"Por una cabeza", meaning "by a head [of a horse]" in Spanish, is one of the most famous and popular tango songs by Carlos Gardel (composer) and Alfredo Le Pera (lyricist), written in 1935. Alfredo Le Pera was a Brazilian from São Paulo, the most Italian-influenced area in Brazil, and also the birthplace of Zequinha de Abreu, composer of Tico-Tico no Fubá. Le Pera died along with Gardel in the same airplane crash in Medellín (Colombia), on June 24, 1935.
The lyrics of the song talk about a compulsive horse-track gambler who compares his addiction for horses with his attraction to women.
The tango has been performed by numerous tango orchestras and is commonly featured in films and television, most notably The Tango Project (Nonesuch Records), consisting of Accordionist William Schimmel, Pianist Michael Sahl and Violinist Stan Kurtis. Tango scenes with "Por una cabeza" appear in Planet 51, Schindler's List, Scent of a Woman, Delicatessen, True Lies, All the King's Men, Bad Santa (Uncut Version), Episode 37 of Nip/Tuck, Episode 9 of Sweet Spy, the beginning and ending credits of I'm Sorry, I Love You, and the CSI: NY episode "Down the Rabbit Hole", and in the movie "Frida" (Salma Hayek), Gardel is heard on a radio singing it. It is also quoted in David Del Tredici's "Good News! Nilda is Back" (from the song cycle Miz Inez Sez). In Scent of a Woman, The Tango Project actually appears in the famous Tango scene starring Al Pacino. John Williams arranged a version of the piece and it appears on the album "Cinema Serenade", with violin solo by Itzhak Perlman. Williams (conducting) and Perlman have also performed the piece during their live concerts together.
| Wikisource has sheet music and full lyrics in Spanish and English:
Por una Cabeza
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Possibly the most recognizable portion of the melody may be inspired by Mozart's Rondo for violin and orchestra in C major, K. 373.