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.
Retalhos
Alcione Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O pingo de pingar do Santo
O homem que morre de infarte
A reza que quebra o quebrando
O grito de gol na gargante
O heroi na televisão
A falta de fome na janta
O gesto acressivo da mão
São coisas do Mundo
Retalhos da Vida
São coisas de qualquer lugar
Mas se eu fico mudo
Este mundo imundo
É capaz tentar me tentar mudar
A espera da moça do Mange
A mulher que faz um cochiço
O Crime lá do Bang Bang
No Cine da boca do lixo
O Velho mendido da praça
A Nega que nunca nego
O triste palhaço sem graça
No Circo que já desabou
São coisas do Mundo
Retalhos da Vida
São coisas de qualquer lugar
Mas se eu fico mudo
Este mundo imundo
É capaz tentar me tentar mudar
O Anúncio do novo cigarro
O trânsito louco varrido
A moça que corre de carro
E tenta sonhar colorido
O triste retrato da morte
Estampa o Jornal O Dia
Ao lado do riso da sorte
De quem ganhou na Loteria
São coisas do Mundo
Retalhos da Vida
São coisas de qualquer lugar
Mas se eu fico mudo
Este mundo imundo
É capaz tentar me tentar mudar
The lyrics to Alcione's song "Retalhos" describe various aspects of life and society, as well as the ways in which they are intertwined. The opening lines mention the door handle, the dripping of holy water, heart attacks, and prayers that break the impossible. These seemingly disconnected elements are representative of the cacophony of life, filled with unexpected happenings, moments of faith, and the frailty of human existence. The following verses continue to paint a vivid picture of diverse experiences, such as waiting for someone, petty crimes, poverty and begging, circuses that have fallen apart, and the contrast between tragedy and fortune.
The chorus of the song ties these disparate elements together, expressing the idea that they are all a part of the patchwork of life. The lyrics suggest that if we remain silent and indifferent to the world around us, we risk being swept away by it. The final line implies that the world may even try to change us if we do not change it first. Thus, the song seems to call for an active engagement with life, with all its joys, sorrows, and complexities.
Line by Line Meaning
A ginda da porta estandarte
The rusty door hinge
O pingo de pingar do Santo
The sound of water dripping from a religious statue
O homem que morre de infarte
The man who dies from a heart attack
A reza que quebra o quebrando
The prayer that breaks the broken
O grito de gol na gargante
The scream of a goal in one's throat
O heroi na televisão
The hero on television
A falta de fome na janta
The lack of appetite during dinner
O gesto acressivo da mão
The aggressive gesture of the hand
São coisas do Mundo
These are things of the world
Retalhos da Vida
Scraps of Life
São coisas de qualquer lugar
These are things from anywhere
Mas se eu fico mudo
But if I stay silent
Este mundo imundo
This filthy world
É capaz tentar me tentar mudar
It is capable of trying to change me
A espera da moça do Mange
Waiting for the girl from Mange
A mulher que faz um cochiço
The woman who gossips
O Crime lá do Bang Bang
The crime in Bang Bang
No Cine da boca do lixo
At the cinema of the trash mouth
O Velho mendido da praça
The old beggar in the square
A Nega que nunca nego
The black woman who never denies
O triste palhaço sem graça
The sad, unfunny clown
No Circo que já desabou
In the circus that has already collapsed
O Anúncio do novo cigarro
The advertisement for the new cigarette
O trânsito louco varrido
The crazy traffic swept away
A moça que corre de carro
The girl who drives fast
E tenta sonhar colorido
And tries to dream in color
O triste retrato da morte
The sad portrait of death
Estampa o Jornal O Dia
Printed in O Dia newspaper
Ao lado do riso da sorte
Alongside the laughter of fortune
De quem ganhou na Loteria
From those who won the lottery
Contributed by Sadie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Onédio Silva
2020 alguém? 44 anos depois e essa música ainda é um ícone 😍👌🏾
fmtf niuprog
@Helena Silva Eu também!
Helena Silva
*em
Helena Silva
Eu aqui wm Portugal.
Soreli Nauat
2021, Fevereiro, Carnaval em confinamento... Retalhos... sempre
paor67
Em 2021... Linda música
jjrbueno
Eita música para lembrar minha infância.Tinhamos esse LP em casa e eu vivia cantarolando essa música.Até hoje adoro cantá-la ,pois ela mostra a verdade nua e crua da vida.Ela me lembra de uma grade amigo que já partiu.Foi através desse LP que conheci e passei admirar a marrom.
Ana Mateus
Musica que toca na alma da gente 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Rickson Rocha
Uma verdadeira obra de arte
Elza Iglesias
Maravilhosa!