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.

Ou Ela Ou Eu
Alcione Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Esse amor proibido
Por nós dois escondido
Me castiga demais
Essa angústia, essa dor
De assistir vocês dois
Para mim não dá mais

Quando a gente se encontra

E você faz de conta
Que eu não sou de você
No aperto de mão
Meu olhar vai pro chão
Pra ninguém perceber

Ou ela ou eu
Muitas vezes pensei
Ensaiei pra dizer
Mas na hora H, não me atrevo a falar
Pra não te aborrecer
Ou ela, ou ela ou eu
É a resposta que eu mais gostaria de ter
Só não faço a pergunta
Pelo medo da falta
Que você vai fazer

E assim vou levando
Sem saber até quando
Vou poder suportar
A certeza de que
Pra você sou um caso
Sem ter hora e lugar
Mal disfarço o embaraço
De saber que em seus braços
Ela encontra abrigo
Morro só de pensar
Que você faz com ela
Tudo o que faz comigo

Ou ela ou eu
Muitas vezes pensei
Ensaiei pra dizer
Mas na hora H, não me atrevo a falar
Pra não te aborrecer
Ou ela, ou ela ou eu
É a resposta que eu mais gostaria de ter
Só não faço a pergunta
Pelo medo da falta
Que você vai fazer

Ou ela ou eu
Muitas vezes pensei
Ensaiei pra dizer
Mas na hora H, não me atrevo a falar
Pra não te aborrecer
Ou ela, ou ela ou eu
É a resposta que eu mais gostaria de ter
Só não faço a pergunta
Pelo medo da falta
Que você vai fazer

Ou ela ou eu
Muitas vezes pensei
Ensaiei pra dizer
Mas na hora H, não me atrevo a falar
Pra não te aborrecer
Ou ela, ou ela ou eu

É a resposta que eu mais gostaria de ter
Só não faço a pergunta

Overall Meaning

Alcione's song "Ou Ela Ou Eu" (Either Her or Me) is a heartbreaking account of unrequited love, where the singer is caught up in a painful love triangle. The lyrics express the pain and anguish that come from being in a relationship with someone who is not fully committed to them. The singer knows that their love is forbidden and can only exist in secret, which is why the relationship is so painful. They witness their partner being with someone else, and that experience is torturous, leading the singer to question whether their partner will ever choose them over the other person.

The singer's dilemma is whether to confront their partner and demand that they choose between them or the other person. However, they are paralyzed by fear and do not want to risk losing the love they have, afraid that their partner may choose the other person instead of them. Thus, they continue to suffer in silence, unable to express their feelings, hoping that one day they will be the chosen one, and their love will be out in the open.

The lyrics of "Ou Ela Ou Eu" are powerful and relatable, speaking to anyone who has experienced the pain of unrequited love. The song is a masterpiece of Brazilian music, showcasing Alcione's amazing voice and her ability to convey deep emotions through her music.

Line by Line Meaning

Esse amor proibido
This forbidden love

Por nós dois escondido
Hidden from both of us

Me castiga demais
It punishes me too much

Essa angústia, essa dor
This anxiety, this pain

De assistir vocês dois
Of watching you two

Para mim não dá mais
It's too much for me

Quando a gente se encontra
When we meet

E você faz de conta
And you pretend

Que eu não sou de você
That I am not yours

No aperto de mão
In the handshake

Meu olhar vai pro chão
My gaze goes to the ground