Historia de un amor

In 1955, Libertad Lamarque recorded a two-song 78 rpm single for RCA Victor that would become a cornerstone of Latin American music. The A-side, "Historia de un amor," was written by Panamanian composer Carlos Eleta Almarán after his brother's wife died. Its melody of longing and loss became a global standard, translated and covered by artists from every continent. Lamarque's full-throated contralto, backed by Chucho Zarzosa's orchestra, gave the bolero a dramatic, cinematic weight that defined the genre for a generation.

Lamarque, already a star of Argentine and Mexican cinema, brought her acting sensibility to each performance. The B-side, "Dímelo al oído," written by Francisco Lomuto and Pancho Laguna, showcased her versatility. Though often categorized as a bolero, the recording also carried tango stylings from her Argentine roots. The single sold over four million copies in 1955 alone, according to contemporary accounts, and its success led to a 1956 Mexican film of the same name starring Lamarque and Emilio Tuero.

No complete 12-track LP titled "Historia de un amor" is documented for the original 1955 release. Later compilations, such as "Tesoros de Colección – Libertad Lamarque," gathered her RCA Victor recordings into full-length albums, but the core historical artifact remains the two-song single. That single, however, launched a song that has been recorded hundreds of times in dozens of languages, from Spanish to Vietnamese. Lamarque's version remains the touchstone, a document of an era when heartbreak was wrapped in strings and sung with unwavering dignity. [edit]