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.
Espera
Alcione Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E sem nunca chegar
Quem a gente quer
E com a alma em desespero
Se procura no espelho
Uma solução qualquer
É doloroso esperar
Quem a gente quer
E com a alma em desespero
Se procura no espelho
Uma solução qualquer
Marca mais hora o relógio
Do que há no dia
E o pior do silêncio é a agonia
A gente espera
Até quando o corpo cansa
E depois se embala
No belo sonho da esperança
É doloroso esperar
E sem nunca chegar
Quem a gente quer
E com a alma em desespero
Se procura no espelho
Uma solução qualquer
Marca mais hora o relógio
Do que há no dia
E o pior do silêncio é a agonia
A gente espera
Até quando o corpo cansa
E depois se embala
No belo sonho da esperança
É doloroso esperar
E sem nunca chegar
Quem a gente quer
E com a alma em desespero
Se procura no espelho
Uma solução qualquer
É doloroso esperar
É doloroso esperar
In the song 'Espera' by Alcione, the singer is expressing the pain of waiting for someone who never shows up. The lyrics speak of the desperate search for a solution in the mirror, the way time seems to stand still, and the agony of silence. The repetition of the phrase "é doloroso esperar" reinforces the agony and desperation of the situation.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone waiting and hoping for a love that never comes. They wait until their body tires, but still hold onto the dream of the person they want to be with. This waiting game causes immense pain and frustration, and the only way out seems to be through the "bello sonho da esperaça" (the beautiful dream of hope). This idea of hope as a means of coping with disappointment and pain is a recurring theme in the song.
Overall, 'Espera' is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the universal experience of unfulfilled longing and the search for hope in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
É doloroso esperar
Waiting is painful
E sem nunca chegar
And it never arrives
Quem a gente quer
Who we want
E com a alma em desespero
And with a desperate soul
Se procura no espelho
We look in the mirror
Uma solução qualquer
For any solution
Marca mais hora o relógio
The clock ticks more often
Do que há no dia
Than there are hours in the day
E o pior do silêncio é a agonia
And the worst part of silence is the agony
A gente espera
We wait
Até quando o corpo cansa
Until our body is tired
E depois se embala
And then we dream
No belo sonho da esperança
In the beautiful dream of hope
É doloroso esperar
Waiting is painful
E sem nunca chegar
And it never arrives
Quem a gente quer
Who we want
E com a alma em desespero
And with a desperate soul
Se procura no espelho
We look in the mirror
Uma solução qualquer
For any solution
É doloroso esperar
Waiting is painful
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.