The Magic of the Greek Language — in a Spanish Song

Greek is used in every language throughout the world. This Spanish oldie by an Argentinian musical group called Apurimac, featuring Greek singer Elli Paspala, is living proof that there indeed are thousands of Greek words in every language.

Apurimac created this song, entitled “My Last Tango in Athens” in which almost the lyrics are in the Greek language, back in 2012.

Only the refrain of the song, which could be translated as following, is in Spanish: “This is my last tango in Athens. A sorrowful tango running through my veins. This is my last tango in Athens.”

The Greek language now has its own World Day, which is celebrated annually every February 9, the day which also honors the memory of Greece’s national poet Dionysios Solomos, who wrote Greece’s national anthem ”Hymn to Liberty.”

17,000 Greek Words in the Spanish

Argentinian composer Daniel Armando recounted during an interview with the radio show “Ellinofrenia” that he had received the inspiration to write the song during a trip to Cuba after he entered a book store and found a book entitled “17,000 Greek words in the Spanish language.”

The group Apurimac, which in the Quechua indigenous language of South America means “God of Speech,” was formed in 1983, and a number of their songs use Greek lyrics.

They collaborated in 2000 with Vassilis Papakonstantinou, George Dalaras and others to produce a CD for the organization Doctors Without Borders titled “No Borders.”

Greek Language Day

It is a celebration that seeks to highlight the Greek language’s fundamental role and defining contribution in the development and establishment of European and world literacy and culture.

To this day it remains a language that greatly enriches international scientific discourse; more than any other, it is the language that developed, shaped, and expressed most scientific theories, philosophical thoughts, and literature in nearly all of the modern-day languages of the Western world.