Alcione (Alcione Nazaré, São Luís, Maranhão, November 21, 1947) also known … Read Full Bio ↴Alcione (Alcione Nazaré, São Luís, Maranhão, November 21, 1947) also known as Marrom (brownie) is one of the most successful female sambists in Brazil who first claimed international recognition in the late 1970s, and has had 19 gold records and two platinum records.

Alcione was introduced to the traditional Brazilian music by her father. He was a military musician who worked as the conductor of the corps marching band. At the age of thirteen, she was already able to give vocal performance in college parties. At this same age, she began to study clarinet, and then learnt to play the trumpet.

At age 20 Alcione moved to Rio de Janeiro. There she worked at the city's TV Excelsior, and later went on tour in Argentina and Chile for four months. On returning to Brazil, she settled in São Paulo, working in nightclub and making appearances on television. In 1970, she started her two-year tour in Europe, performing as a vocalist and a trumpet artist.

In 1972, when back to Brazil, Alcione recorded her first single. The following year, she traveled to sing in Mexico and, in 1974, Portugal, where she recorded her first full-length album. In 1975 Alcione released her LP, A Voz do Samba, which achieved gold sales status and featured several hit tracks. The most successful songs were Não Deixe o Samba Morrer, written by Edson and Aloiso, and O Surdo, written by Totonho/Paulinho Resende.

In the late 1970s, Nazaré became well-known as a samba artist and achieved international recognition. She recorded Alerta Geral for Philips Records and, in 1978, released this album, the title of which was taken from a television show that Alcione had hosted on TV Globo for two years. Following its success, Alcione continued to release several other full-length albums in late 1970s and early 1980s, including her self-titled album.

In 1997, Alcione signed with Universal Records, subsequently releasing a label debut named Valeu, through Polygram the next year. This was followed by Celebração that same year, and Claridade---Uma Homenagem A Clara Nunes in 1999. In December 2002 Alcione was recognized for playing an important part in founding the Paraíso School of Samba in London, England. She also helped organizing and preparing the stage for a British version of the Carnival Brasil, Paraíso dos Orixás (Brazil, Paradise of the Gods). In 2003, her 2002 album, Ao Vivo, received the Best Samba/Pagode Album Award at fourth Latin Grammy Award ceremony.

She has interpreted several hits such as Não deixe o samba morrer, Lá vem você, Gostoso veneno and Ilha da maré.

On July 7, 2007 she performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro.

Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba
Alcione Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ó Vera
Hermafrodita mãe gentil
Se faceira és Verinha
Se dolente és Brasil

De dia mulata maneira, materna e malandra
De noite remexe brejeira na roda de bamba
Se toca Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba

Metade usa terno de linho, metade miçanga

Ó Vera
Tu és nação
Tu és país
Por ti mesma é fecundada
Pai e mãe dos teus guris
Alguns degeneram
Te causam tumores de angra
Depois te operam e retiram as suas muambas
Deixando os irmãos de herança
Mendigos de tanga
Não sabem a dor de um peito materno
Que sangra e se sente infeliz

Mas eu
Sou sentinela dos teus ais
Que tenho orgulho de meus pais
Sou mercador das ilusões
Mas sei que é preciso urgentemente
Te resgatar completamente
Varrer a casa e os porões
Te assumir ô mãe

Canta pra subir
Que a moça tá engravidada
Vera Cruz tá aí
Quase estourando a bolsa d'água

Canta pra subir
Que a moça tá engravidada

Vera Cruz tá aí
Quase estourando a bolsa d'água

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Alcione's song, "Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba," are complex and poetic, full of allusions to Brazilian culture and the struggle of its people. The song begins by addressing a figure named Vera, who is referred to as a "hermaphrodite mother," perhaps an allusion to Brazil's mixed heritage and dual identities. Vera is described as both "faceira," or coquettish, and "dolente," or melancholic, representing the conflicted nature of Brazil itself.

The song goes on to describe the various facets of Vera's identity, including her role as a "mulata maneira," a motherly figure who is also streetwise and mischievous. At night, she becomes a "brejeira," a woman who loves to dance and have fun with her friends. The song also references a certain Oliveira da Silva, a samba musician who embodies the spirit of Brazil and its diverse cultural influences. The line "metade usa terno de linho, metade miçanga" ("half wear linen suits, half wear beads") further emphasizes this diversity.

Despite the beauty and richness of Brazil's culture, the song acknowledges the struggles that its people face, including poverty, degeneration, and exploitation. In one particularly poignant line, the singer describes Brazil as a mother who bleeds and feels unhappy because of the suffering of her children. However, the singer also sees himself as a "sentinela," or guardian, of Brazil's legacy, taking pride in his heritage and working to uplift his community.

Overall, "Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba" is a powerful tribute to Brazil and its people, celebrating both their strengths and their vulnerabilities.

Line by Line Meaning

Ó Vera
Oh Vera

Hermafrodita mãe gentil
Gentle hermaphrodite mother

Se faceira és Verinha
If you're flirtatious, you're little Vera

Se dolente és Brasil
If you are sorrowful, you are Brazil

De dia mulata maneira, materna e malandra
During the day, mulatto manner, maternal and cunning

De noite remexe brejeira na roda de bamba
At night, she moves like a freak in the samba circle

Se toca Brasil de Oliveira da Silva do Samba
Playing Brazil by Oliveira da Silva do Samba

Metade usa terno de linho, metade miçanga
Half wear linen suits, half wear beads

Tu és nação
You are a nation

Tu és país
You are a country

Por ti mesma é fecundada
You are fertilized by yourself