;

conjuro extraño de un amor hecho cadencia
que abrió caminos sin más ley que la esperanza,
mezcla de rabio, de dolor, de fe, de ausencia
llorando en la incencia de un ritmo juguetón.

Por tu milagro de notas agoreras
nacieron, sin pensarlo, las paicas y last grelas,
luna de charcos, canyengue en las caderas
y un ansia fiera en la manera de querer

Al evocarte, tangoquerido,
siento que tiemblan las baldosas de un bailongo
y oigo el rezongo de mi pasado
Hoy, que no tengo más a mi madre,
siento que llega en punta é pie para besarme
cuando tu canto nace al son de un bandoneón.

Carancunfunfa se hizo al mar con tu bandera
y en un pernó mezcló a Paris con Puente Alsina
Triste compadre del gavión y de la mina
y hasta comadre del bacán y la pebeta.

Por vos sucheta, cana, reo y mishiadura
se hicieron voces al nacer con tu destino
Misa de faldas, querosén, tajo y cuchillo,
que ardió en los conventillos y ardió en mi corazón.

English translation

Alberto Paz (AP), on his website planet-tango has translated many songs, including El Choclo, as has Jack Spatz (JS) on his website TangoDC ()

And our interpretation of the first stanza  – with variations.

With this mocking, show off of a tango,
the ambition of my slum was tied to two wings (AP)/ my slum’s ambition buckled on its pair of wings (JS)
With this tango, the tango was born, and like a scream
left the sordid mire/bog  looking for the sky;
foreign spell of a love turned cadence (AP)/transformed to pulsing rhythm (JS)
that opened paths with no more light than hope
mix of rage, sorrow/pain, faithfulness and absence
crying over the innocence of a playful rhythm.

It carries on in a similar vein likening the tango and the bandoneón to the memory of the singer’s mother who comes on tiptoes to kiss him.  It continues  - the tango has given a voice to the low-life of the streets – the bum and pimp as well to the flapper and the dandy. Not much to do with an ear of corn in reality and quite confusing in translation. You can understand why the Americans wrote new lyrics.

 'Kiss of Fire'

Here is Frankie Laine singing the American version* - his diction is perfect so you will hear every word.

'El Choclo' has been played and, or,  recorded by most of the famous, and not so famous tango orchestras from  Orquesta Tipica Victor to Sexteto Mayór.

You’ll find more about this song – and other tango music

on Todotango

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