Born in Lisbon, Portugal, official documents have her date of birth as the 23rd July, but Rodrigues always said her birthday was the 1st July 1920. She was born in the rua Martim Vaz (Martim Vaz Street), freguesia of Pena, Lisbon. Her father was a trumpet player and cobbler from Fundão who returned there when Amália was just over a year old, leaving her to live in Lisbon with her maternal grandmother in a deeply Catholic environment until she was fourteen, when her parents returned to the capital and she moved back in with them.
She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado"), and was most influential in popularising fado worldwide. She was unquestionably the most important figure in the genre’s development, by virtue of an innate interpretive talent carefully nurtured throughout a forty-year recording and stage career. Rodrigues' performances and choice of repertoire pushed fado’s boundaries and helped redefine it and reconfigure it for her and subsequent generations. In effect, Rodrigues wrote the rulebook on what fado could be and on how a female singer - or fadista - should perform it, to the extent that she remains an unsurpassable model and an unending source of repertoire for all those who came afterwards.
After a few years of amateur performances, Rodrigues’ first professional engagement in a fado venue took place in 1939, and she quickly became a regular guest star in stage revues. There she met Frederico Valério, a classically-trained composer who, recognising the potential in such a voice, wrote expansive melodies custom-designed for Rodrigues’ voice, breaking the rules of fado by adding orchestral accompaniment.
Her Portuguese popularity began to extend abroad with trips to Spain, a lengthy stay in Brazil (where, in 1945, she made her first recordings on Brazilian label Continental) and Paris (in 1949). In 1950, while performing at the Marshall Plan international benefit shows, she introduced "April in Portugal" to international audiences (under its original title "Coimbra"). In the early fifties, the patronage of the acclaimed Portuguese poet David Mourão-Ferreira marked the beginning of a new phase; Rodrigues sang many of the country's greatest poets, and some wrote lyrics specifically for her.
In 1954, Rodrigues' international career skyrocketed through her presence in Henri Verneuil’s film The Lovers of Lisbon, where she had a supporting role and performed on-screen. By the late 1950s the USA, England, and France had become her major international markets (Japan and Italy followed in the 1970s); in France especially, her popularity rivalled her Portuguese success, and she graduated to headliner at the prestigious Olympia theatre within a matter of months. Over the years, she performed nearly all over the world, going as far as the Soviet Union and Israel.
At the end of the 1950s, Rodrigues took a year off. She returned in 1962 with a richer voice, concentrating on recording and performing live at a slower pace. Her comeback album, 1962's Amália Rodrigues, was her first collaboration with French composer Alain Oulman, her main songwriter and musical producer throughout the decade. As Valério had before him, Oulman wrote melodies for her that transcended the conventions of fado. Rodrigues did not shy away from controversy: her performance in Carlos Vilardebó’s 1964 arthouse film The Enchanted Islands was better received than the film, based on a short story by Herman Melville, and her 1965 recording of poems by 16th century poet Luís de Camões generated acres of newspaper polemics. Yet her popularity remained untouched. Her 1968 single "Vou Dar de Beber à Dor" broke all sales records, and her 1970 album Com que Voz, considered by many her definitive recording, won a number of international awards.
During the 1970s, Rodrigues concentrated on live work, and embarked upon a heavy schedule of worldwide concert performances. During the frenetic period after the 25th April 1974 she was falsely accused of being a covert agent of the PIDE, causing some trauma to her public life and career. (In fact, during the Salazar years, Rodrigues had been an occasional financial supporter of some communists in need.) Her return to the recording studio in 1977 with Cantigas numa Língua Antiga was received as a triumph. The 1980s and 1990s brought her enthronement as a living legend. Her last all-new studio recording, Lágrima, was released in 1983. It was followed by a series of previously lost or unreleased recordings, and the smash success of two greatest hits collections that sold over 200,000 copies combined.
Despite a series of illnesses involving her voice, Rodrigues continued recording as late as 1990. She eventually retreated from public performance, although her career gained in stature with an official biography by historian and journalist Vítor Pavão dos Santos, and a five-hour television series documenting her fifty-year career, featuring rare archival footage (later distilled into the ninety-minute film documentary, The Art of Amália). Its director, Bruno de Almeida, has also produced Amália, Live in New York City (a concert film of her 1990 performance at New York City Hall).
