A researcher of Brazilian popular music, its rhythms, and folklore, she has also traveled to many countries representing the Brazilian culture. A connoisseur of African music, dance, traditions, and religions, she converted to Candomblé and took Afro-Brazilian culture into her songs and costumes. Read Full BioClara Francisca Gonçalves Pinheiro (August 12, 1942, Caetanópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil — April 2, 1983, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), best known as Clara Nunes, was one of the major Brazilian singers and performers of samba music and MPB.
A researcher of Brazilian popular music, its rhythms, and folklore, she has also traveled to many countries representing the Brazilian culture. A connoisseur of African music, dance, traditions, and religions, she converted to Candomblé and took Afro-Brazilian culture into her songs and costumes. She was one of the singers who recorded the most songs by the composers of Portela, her favorite samba school. She was also the first female Brazilian singer to sell more than one hundred thousand records, breaking a taboo according to which women did not sell records in Brazil. During her whole career she sold four million four hundred thousand records. She was considered by Rolling Stone magazine as the ninth greatest Brazilian voice and, by the same magazine, the fifty-first greatest Brazilian artist of all time.
On April 2, 1983, she died at age 40, after suffering from anaphylaxis during a surgery to treat varicose veins. Even today she remains one of the most popular singers in Brazil.
O Mar Serenou
Clara Nunes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
O pescador não tem medo
É segredo se volta ou se fica no fundo do mar
Ao ver a morena bonita sambando
Se explica que não vai pescar
Deixa o mar serenar
O mar serenou quando ela pisou na areia
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
A lua brilhava vaidosa
De si orgulhosa e prosa com que deus lhe deu
Ao ver a morena sambando
Foi se acabrunhando então adormeceu o sol apareceu
O mar serenou quando ela pisou na areia
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
Um frio danado que vinha
Do lado gelado que o povo até se intimidou
Morena aceitou o desafio Sambou
E o frio sentiu seu calor e o samba se esquentou
O mar serenou quando ela pisou na areia
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
A estrela que estava escondida
Sentiu-se atraída depois então apareceu
Mas ficou tão enternecida Indagou
A si mesma a estrela afinal será ela ou sou eu
O mar serenou quando ela pisou na areia
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
The song "O Mar Serenou" by Clara Nunes tells the story of a beautiful woman who dances on the beach, causing the sea to calm down. The lyrics refer to her as a siren, which is a mythical creature known for its enchanting voice and seductive power. The fishermen who witness her dance are overcome by her beauty and decide not to go fishing, letting the sea calm down. The song goes on to describe how the moon and the stars are attracted to her beauty as well. The lyrics are a celebration of the power of a woman's beauty and the transformative effect it can have on the world around her.
Line by Line Meaning
O mar serenou quando ela pisou na areia
The sea calmed down when she stepped onto the sand
Quem samba na beira do mar é sereia
Those who dance at the edge of the sea are mermaids
O pescador não tem medo
The fisherman is not afraid
É segredo se volta ou se fica no fundo do mar
It's a secret whether he returns or stays at the bottom of the sea
Ao ver a morena bonita sambando
Upon seeing the beautiful brown woman dancing
Se explica que não vai pescar
He explains that he will not go fishing
Deixa o mar serenar
He lets the sea calm down
A lua brilhava vaidosa
The moon shone vainly
De si orgulhosa e prosa com que deus lhe deu
Proud and haughty of what God gave her
Ao ver a morena sambando
Upon seeing the brown woman dancing
Foi se acabrunhando então adormeceu o sol apareceu
She became sad and then fell asleep as the sun appeared
Um frio danado que vinha
A darned cold that was coming
Do lado gelado que o povo até se intimidou
From the cold side that even frightened the people
Morena aceitou o desafio Sambou
The brown woman accepted the challenge and danced
E o frio sentiu seu calor e o samba se esquentou
And the cold felt her warmth and the samba heated up
A estrela que estava escondida
The star that was hidden
Sentiu-se atraída depois então apareceu
Felt attracted and appeared later
Mas ficou tão enternecida Indagou
But became so touched and asked herself
A si mesma a estrela afinal será ela ou sou eu
To herself, the star wondered, in the end, is it her or me?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antonio Candeia Filho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind