'Chorando se foi, quem um dia só me fez chorar...' The musical story of my Brazilian experience

Minha gente!

I remember in one of the last weeks in Shanghai, my Brazilian housemate and project teammate Pedro turned on a bunch of Brazilian music in the living room of our small Chinese apartment. With other housemates probably quite amused, Pedro taught me a little how to dance forró, the traditional Brazilian dance in pairs. Thanks to Pedro, I also heard some other music from Brazil, among them I believe a very popular sertanejo (a sort of Brazilian country-style romantic music usually sung by two men) song called 'Chora, me liga', which my friend Vico later taught me to sing the full chorus of. This is how I advanced my Portuguese while in Brazil, by learning to sing silly Brazilian (mainly sertanejo, because they're easier) songs :)

Songs I learned thanks to my friends! :) The title song may not say much to you, but it is actually a song you will certainly recognize the sound of, widely known as the 'lambada'. Ring any bells? ;) I learned a part of the chorus from a girl called Silvana, whom we met in our travels in Bahia, I remember her teaching it to me as I was trying to practice my samba footwork on the beach in Morro de Sao Paulo, as the four of us were waiting for the sun to come out after all the rain. The second half of the chorus my host sister, Mariana, taught me when I came back to Juiz de Fora. As you can see, Brazilian music reflects my experience there, doesnt it?

There are several other examples... Tammy and Mariana taught me a couple of other sertanejo songs, such as 'Te deu o sol, te deu o mar, pra ganhar seu coracao...', a very popular song by the young Brazilian Luan Santana, a somewhat Justin Bieber-esque singer currently on the rise in Brazil. And I have to admit, silly though it may be, I actually like this song, and it brings all these memories to mind :)

My friend Fernanda from Saci, the school where I worked, helped along too in my Brazilian musical knowledge. Not only did she copy a bunch of CD's for me, but she taught me to sing a rock/pop song about how love is the heat that warms up the soul and it has the taste for the person who will drink its water.... how about that :) And that was again while traveling, as we were shooting back Brahmas at a cafe in Buzios, a small beautiful beachtown.

And it was at a Saci Festa Junina party, where amidst selling drinks to thirsty parents and their kids and making popcorn, that Fe taught me the song that was just playing at the time, 'Voce nao vale nada mas eu gosto de voce... Tudo que queria é saber porque'. 'You're not worth anything but I like you... All I want to know is why'... doesn't that sound ironically familiar ;)

Probably the funniest song I learned was during Vico's Portuguese classes, the classic 'Lanca perfume' by the Brazilian diva Rita Lee, where our favorite, most memorable line was 'Me deixa de quatro no ato...'. I won't translate this that so you actually google it yourself, and believe me it's worth knowing what this means ;)
And it was there that I learned the song 'Sutilmente' by the rock/pop band Skank, which Fe incidentally copied for me, and which now still sends so much saudade through me as I hear it... Why do I torment myself so? ^^

It was when I got back from Brazil that I could actually listen properly to all the music Fe copied for me, as well as learn all the Ivete Sangalo songs from her live show CD's that I bought myself, as I was already fond of Ivete while in Brazil. It is Ivete who contributes much to my continuing learning of Portuguese... 'A minha sorte grande, foi voce cair de ceu, minha paixao verdadeira, viver a emocao, ganhar teu coracao, pra ser feliz a vida inteira...'

As you can see, Brazilian music accompanied me much through my experience. I could give more examples, but I think the idea is clear ;) It's funny isn't? Which is why I wanted to write this now in addition to my post yesterday, where I talked about Brazilian music and language, and of course, saudade. No wonder the music brings so many memories, so many emotions... It's not uncommon, of course. But it's like I could write my Brazilian story from Brazilian music! :)

Beijos galera!