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.

Ouro E Cobre
Alcione Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Te dei um tesouro
Apesar de pobre
Meu coração de ouro
Troquei pelo teu de cobre

E apesar de juntos
Estavas tão distante
Teu sentimento era de vidro

E o meu puro brilhante

Neste vendaval de ilusões
Ficava eu curtindo
Um incomensurável amor
E agora terminadas as paixões
Eu vejo que não sinto mais a dor

Eu fui o sol dos teus dias
Te dei calor, claridade

Foste a noite escura sem lua
Fria noite de tempestade

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alcione's song Ouro E Cobre tell the story of a lover who has given a treasure, his heart made of gold, to his significant other despite being poor himself. In exchange, he gets back a heart made of copper, which symbolizes a cheap and less valuable love. Despite being together, they do not feel close because the other's feelings are fragile and easily broken, like glass, while his own feelings are pure and dazzling like a brilliant. He finds himself holding on to an immense love that eventually fades along with his pain.

The singer describes herself as the sun in her partner's life, giving him warmth and lighting, while the partner is the moonless dark night, stormy and frigid. With the storm of illusions passing, she realized the love was not worth the pain.

Overall, the song is a representation of a one-sided relationship where one partner gives more than they receive and eventually realizes their true worth.

Line by Line Meaning

Te dei um tesouro
I gave you a treasure

Apesar de pobre
Even though it was poor

Meu coração de ouro
My heart of gold

Troquei pelo teu de cobre
Traded for yours made of copper

E apesar de juntos
And despite being together

Estavas tão distante
You were so far away

Teu sentimento era de vidro
Your feeling was like glass

E o meu puro brilhante
And my pure diamond

Neste vendaval de ilusões
In this storm of illusions

Ficava eu curtindo
I was enjoying

Um incomensurável amor
An immeasurable love