Poor people are not always unhappy. Often, those in the poorest circumstances find joy in the simplest pleasures. Such is certainly the case with the Milonga. In 1880, in the poorer sections of Buenos Aires, the lower classes celebrated their lives in dance. The Milonga has been called the Happy Face of Tango because of its light-hearted spirit and quick tempo. Although originally frowned upon as disreputable, as nearly all dances were when first introduced throughout history, the Milonga became socially acceptable by the year 1915.

And because of this light-hearted dance, the Milonga is more commonly understood to mean a party. Couples can go to a Milonga to dance the Milonga (or a variety of other dances such as the Tango or Waltz) where the songs are played in "tandas," (or "medley" in English). One must be sure that if they agree to dance in the beginning of a tanda to choose their partners wisely since one is generally obligated to remain on the dance floor until the cortina signals the end of the dance.

The Milonga began as travelling minstrels known as "The Payadores" created folk songs about life and the news of the day in the countryside of Buenos Aires. Since the words were the focus of such songs, the rhythm and chords were secondary and meant to enhance the storytelling.

And although minstrel music may not seem likely as an inspiration for the Milonga, it was one of the most popular forms of music in Buenos Aires. Since people could not afford higher forms of entertainment they wouldn't let such an opportunity go to waste and would travel to a Milonga to hear The Payadores sing and play music. It was a great place to meet members of the opposite sex and to just celebrate life in general.

The Milonga music we now know today arose when two men, composer Sebastian Piana and lyricist Homero Manzi, decided to experiment with the Milonga. After Manzi agreed to let Piana improvise with an already established music form, they both created a evolved Milonga that became a big hit with the Argentines. By the 1930s, Piana's music was so popular that it superceded the words eventually making Milonga music purely instrumental. As it crept from the lower class to the upper classes, the dance became popular around the world.