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.

Zelão
Alcione Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Todo morro entendeu
Quando Zelão chorou
Ninguém riu, ninguém brincou
E era carnaval

No fogo de um barracão
Só se cozinha ilusão
Restos que a feira deixou

E ainda é pouco só
Mas assim mesmo Zelão
Dizia sempre a sorrir
Um pobre ajuda outro pobre até melhorar

Choveu, choveu
E a chuva botou seu barraco no chão
Nem foi possível salvar violão
Que acompanhou morro abaixo a canção

Das coisas todas que a chuva levou
Pedaços tristes do seu coração

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Alcione's song "Zelão" speak about a man named Zelão whose emotions are so powerful that even during the festive season of carnival, the whole hill felt his pain. Zelão's circumstances are described as being in a dilapidated shed where only illusions are stewed from what little the market leaves behind. Despite these conditions, Zelão always kept a smile on his face and maintained the belief that the poor could help each other out to get ahead. However, even his optimistic outlook could not withstand the force of the rain that destroyed his meager dwelling and a guitar that had played many a song on its way down the hill. The rain also took with it the pieces of Zelão's heart that were already in shambles.

Line by Line Meaning

Todo morro entendeu
Everyone on the hill understood

Quando Zelão chorou
When Zelão cried

Ninguém riu, ninguém brincou
No one laughed, no one played

E era carnaval
And it was carnival

No fogo de um barracão
In the fire of a shack

Só se cozinha ilusão
Only illusions are being cooked

Restos que a feira deixou
Leftovers from the market

E ainda é pouco só
And it's still not enough

Mas assim mesmo Zelão
Even so, Zelão

Dizia sempre a sorrir
Always said with a smile

Um pobre ajuda outro pobre até melhorar
One poor person helps another poor person until they improve