The Tango, originating in Argentina and Uruguay, became a sensational international fad in the years just before World War I, captivating high society and popular culture across Europe and the Americas. Its close embrace and intricate, sensual movements provoked outrage among religious leaders and arbiters of social morality, who saw it as a corrupting influence. Despite the moral panic, the Tango's popularity persisted and evolved, becoming a lasting form of social dance and a global cultural phenomenon.

The Tango craze, with its potent mix of sensuality, exoticism, and social transgression, captured the imagination of contemporary poets and writers. It provided a powerful symbol for the shifting sexual and social mores of the pre-war era and the allure of the foreign and forbidden. The fusion of passion and melancholy in the dance influenced the tone and themes of much early 20th-century modernist poetry exploring the complexities of modern life.