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.

Gente Fina Mas...
Alcione Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Canta pra subir que ele sai
Canta pra subir que ele vai
Chegou o cara
Que no pagode pensa que é bamba
É gente fina, mas vacila pra caramba

Ele organiza o pagode
Não deixa faltar a cerveja gelada

É o primeiro a chegar
E só sai lá prás tantas da madrugada
Mas quando pega o tantan
Aí o pagode descamba
É gente fina, vacila prá caramba

Leva sempre um convidado
Famoso, importante pra impressionar
Dá uma de anfitrião
Faz de tudo um pouco pra se enturmar
Mas quando tenta o improviso
Aí que ele se esculhamba
É gente fina, mas vacila pra caramba

Pensa que sabe de tudo
E todos os sambas sabe decorados
Leva sempre um gravador
Pro pagode ficar registrado
Mas outro dia cismou

Que o Negritude gravou a caçamba, uôu, bum!
É gente fina, mas vacila pra caramba

Overall Meaning

The song "Gente Fina Mas..." by Alcione is about a man who is well-liked and respected in the world of pagode (a style of Brazilian samba music), but who has a tendency to mess up and make mistakes. The song describes him as someone who is always the first to arrive and the last to leave a party, who makes sure there is plenty of cold beer for everyone, and who likes to impress his friends by bringing famous guests to the pagode. However, when he gets behind the drum (tamborim) and tries to improvise, he often messes up the rhythm and ruins the song. He also thinks he knows everything about pagode and samba, but once he made a mistake by saying that a song by the band Negritude Jr. was about a dumpster, which is not correct at all.

The repetition of the phrase "é gente fina, mas vacila pra caramba" throughout the song emphasizes the man's likability and good intentions despite his flaws. It also suggests that even "good people" can make mistakes and that it's important to be forgiving and understanding of others.

Overall, "Gente Fina Mas..." is a lighthearted and playful song that pokes fun at the imperfections of the human condition. It celebrates the joy and camaraderie of pagode while acknowledging that it's okay to mess up sometimes.

Line by Line Meaning

Canta pra subir que ele sai
He sings to rise up and leave

Canta pra subir que ele vai
He sings to rise up and go

Chegou o cara
The guy has arrived

Que no pagode pensa que é bamba
He who thinks he's a big shot at the pagode

É gente fina, mas vacila pra caramba
He's a nice guy, but he messes up a lot

Ele organiza o pagode
He organizes the pagode

Não deixa faltar a cerveja gelada
He doesn't let the cold beer run out

É o primeiro a chegar
He's the first to arrive

E só sai lá prás tantas da madrugada
And only leaves in the early hours of the morning

Mas quando pega o tantan
But when he plays the tantan

Aí o pagode descamba
Then the pagode goes downhill