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.
Loa de Lisboa
Alceu Valença Lyrics
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Chove na Cidade Alta
Chove sobre a mouraria
Chove na Cidade Baixa (2X)
Dançando na chuva
E cantando essa loa
Na Cidade Alta
Lembrei o poeta
Fernando Pessoa
A chuva chovia
Mas eu tava à toa
A chuva chovia
Mas eu tava à toa
Que a chuva chovesse
Ou virasse garoa
Dançando na chuva
E cantando essa loa:
Chove chove chuva fria
Chove na Cidade Alta
Chove sobre a mouraria
Chove na Cidade Baixa
Ao pé de uma praça
Chamada alegria
Havia uma rua
Que responderia
O porquê dessa chuva
Sem filosofia,
A grande verdade
É que a chuva chovia
A grande verdade
É que a chuva nascia
Na rua Mãe d'Água
Depois se expandia
Lavava Lisboa
E me comovia
The lyrics of Alceu Valença's song "Loa de Lisboa" describe a rainy day in the city. It is raining heavily in the upper part of the city (Cidade Alta) and in the Mouraria district, as well as in the lower part of the city (Cidade Baixa). The singer is dancing and singing a "loa," which is a type of traditional Portuguese song, in the rain. The song mentions the famous Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, who was also known for his love of Lisbon and its rainy days. The singer reflects that, despite the rain, he is carefree and enjoying himself. In the second part of the song, the singer is standing in a square called Alegria (Joy), and observes a street that the rain is washing away. He realizes that the true nature of rain is that it simply falls, without any deep philosophical or metaphysical meaning, but it still has the power to move him emotionally.
Line by Line Meaning
Chove chove chuva fria
It's raining cold rain
Chove na Cidade Alta
It's raining in the Upper City
Chove sobre a mouraria
It's raining over the mouraria
Chove na Cidade Baixa
It's raining in the Lower City
Dançando na chuva
Dancing in the rain
E cantando essa loa
And singing this song
Na Cidade Alta
In the Upper City
Da velha Lisboa
Of old Lisbon
Lembrei o poeta
I remembered the poet
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa
A chuva chovia
The rain was falling
Mas eu tava à toa
But I was idle
A chuva chovia
The rain was falling
Mas eu tava à toa
But I was idle
Que a chuva chovesse
Whether it rained
Ou virasse garoa
Or turned to drizzle
Dançando na chuva
Dancing in the rain
E cantando essa loa:
And singing this song:
Ao pé de uma praça
At the foot of a square
Chamada alegria
Named joy
Havia uma rua
There was a street
Que responderia
That would answer
O porquê dessa chuva
Why this rain
Sem filosofia,
Without philosophy,
A grande verdade
The great truth
É que a chuva chovia
Is that the rain was falling
A grande verdade
The great truth
É que a chuva nascia
Is that the rain was born
Na rua Mãe d'Água
In the Mother of Water street
Depois se expandia
Then it expanded
Lavava Lisboa
Washing Lisbon
E me comovia
And moved me
Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@franciscodamasceno1075
Lisboa é a mais bela cidade da europa. Capital do universo lusofóno, a vaidosa alfacinha é encantadora e cosmopolita. Sou um brasileiro eternamente apaixonado por joia ibérica. Obrigado alceu valença por ter cantado lisboa. Um abraço de brasília, capital do brasil, aos meus irmãos lusitanos.
@andreeduardo8564
Ouvindo essa nostálgica canção enquanto caminho pelas ruas da velha Lisboa em uma madrugada fria e chuvosa, isso é totalmente sensorial!
@josehumberto4446
Belíssima canção!
@wilsonmarques7010
Alceu é múltiplo de si mesmo...
@pedroromagueira8605
Lisboa me aguarde eu e filho kkkkk amo Lisboa. (NITA a mãe de Pedro Romaguera)
@keullysoares9953
Tinha Esse Vinil Lá Em Casa..Eu Tinha Medo Dessa Capa.
@JoaoSouza-hw6dw
Valeu Milton.
@542bful
Brasil Rio de Janeiro