Why Is It Called Por Una Cabeza?

One of the most popular of Carlos Gardel's tangos is “Por una Cabeza”. Written in 1935, the song's title is originally a horse racing term “to lose by a head”. It was co-written by Alfredo Le Pera, just shortly before they were both killed in a plane crash in Columbia on 24 June 1935.

What does por una?

The name (pronounced [ˈpoɾ ˈuna kaˈβesa]) is a Spanish horse-racing phrase meaning "by a head", which refers to a horse winning a race narrowly - by just the length of its head. The lyrics speak of a compulsive horse-track gambler who compares his addiction for horses with his attraction to women.

When was Por una cabeza written?

Tenor Andrea Bocelli performs the tango song “Por Una Cabeza” from Scent of a Woman (1992). The song, comparing an addiction to horse racing with an attraction to women, was written in 1935 by two men central to tango in Argentina: singer and composer Carlos Gardel and lyricist Alfredo Le Pera.