The Cabeceo

We've caught your eye across the milonga. Like any good tango, this starts with consent — nothing optional runs until you say so.Cookies only with your yes. What we store. ·

Skip to content
Tangopedia
Search
Search for “”
Find recordings of “”
OrchestrasSingersSongs
Browse

People

  • Orchestras
  • Orchestras today
  • Singers
  • Composers and lyricists
  • Musicians
  • Dancers
  • Milongueros on film
  • Couples

Music

  • Songs A–Z
  • Every recording
  • TangoValsMilonga
  • Radio
  • Tango By Year
  • The cover wall
  • Record labels

Time

  • Years
  • Eras
  • Decades
  • On this day

Places

  • Buenos Aires
  • Cities
  • Milongas tonight
  • Where an orchestra is danced

Events

  • Festivals
  • The Mundial

Ideas

  • Charts and maps
  • Listening lessons
  • New to tango?
  • Glossary
  • The map
ExploreContributeSign in

Song

Por una cabeza · Roberto Goyeneche · 1986

Roberto Goyeneche · tango · 1986
Music by Carlos Gardel, lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera. 7 recordings in our catalogue, 1935–2006.

Who recorded it

Every version7

Earliest we hold: Francisco Lomuto, 1935

  1. Miguel CalóCarlos Barbé1953
  2. Francisco CanaroArgentino Ledesma1969
  3. Francisco LomutoJorge Omar1935
  4. Hugo Diaz1975
  5. Atilio StamponeRoberto Goyeneche1972
  6. Orquesta Típica ImperialJulio César Fernán2006

Recorded in 1986, during the Revival (1985–1999).

1986

19851999

Roberto Goyeneche · no periods written yet

Play on TangoCloud
Key facts
Year
1986
Orchestra
Roberto Goyeneche
Contents1The song2Who wrote it3Lyrics4Every version5One recording

The song

ROBERTO GOYENECHE Y SU ORQUESTA TÍPICARoberto GoyenechePOR UNA CABEZATango1986

The piece as people name it, whoever plays it.

7 orchestras recorded it

13 Dances filmed to it

Who wrote it

Music
Carlos Gardel
Words
Alfredo Le Pera
Written
not yet cited · help fill it
First played
not yet cited · help fill it

Source: TangoCloud catalogue

Lyrics

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

Por una cabeza de un noble potrillo que justo en la raya afloja al llegar, y que al regresar parece decir: No olvidés, hermano, vos sabés, no hay que jugar. Por una cabeza, de un día de aquella coqueta y burlona mujer, que al jurar sonriendo el amor que está mintiendo, quema en una hoguera todo mi querer. Por una cabeza, todas las locuras. Su boca que besa, borra la tristeza, calma la amargura. Por una cabeza, si ella me olvida qué importa perderme mil veces la vida, para qué vivir. Cuántos desengaños, por una cabeza. Yo juré mil veces, no vuelvo a insistir. Pero si un mirar me hiere al pasar, sus labios de fuego otra vez quiero besar. Basta de carreras, se acabó la timba. ¡Un final reñido ya no vuelvo a ver! Pero si algún pingo llega a ser fija el domingo, yo me juego entero. ¡Qué le voy a hacer..!

English · machine translation

For a head of a noble colt that right at the line loosens on arrival, and when returning seems to say: Don't forget, brother, you know, don't play. For a head, one day's metejon of that flirtatious and mocking woman who, while swearing smiling the love she's lying, burns in a bonfire all my love. For a head, all the follies. Her kissing mouth erases sadness, soothes bitterness. For a head, if she forgets me what does it matter to lose me a thousand times life, why live. How many disappointments, for one head. I swore a thousand times, I will not insist again. But if a glance wounds me as I pass by, her fiery lips I want to kiss again. No more running, the game is over. A close finish I'll never see again! But if any pingo becomes fixed on Sunday, I'll bet the whole thing. What can I do!

Every version

Computed from the catalogue, not yet written by anyone

The catalogue holds 7 recordings of this song by 7 orchestras, 1935 to 2006.
1930’40’50’60’70’80’90’00
Recordings of Por una cabeza · Roberto Goyeneche · 1986 by year, taller the more they are danced · 7 of 7 recordings carry a year · read Nov 8, 2026

A Song's recorded lineage

We hold dated Recordings by 7 orchestras; the earliest here is Francisco Lomuto in 1935.

