Adiós muchachos (song)

After the 1943 Argentine coup d'état the military dictatorship began a campaign forcing to suppress lunfardo, slang language, any references to intoxication or other expressions that were arbitrarily considered immoral, "negative for the language" or the country. For the tango recording by the orchestra of Enrique Rodríguez in April 1945 three changes were ordered: la barra querida (beloved gang) had to become viejos amigos (old friends), nadie la talla' (no one size fits all) became nadie batalla (no battle) and todas las farras (all those binges) became todas las fiestas (all those parties).[5]

The restrictions were taken over during the administration of General Perón, and in 1949 executives of the Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores de Música (SADAIC) asked the administrator of mail and telecommunications in an interview that they be annulled, but to no avail. They spoke with Peron and the President on March 25, 1949, who said that no such directive existed, which left them effectless.[5][6]

In October 1953, the Broadcasting Act No. 14241 was approved and although it had no provisions regarding the use of popular language in radio, restrictions continued to some extent. This led to SADAIC complaint in January 1950 to eradicate certain items by Radio El Mundo; Despite the complaint, in 1952 the institution itself and the authors had agreed with the authorities on a list of popular songs that should not be passed as idiomatic radio for reasons of taste and decency; in short, SADAIC did not question censorship but had exercised it.[5]

The tango was included in Wonder Bar, the 1934 US movie directed by Lloyd Bacon performed in a cabaret on Montmartre.[10] It appeared in the 1935 short film Freddie Martin & His Orchestra (1935).[11] It also appeared in two films of French actor Charles Boyer, the History Is Made at Night played by a band at Cesare's, danced by Boyer and Jean Arthur who refer to it as "our tango" and reprised from a record on the ship to Paris;[12] it is used as leitmotif throughout the 1944 comedy Together Again,[13] the 1939 movie Another Thin Man at the West Indies Club, danced by Myrna Loy and Rafael Storm and other couples,[14] and the 1940 movie City for Conquest played at the Lower East Side dance.[15] In the 1960 film Innocent Sorcerers, the Polish version of the song was sung as Tadeusz Łomnicki's bandmates (including Roman Polanski) were saying goodbye to him.[16]

It was included in the soundtrack of the 1992 Scent of a Woman as performed by The Tango project,[17] in the 1997 movie The Full Monty with a version credited in the trailer section as being from 1940, in the 1997 Finnish drama Vääpeli Körmy ja kahtesti laukeava performed by Jorma Aalto, Jari Lappalainen and Heikki Virtanen,[18] in the Macedonian comedy science fiction Goodbye, 20th Century (Zbogum na dvaesetiot vek 1998),[19] and the Woody Allen movie Scoop (2006 film).[20]

On television, the tango was sung in 1952 by Desi Arnaz with the lyrics of Dorcas Cochran in episode 31 of I Love Lucy, in 1955 by Lucille Ball in episode 130 of the same series and in the 1995 miniseries Alys Robi episode 1.2. The Muppet Show episode 1.02 (of 12th of September 1976), features an Apache Dance parody between Rita Moreno and a stereotypically "French looking" human sized muppet to the tune of Adios, Muchachos. Used as the music in the final episode of the Lovejoy TV series (Series 6, episode 10), Last Tango in Lavenham (1994) when Lovejoy (Ian McShane) and Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan) dance the tango.

Numerous songs have been registered with SADAIC under Adiós muchachos; The following song titles are listed under the original registration by Sanders and Vedani from 20 November 1935:[22]

• Adiós muchachos
• Adiós amigos
• Adieu
• Adieu París
• El Pablo el soñador
• Pablo The Dreamer
• Farewell Boys
• I Get Ideas
• I'll Keep you in my Heart
• Ik heb n Coca-Cola
• Tango Medley
• Marianne
• Me revoici
• Twee donk re ogen
• Von gestern abend bis he
• Zwei rote Lippen und ein roter Tarragona
• Adiós muchachos-Sanders-Vedani
• Pablo el soñador El-Sanders
• Efsane ask
• Biet Khuc Cho Tinh Nhan

An early German version Zwei rote Lippen und ein roter Tarragona with new, unrelated lyrics originates from 1929. It was recorded by Tango-Kapelle Morello in 1929, naming Friedrich Schwarz as the author of the lyrics,[23] and by Helge Roswaenge in 1930, naming the authors as "Musik: Christian Sanders - Text: Hartwig von Platen, Friedrich Schwarz".[24] Schwarz' lyrics describe drinking wine from Tarragona in Barcelona. That version is still popular in Germany under both German and Spanish titles, with references in other media, e.g. Christoph Hein's short novel Der Tangospieler (The Tango Player, 1989) wherein the main character is imprisoned in the East Germany in 1968 for performing the tango as a pianist.[25]

Louis Armstrong made his own version of the tango with the title I Get Ideas recorded on July 24, 1951, featuring Dorcas Cochran as the author of the lyrics. In Great Britain two versions exist titled I'll always keep you in my heart and Paul the dreamer. Recorded in 1931 under the title I’ll Keep You in my Heart Always by Al Bowlly with Jack Leon and His Band.[26] Reissued by Saville Records on mono vinyl LP Goodnight Sweetheart - Al Bowlly - 1931 Sessions (SVL 150) In the United States there is a version by the name of Farewell companions (Goodbye companions) attempting a translation of the original lyrics.

In Italy, a version belonging to Eugenio Rondinella retained the title words in the original language, but is otherwise very different as it relates to a man who will be imprisoned for one year.[27]

Another Italian version, recorded by Milva, retained the original title words as well; the lyrics are intended to be sung by a female singer and they are the farewell of the performer to her friends before her imprisonment.