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Song

El motivo

Music by Juan Carlos Cobián, lyrics by Pascual Contursi. 15 recordings in our catalogue, 1942–1987.
1942: 1 · danced 2 times1944: 1 · danced 29 times1947: 1 · danced 3 times1949: 1 · danced 0 times1951: 1 · danced 0 times1961: 1 · danced 106 times1962: 1 · danced 0 times1965: 4 · danced 0 times1966: 1 · danced 8 times1968: 1 · danced 6 times1970: 1 · danced 2 times1987: 1 · danced 0 times
1942’50’60’70’801987
records madedanced on film, by the record’s year· our catalogue

1942: 1, 2; 1944: 1, 29; 1947: 1, 3; 1949: 1, 0; 1951: 1, 0; 1961: 1, 106; 1962: 1, 0; 1965: 4, 0; 1966: 1, 8; 1968: 1, 6; 1970: 1, 2; 1987: 1, 0

  1. Aníbal Troilo’s 1961 version holds 67% of its dancing (106 of 156).

    How we know

    Of the dances to its 15 recordings in our catalogue. Dances count filmed Occasions on TangoTube.

  2. Aníbal Troilo recorded it in 1961 and 1965.

    How we know

    Takes in our catalogue by the same orchestra in different years; the canon’s first orchestra is named.

El motivo is a tango.

El motivo was composed by Juan Carlos Cobian.

The lyrics of El motivo are by Pascual Contursi.

every sentence cites a published fact

Credit

Music
Juan Carlos Cobián
Lyrics
Pascual Contursi

Source: TangoCloud catalogue

Every recording

15 recordings · our catalogue, dances filmed on TangoTube · 12 more we know of

1940’50’60’70’80

Choose A and B on two recordings to hear them one after the other.

  1. Aníbal TroiloMost dancedRoberto Goyeneche · RCA Victor · Aug 23
    106 dances
    1961
  2. Aníbal TroiloTito Reyes · RCA Victor · Dec 1
    Not danced on film yet
    1965
  3. Aníbal TroiloTito Reyes · RCA Victor · Dec 16
    Not danced on film yet
    1965
  4. Osvaldo PuglieseInstrumental · Philips · Aug 1
    8 dances
    1966
  5. Julio De CaroEarliest we holdInstrumental
    2 dances
    1942
  6. Alberto MancioneFrancisco Fiorentino · Mar 30
    Not danced on film yet
    1951
  7. José BassoFloreal Ruiz · Music Hall · Apr 1
    Not danced on film yet
    1962
  8. Horacio SalganInstrumental · Philips
    Not danced on film yet
    1965
  9. Nuevo Quinteto Real (Horacio Salgán)Instrumental · Philips
    Not danced on film yet
    1987
  10. Juan Carlos CobianInstrumental
    29 dances
    1944
  11. Roberto GoyenecheInstrumental · Apr 10
    6 dances
    1968
  12. Alberto MarinoInstrumental · Nov 6
    3 dances
    1947
  13. Aníbal Troilo y Astor PiazzollaInstrumental · RCA Victor · Aug 13
    2 dances
    1970
  14. Eduardo Del PianoÁngel Vargas · RCA Victor · Dec 28
    Not danced on film yet
    1949
  15. Reynaldo NicheleInstrumental · Microfon
    Not danced on film yet
    1965
  16. Roberto FirpoNot in our catalogueInstrumental1919
  17. José RicardoNot in our catalogueCarlos Gardel1920
  18. Emilio BalcarceNot in our catalogueAlberto Marino · Nov 61947
  19. Ciriaco Ortiz, Ubaldo Aquiles De LioNot in our catalogueInstrumental1965
  20. Edmundo RiveroNot in our catalogue

Lyrics

Español · Underlined words are lunfardo: tap one for its meaning.

Mina que fue en otro tiempo la más papa y en esas noches tangueras fue la reina del festín. Hoy no tiene pa' ponerse ni zapatos ni vestidos, anda enferma y el amigo no aportó para el . Ya no tienen sus ojazos esos fuertes resplandores y en su cara los colores se le ven palidecer. Está enferma, sufre y llora y manya con sentimiento de que así, enferma y sin más naide la va a querer. Pobre que ha tenido a la gente rechiflada y supo con la mirada conquistar una pasión. Hoy no tiene quien se arrime por cariño a su . ¡Pobre arrabalera que quedó sin corazón! Y cuando de los bandoneones se oyen las notas de un tango, pobre florcita de fango siente en su alma vibrar las nostalgias de otros tiempos de placeres y de amores, ¡hoy sólo son sinsabores que la invitan a llorar!

English · machine translation

Mina who was once the most papa milonguera and in those tango nights she was the queen of the feast. Today she has no shoes or dresses neither shoes nor dresses, she is sick and her friend did not contribute to the bulín. Her big eyes no longer have no longer have those strong glares and in his face the colors pale on her face. She is sick, she suffers and cries and manya with feeling that this way, sick and without wind no one will love her anymore. Poor paica who has had the people reproached and knew how to conquer a passion to conquer a passion. Today she has no one to come close for affection to her catrera. Poor little paica who was left without a heart! And when from the bandoneons the notes of a tango are heard, poor little mud flower feels in her soul vibrating the nostalgia of other times of pleasures and loves, today they are only sorrows that invite her to weep!

Danced to it

Music from 1942–1987 · danced on film 2008–2026

20082026
By the year it was danced; each dance counts once, however many channels filmed it

2008: 1, 2010: 3, 2011: 1, 2012: 3, 2013: 1, 2014: 6, 2015: 8, 2016: 5, 2017: 8, 2018: 5, 2019: 17, 2020: 3, 2021: 9, 2022: 15, 2023: 15, 2024: 11, 2025: 17, 2026: 10

Where it is danced

The places our videos show it danced, by performances filmed there.

  1. Espacio Riobamba (Club Castel)Balvanera
    2 performances
  2. Salón CanningPalermo
    2 performances
  3. Club Social y Deportivo Villa MalcolmVilla Crespo
    1 performance
  4. La Viruta (Centro Armenio)Palermo
    1 performance

What we don't know yet3 of 4 known

The year it was written.

Data: recordings, facts and sources

In other catalogues4

TodoTango · tema/1467

Single source

tango.info · T0370019810

Single source

TodoTango · tema/169

Single source

MusicBrainz · 35683a6b-7578-486c-9785-d28ce33aa1absource

Single source

Is a1

Is a Tango

Single source

Composer1

Composed by Juan Carlos Cobian

Single source

Lyricist1

Lyrics by Pascual Contursi

Single source

Premiered at1

Premiered at Teatro NacionalJul 25, 1919

Single source

Listen

  1. El motivoJulio De Caro1942
  2. El motivoJuan Carlos Cobian1944
  3. El motivoAlberto Marino · Alberto Marino1947
  4. El motivoEduardo Del Piano · Ángel Vargas · no clip yet1949
  5. El motivoAlberto Mancione · Francisco Fiorentino · no clip yet1951
  6. El motivoAníbal Troilo · Roberto Goyeneche1961
  7. El motivoJosé Basso · Floreal Ruiz1962
  8. El motivoAníbal Troilo · Tito Reyes1965
  9. El motivoAníbal Troilo · Tito Reyes1965
  10. El motivoHoracio Salgan · no clip yet1965
  11. El motivono clip yet1965
  12. El motivoOsvaldo Pugliese1966

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