Rodrigues died on the 6th October 1999 at the age of seventy-nine in her home in Lisbon. Portugal's government promptly declared a period of national mourning. Her house (in Rua de São Bento) is now a museum. She is now buried at the National Pantheon alongside other Portuguese notables.
1946.
Oiça Lá Ó Senhor Vinho
Amália Rodrigues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vai responder-me, mas com franqueza:
Porque é que tira toda a firmeza
A quem encontra no seu caminho?
Lá por beber um copinho a mais
Até pessoas pacatas,
Amigo vinho, em desalinho
É mau procedimento
E há intenção naquilo que faz
Entra-se em desequilíbrio,
Não há equilíbrio que seja capaz
As leis da Física falham
E a vertical de qualquer lugar
Oscila sem se deter
E deixa de ser perpendicular
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho,
"A folha solta a bailar ao vento,
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida,
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim"
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo,
A mais um copinho!
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho,
"A folha solta a bailar ao vento,
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida,
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim"
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo,
A mais um copinho!
The song "Oiça Lá Ó Senhor Vinho" by Amália Rodrigues is an ode to wine and its effects on people. The singer addresses the wine as if it were a person, asking why it takes away people's composure when they encounter it. The song goes on to discuss how drinking wine can cause people to act out of character and become unbalanced, but ultimately defend the drink as having a positive impact on people's lives.
The first stanza begins by asking the wine why it takes away people's firmness when they encounter it. The singer suggests that even those who are typically calm and collected can become wild and unsteady after drinking wine. The second stanza goes on to discuss how drinking wine can cause people to become imbalanced and unstable, with the laws of physics seemingly failing to keep them upright. Despite this, the wine is ultimately defended as having a positive impact on people's lives, giving them a sense of enhancement and worth.
The song can be interpreted as a celebration of wine as a social lubricant that brings people together in a joyous and uplifting manner, but also highlights the dangers of overindulging and losing control. It also serves as a reminder to not judge those who may act out of character when drinking, as the wine is ultimately to blame.
Overall, "Oiça Lá Ó Senhor Vinho" showcases Amália Rodrigues's vocal prowess and her ability to capture the essence of Portugal's music and culture. The song has become a classic example of Fado music and remains a beloved national treasure in Portugal.
Line by Line Meaning
Oiça lá ó senhor vinho,
Listen up, Mister Wine,
Vai responder-me, mas com franqueza:
Answer me honestly,
Porque é que tira toda a firmeza
Why do you take away all the stability
A quem encontra no seu caminho?
From anyone who crosses your path?
Lá por beber um copinho a mais
Just because you have one too many drinks
Até pessoas pacatas,
Even peaceful people,
Amigo vinho, em desalinho
Become unruly, my friend wine
Vossa mercê faz andar de gatas!
And make them crawl!
É mau procedimento
It's bad behavior
E há intenção naquilo que faz
And there's intention behind it
Entra-se em desequilíbrio,
It causes imbalance,
Não há equilíbrio que seja capaz
No balance can withstand it
As leis da Física falham
The laws of physics fail,
E a vertical de qualquer lugar
And the vertical of any place
Oscila sem se deter
Wavers without stopping
E deixa de ser perpendicular
And ceases to be perpendicular
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho,
"I used to be", answers the wine,
"A folha solta a bailar ao vento,
"The leaf dancing in the wind,
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
I was a sunbeam in the sky
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Bringing sweet love to the grape
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
I still hold the warmth of the sun
E assim eu até dou vida,
And that's how I bring life,
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Increasing the value for whoever drinks
Na boa conta, peso e medida
With good measure, weight, and value
E só faço mal a quem
And I only harm those
Me julga ninguém
Who underestimate me
E faz pouco de mim
And make little of me
Quem me trata como água
Those who treat me like water
É ofensa, pago-a!
Is an offense and I'll make them pay!
Eu cá sou assim"
That's just the way I am"
Vossa mercê tem razão
You are right
E é ingratidão
And it's ungrateful
Falar mal do vinho
To speak ill of wine
E a provar o que digo
To prove what I'm saying
Vamos, meu amigo,
Let's go, my friend,
A mais um copinho!
