She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. In fact, she was one of the most important figures in the genre’s development, and enjoyed a 40-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 fadista — or fado singer — should perform it, to the extent that she remains an unsurpassable model and an unending source of repertoire for all those who came afterwards. Rodrigues enjoyed an extensive international career between the 1950s and the 1970s, although in an era where such efforts were not as easily quantified as today. Other well-known international fado artists such as Madredeus, Dulce Pontes and Mariza have come close, however.
Fria Claridade
Amalia Rodrigues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Daquele tão triste dia,
Grande, grande era a cidade,
E ninguém me conhecia!
Então passaram por mim
Dois olhos lindos, depois,
Julguei sonhar, vendo enfim,
Em todos os meus sentidos,
Tive presságios de Deus.
E aqueles olhos tão lindos
Afastaram-se dos meus!
Acordei, a claridade
Fez-se maior e mais fria.
Grande, grande era a cidade,
E ninguém me conhecia!
The lyrics to Amalia Rodrigues’s song Fria Claridade speak to the experience of loneliness and longing for connection in a bustling city. The singer is surrounded by the bright and cold light of day in a city that feels overwhelming and empty. The lyrics convey a sense of disorientation and even despair as the singer laments that nobody knows them in this vast and impersonal place.
However, there is a glimmer of hope in the form of two beautiful eyes that catch the singer’s attention. The singer is struck by the beauty of these eyes and wonders if they could possibly be real. This interaction offers a moment of transcendence and possibly even a sign of divine intervention. But just as suddenly as they appeared, the eyes disappear, and the singer is left alone once again with the harsh light of day and the realization that they are still unknown in this city.
Overall, the lyrics to Fria Claridade are a poignant and relatable portrayal of the experience of feeling lost and anonymous in a big city, and the small moments of hope that can offer some relief from that feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
No meio da claridade,
In the midst of clarity,
Daquele tão triste dia,
Of that very sad day,
Grande, grande era a cidade,
The city was vast, so vast,
E ninguém me conhecia!
And nobody knew me!
Então passaram por mim
Then two beautiful eyes passed by me,
Dois olhos lindos, depois,
Two beautiful eyes, then again,
Julguei sonhar, vendo enfim,
I thought I was dreaming, seeing at last,
Dois olhos, como há só dois?
Two eyes like there are only two?
Em todos os meus sentidos,
In all my senses,
Tive presságios de Deus.
I had signs from God.
E aqueles olhos tão lindos
And those eyes so beautiful,
Afastaram-se dos meus!
Moved away from mine!
Acordei, a claridade
I woke up, the clarity
Fez-se maior e mais fria.
Became greater and colder.
Grande, grande era a cidade,
The city was vast, so vast,
E ninguém me conhecia!
And nobody knew me!
Contributed by Isaac F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Isabel Covas
Maravilha de voz, poema e música. Devemos muito a Amália, jamais esquecida.
Trixie-Elaine Heinz
one of my favourites! thanks for posting.
셀꽃 {셀잎 부계정}
Hi~
Could you please tell me what this song is about?
Is it a story about lost love and a broken heart?
No way I can find any translated lyrics (in English nor Korean)
I'll appreciate it
Thank you
Margarida Oliveira
Divina
Cristina Dauria
/ * BELLISIMOOOO....VIDEO....!!!.* /
Alicia Diaz
Será SEMPRE LEMBRADA.... ATÉ SEMPRE AMÁLIA
Rafi Molina
Linda!
Compuesta por: José Marques Do Amaral / Pedro Homem de Mello
Nicole Adrians
1 grande fadiste!
Ross Turcotte
Will Oldham sent me ✌️🙃