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.
Este Seu Olhar
Alcione Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quando encontra o meu
Fala de umas coisas
Que eu nem posso acreditar
Doce é sonhar e pensar que você
Gosta de mim, como eu de você
Mas a ilusão, quando se desfaz
Sonhou demais
Ah! Se eu pudesse entender
O que dizem os teus olhos
The lyrics of Alcione's song "Este Seu Olhar" talks about the feelings of a person who is dreamy and hopeful about being loved. The person's eyes meet with the eyes of their lover, and their gaze hints at some unknown feeling that the person can't believe is directed at them. The person relishes in the sweet feeling of dreaming and hoping that their lover reciprocates their feelings.
However, the illusion is shattered when they realize that their lover's eyes were not directed towards them, but someone or something else. The heartbreak is intense, and it pains the person who had dreamt of a beautiful relationship with their lover. Despite the bitter feeling, the person can't help but stay mesmerized by their lover's look, wondering what their eyes meant and what they were trying to say.
The lyrics of the song portray the universal feelings of love, heartbreak, and hope. The lyrics stress on the notion that sometimes we can only live in a beautiful illusion that shatters our hearts in the end, but we shouldn't stop dreaming and hoping for a beautiful future.
Line by Line Meaning
Esse seu olhar
Your gaze
Quando encontra o meu
When it meets mine
Fala de umas coisas
Speaks of things
Que eu nem posso acreditar
That I can't even believe
Doce é sonhar e pensar que você
Sweet it is to dream and think that you
Gosta de mim, como eu de você
Like me, as I do of you
Mas a ilusão, quando se desfaz
But the illusion, when it unravels
Dói no coração de quem sonhou
Hurts the heart of the one who dreamed
Sonhou demais
Dreamed too much
Ah! Se eu pudesse entender
Oh! If only I could understand
O que dizem os teus olhos
What your eyes are saying
Writer(s): Antonio Carlos Jobim
Contributed by Thomas G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.