  1. 1935Francisco LomutoRecording
  2. 1953Miguel CalóRecording
  3. 1969Francisco CanaroRecording
  4. 1972Atilio StamponeRecording
  5. 1975Hugo DiazRecording
  6. 1986Roberto GoyenecheRecording
  7. 2006Orquesta Típica ImperialRecording

Gold marks the first we hold, not the first ever. Filled dots have filmed Dances; rings have no Dances matched yet.

7 recordings · our catalogue, dances filmed on TangoTube · 17 more we know of

a version people dance tono Dances matched yet: something to listen to

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

  1. Miguel CalóPor una cabeza · Miguel Caló · Carlos Barbé · tango · Apr 8, 1953 · Odeon
    No match yet
    1953
  2. Francisco CanaroPor una cabeza · Francisco Canaro · Argentino Ledesma · tango · Nov 18, 1969 · Odeon
    No match yet
    1969
  3. Francisco LomutoEarliest we holdPor una cabeza · Francisco Lomuto · Jorge Omar · tango · Aug 8, 1935 · RCA Victor
    3 dances
    1935
  4. Hugo DiazMost dancedPor una cabeza · Hugo Diaz · tango · 1975
    10 dances
    1975
  5. Atilio StamponePor una cabeza · Atilio Stampone · Roberto Goyeneche · tango · Oct 6, 1972
    No match yet
    1972
  6. Orquesta Típica ImperialPor una cabeza · Orquesta Típica Imperial · Julio César Fernán · tango · Aug 1, 2006
    No match yet
    2006
  7. Roberto GoyenechePor una cabeza · Roberto Goyeneche · tango · 1986
    No match yet
    1986
  8. Terig TucciNot in our catalogueCarlos Gardel · Mar 191935
  9. Donato RacciattiNot in our catalogueCarlos Roldán1960
  10. Alfredo De AngelisNot in our catalogueCarlos Aguirre · Sep 241976
  11. QuinTangoNot in our catalogue1998
  12. Orquesta Matos RodríguezNot in our catalogueDaniel Cortés2005
  13. Emilio RamilNot in our catalogue
  14. Alberto Di PauloNot in our catalogueJorge Valdez
  15. Donato RacciattiNot in our catalogue
  16. Esteban MorgadoNot in our catalogue-unspecified male-, -choir-
  17. -unspecified female-Not in our catalogue
  18. Juanjo DomínguezNot in our catalogue
  19. Trio PantangoNot in our catalogue
  20. Conjunto Los cosos de al laoNot in our catalogue

One recording

A dated take, with its sound and the couples dancing it.

ROBERTO GOYENECHE Y SU ORQUESTA TÍPICARoberto GoyenechePOR UNA CABEZATango1986

Roberto Goyeneche

Por una cabeza · Roberto Goyeneche · tango · 1986

No couple filmed dancing this recording yet

Cite this

What we don't know yet3 of 5 known

The day it was recorded, the record label.

Data: recordings, facts and sources

No published facts yet. Facts appear here, each with its source, as they are collected.

Listen

  1. Por una cabeza · Francisco Lomuto · Jorge Omar · 1935

Ask Tangopedia

Answers only from cited facts, each with its source.

See it in a chart

What is danced beside itIts year among every recordingThe sound map
T
Tangopedia

An open, sourced encyclopedia of tango, built from the recordings themselves. Every fact links its source.

Free to read, for everyone. A membership keeps it growing. See the plans

200,244 sourced facts

Explore

  • Explore
  • Random article
  • Years and decades
  • Places
  • Topics
  • The whole map
  • DJs
  • Bibliography
  • Source collections

Contribute

  • Suggest a fact
  • Your activity
  • Suggest a topic
  • Live edits
  • Report a mistake

About

  • How it works
  • How we know
  • For agents and programs
  • Open data & API

Browse

People

  • Orchestras
  • Orchestras today
  • Singers
  • Composers and lyricists
  • Musicians
  • Dancers
  • Milongueros on film
  • Couples

Music

  • Songs A–Z
  • Every recording
  • TangoValsMilonga
  • Radio
  • Tango By Year
  • The cover wall
  • Record labels

Time

  • Years
  • Eras
  • Decades
  • On this day

Places

  • Buenos Aires
  • Cities
  • Milongas tonight
  • Where an orchestra is danced

Events

  • Festivals
  • The Mundial

Ideas

  • Charts and maps
  • Listening lessons
  • New to tango?
  • Glossary
  • The map

Our sites

  • TangoTube
  • TangoCloud

Legal

  • Terms
  • Privacy
© 2026 Tangopedia
EnglishEspañol
Every fact links its source