Alceu Valenca was born in countryside Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. He is considered the most successful artist in achieving an aesthetic balance between traditional northeastern Brazilian music and a broad range of electronic sounds and effects from pop music. One can find traces of maracatu, coco and "repentes de viola" (improvising fast-paced Brazilian folk music) in most of his songs. Alceu was able to utilize the electric guitar the electric bass, and lately even a synthesizer was added to his broad scope of musical instruments.
Because of that, Alceu was able to recreate Northeastern traditional music, like baiao, coco, toada, maracatu, frevo, caboclinhos, embolada and repentes: all sung with a sometimes rock sometimes alternative sounding music background. His music and his themes are intangible, universal and unlimited. However, his aesthetic basis is genuinely Brazilian Northeastern music.
Cinco sentidos
Alceu Valença Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passaram moças lindas, ruas sem fim
Ponta de pedra e as águas do Bituri
Na minha boca passaram
Passaram carnes tenras, fruta comi
Língua vermelha mel de abelha bebi
A voz do rádio, sabiá, bem-te-vi
E o vento música nos pés de capim
Pelas narinas passaram
Ruas de Olinda, a noite cheira a jasmin
Um cheiro doce em teus cabelos senti
Pelos meus dedos passaram
Teu corpo em pelo e teus cabelos senti
Pela morena da cor do sapoti
Ê e passarão, e passarás
The lyrics to Alceu Valença's song "Cinco sentidos" describe the experiences of the singer through each of his five senses. The first verse talks about what he sees - beautiful girls and endless streets, along with a specific reference to the Ponta de Pedra and the Bituri waters, which are likely to be physical landmarks that he saw. The second verse talks about the things he tastes - tender meat and fruit, as well as honey from bees. The third verse talks about his hearing, which includes the voice of the radio, and bird noises like the sabiá and the bem-te-vi. He also hears the wind which creates music as it rustles through grass. The fourth verse discusses his sense of smell where he is able to pick up the scent of jasmine at night on the streets of Olinda, and a sweet smell in someone's hair. Finally, the last verse talks about touch, where he describes his fingers grazing over someone's skin and feeling their hair.
Overall, the song speaks to the richness of experiences that can be had through one's senses. The singer seems to be appreciating every little thing he perceives, emphasizing how all these experiences collectively make up his life. By the end of the song, he suggests that all these experiences will pass - but this could be interpreted in different ways. It could be seen as a wistful acknowledgement that everything in life is fleeting, or just a statement of fact that all experiences eventually come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
Pelos meus olhos passaram,
Through my eyes, I saw beautiful girls, endless streets and pointed rocks and Bituri waters.
Passaram moças lindas, ruas sem fim
I saw beautiful girls and endless streets.
Ponta de pedra e as águas do Bituri
I saw pointed rocks and Bituri waters.
Na minha boca passaram
Through my mouth, I tasted tender meats and fruits.
Passaram carnes tenras, fruta comi
I tasted tender meats and fruits.
Língua vermelha mel de abelha bebi
I drank bee honey with a red tongue.
Pelos ouvidos passaram
Through my ears, I heard radio voices, sabiá and bem-te-vi birds, and wind as music on grass feet.
A voz do rádio, sabiá, bem-te-vi
I heard radio voices, sabiá and bem-te-vi birds.
E o vento música nos pés de capim
I heard wind as music on grass feet.
Pelas narinas passaram
Through my nostrils, I breathed in the smell of Olinda streets, jasmine and sweet fragrance of your hair.
Ruas de Olinda, a noite cheira a jasmin
I smelled Olinda streets and night fragranced with jasmine.
Um cheiro doce em teus cabelos senti
I smelled a sweet fragrance from your hair.
Pelos meus dedos passaram
Through my fingers, I felt your hair and your body with the color of sapote.
Teu corpo em pelo e teus cabelos senti
I felt your hair and your body with the color of sapote.
Pela morena da cor do sapoti
I felt a dark-skinned woman with the color of sapote.
Ê e passarão, e passarás
And they will pass, and you will pass.
Contributed by Scarlett B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pedro Pereira
Cinco Sentidos, sem qualquer dúvida, é um dos (se não for o primeiro) melhores trabalhos de Alceu Valença. Músicas escolhidas "a dedo". Melodias concluídas com êxito. Para alguém aficionado pela música, como eu, isso é pura magia. Coisa Linda! De primeira qualidade! Dizer o que, mais?
Genival Aguiar
Pedro Pereira,boa noite,eu também concordo comvc,pra mim é o disco que mais gosto delle,prioriza,a musicalidade nordestina,como baião ,xote e cantorias.
Gustavo Henrique
Que música é essa minha gente, que contagia todos que escutam 👋👋👋
Vera Ponte
Esse cara é tudo!!!!!!!! Representante nordestino inconfundível que nos enche de orgulho !!!!!! Sem palavras.....
Nita Nita
Ouvir muito essa música sendo tocada, com violão!
Silvia Nunes
"Todos esses que aqui estão atravancando o meu caminho, eles "passararão", eu passarinho ". Mário Quintana. Uma homenagem do poeta Alceu Valença a um dos maiores. Poetas de portuguesa.
Andrew Wallace
esse disco é nostálgico, em especial essa música. Excelente música e disco.
Hênio Barros
Mais uma poesia excepcional do meu ídolo nacional.
Nita Nita
Esse cara é show maravilhoso!
Fabeth Morrissey
Ele tá falando do prazer... da magia do encontro de dois corpos... Êh, Alceu...👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