At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe is living in peace and prosperity. The “Belle Époque” is an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that are created and which evolve funnel both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It is within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction is invented. Early record labels send mobile crews literally all over the world to record local musicians. The range of the repertoire is endless. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favors polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also circulations in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolves dynamically and anisotropically, form a complex network of “centers” and “peripheries” in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The network in which the Greek-speaking urban popular song participates, constantly conversing with its co-tenants, is magnificent. Discography has already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between “national” repertoires. The result of this ongoing research is “Cosmopolitanism in Greek Historical Discography”.

Tango is one of the main musical elements of the national identity of modern Argentina. It is born in the marginalized environment of the port of Buenos Aires, but soon conquers Europe and the USA, where it is carried by traveling Argentine musicians and dancers during the first decade of the 20th century. Its acceptance by the upper and middle classes was due to its transformation from a multicultural musical expression of the underworld to a dance-music one for whites, as well as to its thematic cleansing of its overtly sensual origins. Primarily marginal types and their provocative liminality are replaced by quaint figures who are possessed by unquenchable, but stylized love passions. This is how a “tamed” musical genre emerges that recalls a more romantic Argentina. Tango takes Parisian cabarets by storm, and its initially targeted popularity soon develops into widespread appeal. Record companies, composers and orchestras manage it as an integral part of their business. At the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s, Greece succumbs too to this “tangomania”. During the interwar period, tango has a central place in the repertoire of elafro (light music) and enriches discography’s catalogs with hundreds of original compositions which complement the systematic arrangements of popular pieces, mainly of European origin, “dressed” with Greek lyrics.

It should also be noted that, in various cases, often due to the great international success of the songs, the resulting network is extremely complex, and contains recordings in countless places, languages and aesthetical frameworks. We should also mention that we have time and time again stumbled upon songs whose creators were born in a different place, worked in another, and, in the end, met in a third location and created a new work, often inspired by something pre-existing. Undoubtedly, cases of this type demonstrate the complexity regarding the issues of ownership of works, but also the problem of applying national signs to musical creations. One such case is the song "Tu sais".

This recording is an arrangement with Greek lyrics of the French song "Tu sais", set to music by Serge Walter (Hungerberg, Russia, July 5, 1896 - Palm Beach, Florida, USA, October 8, 1976) - Eddy Ervande (or Edouard Assribekoff) and lyrics by José De Bérys (Joseph Bloch, Aix-en-Provence, France, November 13, 1883 - Meudon, France, May 20, 1957) - Jean Lenoir (Jean Bernard Daniel Neuburger, Paris, February 26, 1891 – Suresnes, France, January 19, 1976).

As mentioned in the musical score published in 1925, in Paris, by the Éditions Arlequin, the song was based on the tango "Paraná" by the Italian Pierino Codevilla.

It was recorded several times in French historical discography, but also in other countries. For example:

- Lys Gauty, Brussels, September 9, 1929 (HMV BD 8749-2 - K 5824 - 30-1540)
- George Metaxa, London, September 16, 1929 (Gramophone Bb 17352-2 - 30-1048 - B 3164 - K 5809)
- Henry King and his Hotel Pierre Orchestra - Joseph Sudy, New York, November 29, 1933 (Victor BS 78819 - 24487)
- Dora Stroëva, Paris, June 3, 1937 (Columbia CL 6222 - DF 2168)
- "You know (Tu sais)", Dick Stabile and His Orchestra - Gracie Barrie, New York, March 14, 1942 (Decca 70498 - 4301)

In Greek historical discography, the song was also recorded by Orestis Makris, and probably by others too.

The Greek musical score, with lyrics by Aimilios Dragatsis and under the title "Esy monacha xereis", was published in Athens by the Gaitanos - Konstantinidis - Starr publishing house.

The label of the record reads "Ekd. Gaitanou" (Gaitanos Publications), which perhaps testifies to the complex relations that arose between the previously powerful music publishing houses and record labels. It is probable that the publishing houses, which perhaps were among the few institutios with recognized copyrights on musical works, would receive part of the recording rights in this new framework of the recording industry.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis, George Evangelou and Nikos Ordoulidis