.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (August 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Spanish article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 5,328 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Spanish Wikipedia article at [[:es:El choclo]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template ((Translated|es|El choclo)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
"El Choclo"
Sheet music for "El Choclo"
Song
LanguageSpanish
English titleThe Corn Cob
Published1903
GenreTango
Songwriter(s)Ángel Villoldo

"El Choclo" (South American Spanish: meaning "The Corn Cob") is a popular song written by Ángel Villoldo, an Argentine musician. Allegedly written in honour of and taking its title from the nickname of the proprietor of a nightclub, who was known as "El Choclo". It is one of the most popular tangos in Argentina.

History

The piece was premiered in Buenos Aires in 1903 – the date appears on a program of the venue – at the elegant restaurant El Americano on Cangallo 966 (today Teniente General Perón 966) by the orchestra led by José Luis Roncallo.

"El Choclo" has been recorded (without vocals) by many dance orchestras, especially in Argentina. A number of vocal versions were recorded in the United States in 1952, but the most popular was the one by Georgia Gibbs, which reached no. 1 on the Billboard chart under the name "Kiss of Fire".[1][2] Tony Martin's version reached no. 6, Toni Arden's no. 14, Billy Eckstine's no. 16, Louis Armstrong's no. 20, and Guy Lombardo's version reached no. 30. There are Spanish versions of "Kiss of Fire" by Connie Francis and Nat King Cole. In 1953 Olavi Virta and Metro-Tytöt released a Finnish version, titled "Tulisuudelma", which means "Kiss of Fire". The Finnish words, by "Kullervo" (Tapio Kullervo Lahtinen), closely follow the English. In 2001 the hip-hop group Delinquent Habits made the song known to a new generation when they released "Return of the tres", which relies heavily on samplings from a Mariachi version of the classical tango. The latest edition to this tune is included in the 2013 production by 7 Notas Music Designers of "Red Soul" by Manee Valentine.

Lyrics

The original lyrics by Villoldo specifically sang about the corn cob as food. He later wrote another version titled "Cariño Puro" (meaning "Pure Tenderness"). Another version was written by Marambio Catán, but the most popular remains Enrique Santos Discépolo's (1947), which sings about tango as a way of life. Louis Armstrong sang English lyrics using the title "El Choclo (Kiss of Fire)". This English word variant was translated back into Spanish as "Beso de Fuego", and as such, the song was sung by Connie Francis.

In Russian, "El Choclo" serves as the melody for the well-known blatnaya pesnya (criminals' song) На Дерибасовской открылася пивная ("a beer bar opened up on De Ribas Street").[3]

"Kiss of Fire"
Single by Georgia Gibbs
B-side"A Lasting Thing"
ReleasedApril 1952
Recorded1952
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:28
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Ángel Villoldo
Georgia Gibbs singles chronology
"Cry"
(1951) 		"Kiss of Fire"
(1952) 		"So Madly In Love"
(1952)

Recorded versions

References

  1. ^ Billboard June 14, 1952 [1] See page 50 The Nation's Top Tunes
  2. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 5, 1952.
  3. ^ Mazhayev, Alexei (December 13, 2013). "История песни: «На Дерибасовской открылася пивная»". Radio Chanson (in Russian). Retrieved June 15, 2022.

External links

Georgia Gibbs
Authority control databases
Categories