For another glass!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alberto Failho Janes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
fernanda vieira
Oiça lá ó senhor vinho
Vai responder-me, mas com franqueza:
Porque é que tira toda a firmeza
A quem encontra no seu caminho?
Lá por beber um copinho a mais
Até pessoas pacatas
Amigo vinho, em desalinho
Vossa mercê faz andar de gatas!
É mau procedimento
E há intenção naquilo que faz
Entra-se em desequilíbrio
Não há equilíbrio que seja capaz
As leis da física falham
E a vertical de qualquer lugar
Oscila sem se deter
E deixa de ser perpendicular
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho
"A folha solta a brincar ao vento
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim."
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo
A mais um copinho!
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho
"A folha solta a bailar ao vento
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim.
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim."
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo
A mais um copinho!
Honesty Lowkeye
Proposed English translation (may be subject to future edits):
"Listen here, Sir Wine"
Lyrics by Alberto Janes
Listen here, Sir Wine
You shall answer me, and earnestly:
Why do you rob of all firmness
Whomever you find in your path?
Simply by having a drink too many
Even peaceful people,
Disheveled, my friend Wine,
You, Sir, have made to crawl on all fours
It is bad practice
And there is intent in what you do
One falls into such imbalance
That no balance can withstand
The laws of physics fail
And the vertical(ity) of any place
Oscillates without bracing itself
And ceases to be perpendicular
“I have been,” the Wine retorts,
“The loose leaf dallying in the wind
“I’ve been a sunbeam from the heavens
“That brought the grape sweet care
“Still, I keep the warmth of the sun
“And thus I yield even life
“I bolster the worth of anyone,
“In the right amount and good measure
“And I harm only those
“Who think me no one and mock me
“Who treat me like water, it is an offense
“Which I repay, for that is how I am”
(2x)
You, Sir, are right,
It is ungrateful to speak ill of Wine
And to prove what I say
Let us, my friend, have another drink
Darleide Medeiros
Meu respeito e amor por tanto talento que chega a nós brasileiros em forma de carinho. ❤️🇧🇷
Paulo Copelli
Apesar de ser brasileiro, meu coração bate forte quando penso em Portugal, esta pátria linda e irmã! Ouvir a voz de Amália é um frenesee. Muita saudade desta fadista amada e querida!
Paulo Copelli
@Μακεδών obrigado por responder meu caro! Um abraço fraterno de seu irmão brasileiro.
Μακεδών
Brasileiros é uma parte da raça Portuguêsa , abraços do Porto meu amigo 🇵🇹🤝🇧🇷
Luis Liquito
Tantas vezes que essa minha vertical perdeu a perpendicular :)
Elena Varona
Me encanta esta canción y muchas otras. Amalia es para mí la mejor del mundo mundial. Viva Portugal!!!
fernanda vieira
Oiça lá ó senhor vinho
Vai responder-me, mas com franqueza:
Porque é que tira toda a firmeza
A quem encontra no seu caminho?
Lá por beber um copinho a mais
Até pessoas pacatas
Amigo vinho, em desalinho
Vossa mercê faz andar de gatas!
É mau procedimento
E há intenção naquilo que faz
Entra-se em desequilíbrio
Não há equilíbrio que seja capaz
As leis da física falham
E a vertical de qualquer lugar
Oscila sem se deter
E deixa de ser perpendicular
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho
"A folha solta a brincar ao vento
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim."
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo
A mais um copinho!
"Eu já fui", responde o vinho
"A folha solta a bailar ao vento
Fui raio de sol no firmamento
Que trouxe à uva, doce carinho
Ainda guardo o calor do sol
E assim eu até dou vida
Aumento o valor seja de quem for
Na boa conta, peso e medida
E só faço mal a quem
Me julga ninguém
E faz pouco de mim.
Quem me trata como água
É ofensa, pago-a!
Eu cá sou assim."
Vossa mercê tem razão
E é ingratidão
Falar mal do vinho
E a provar o que digo
Vamos, meu amigo
A mais um copinho!
AGUSTIN vieira
Yes
José Medeiros
Que delícia... posso ficar horas a ouvi-la.
JVA
letra deliciosa, voz incomparavel