The sheet music for “Por Una Cabeza” is a lead sheet with chords and melody. It is available for download as a PDF.
Por Una Cabeza
“Por una cabeza” is a tango song composed by Carlos Gardel with lyrics written by Alfredo Le Pera. The song was first recorded in 1935 and has since become one of the most popular tango songs of all time.
Por Una Cabeza – Sheet Music
The sheet music for “Por Una Cabeza” is a lead sheet containing the chords and melody of the song. The chords are set as chord symbols above the staff and the melody is in standard notation. All lead sheets on this FreewheelinGuitar.com are 2 pages or less.
Download “Por Una Cabeza” Lead Sheet (1 page) as a PDF.
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History of Por Una Cabeza
Carlos Gardel, a prominent Argentine tango singer, songwriter, and actor, composed the song “Por una cabeza” with the lyrics written by Alfredo Le Pera in 1935. Gardel, born in Toulouse, France in 1890, moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina with his mother at a young age and became interested in music, eventually developing a style that defined the golden age of tango.
Gardel and Le Pera collaborated on many tango songs throughout the 1930s, including “El día que me quieras” and “Volver”. However, “Por una cabeza” remains one of their most enduring works and has become a staple of tango music.
The song gained quick popularity after its release and was featured in several Argentine films in the 1930s. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s that “Por una cabeza” gained widespread international recognition due to its inclusion in the film “Scent of a Woman” starring Al Pacino. The film’s iconic tango scene, in which Pacino dances with a young woman to the strains of “Por una cabeza,” introduced the song to a new generation of fans.
Unfortunately, Carlos Gardel’s life was cut tragically short when he died in a plane crash in Colombia in 1935, just months after the release of “Por una cabeza.” Despite his relatively short career, Gardel’s impact on tango music and Argentine culture cannot be overstated, and he remains one of the most beloved figures in the history of Argentine music.
The Lyrics
The lyrics to “Por una cabeza” were written by Alfredo Le Pera, an Argentine lyricist and author, who collaborated frequently with Carlos Gardel on many of his most famous tango songs. Le Pera’s poetic and evocative lyrics were a perfect match for Gardel’s soulful and passionate singing style, and together they created some of the most enduring songs in the history of tango music. Although people perhaps know Le Pera best for his work with Gardel, he wrote lyrics for other notable Argentine composers and performers, and tango enthusiasts still celebrate him as one of the most renowned lyricists in the genre’s history.
Por una cabeza De un noble potrillo Que justo en la raya Afloja al llegar Y que al regresar Parece decir: No olvides, hermano Vos sabés, no hay que jugar Por una cabeza Metida en un baile La misma coqueta Que hoy es mi consuelo Mañana será Mi perdición Por una cabeza Allá en la cancha Mucho ruido y mucho retozo Y allí nomás Me dejaste tirado Como un bandoneón Por una cabeza Metida en un baile La misma coqueta Que hoy es mi consuelo Mañana será Mi perdición