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.
Clarão
Alcione Lyrics
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Lá de muito além
Onde a saudade se esconde de toda a saudade
Lá onde deixei toda a ilusão que conheci
Tudo que no coração prendi
Que vive a vibrar
Em toda a canção
Iluminando a certeza dos meus sentimentos
Nos meus dscaminhos por amar demais
És o mar
Eu sou a lua a te iluminar
Teu sonho inteiro é me alcançar
A treva em busca de um clarão
És tão só
Descer dos sonhos a se enrtegar
Porém insistes em não enxergar
A luz intensa da paixão
Alcione's song "Clarão" is a deeply meditative and introspective piece that reflects on life's complexities and uncertainties. It begins with a description of a light that comes from the beyond, where sadness hides from all the other sad things. This light is where the persona has left all her illusions and anything that she held close to her heart. The light continues to vibrate in every song, illuminating the truth of the persona's feelings, resisting the waves of turmoil that arise when loving too much.
In the chorus, the persona likens herself to the moon, and the light to the ocean. She is the moon that illuminates the ocean, and the light is the ideal that she longs for. Yet, despite her desire for clarity, she seems to be caught in a cycle of darkness and confusion. She describes herself as being surrounded by darkness and in search of clarity, but she cannot seem to find it. She wishes that she could look beyond her dreams to find what she truly seeks. Despite her wishes, the intensity of her passion remains unrelenting.
Overall, the song expresses the longing of someone who is in search of clarity and self-discovery but is struggling to find it. It reflects the complexity of human emotions and the challenges we face in navigating our desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Luz que vem de lá
The light that comes from a faraway place
Lá de muito além
There are deep in the beyond
Onde a saudade se esconde de toda a saudade
Where nostalgia hides from all other nostalgia
Lá onde deixei toda a ilusão que conheci
There, where I left behind all the illusions I had known
Tudo que no coração prendi
Everything that I locked away in my heart
Que vive a vibrar
That lives to vibrate
Em toda a canção
In every song
Iluminando a certeza dos meus sentimentos
Illuminating the certainty of my feelings
E resiste às ondas da tormenta que se faz
And it resists the waves of the storm that arises
Nos meus descaminhos por amar demais
During my misguided paths due to loving too much
És o mar
You are the sea
Eu sou a lua a te iluminar
I am the moon illuminating you
Teu sonho inteiro é me alcançar
Your entire dream is to reach me
A treva em busca de um clarão
The darkness searching for a brightness
És tão só
You are so lonely
Descer dos sonhos a se entregar
Descending from dreams to surrender
Porém insistes em não enxergar
However, you insist on not seeing
A luz intensa da paixão
The intense light of passion
Contributed by Lila N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.