Ana Moura has become a leading exponent of this poetic, deeply expressive idiom which personifies the Portuguese psyche as it explores such universal themes as lost love, separation, and longing.
As Ana explains, "It's very special because it's all about emotions and feelings. It needs no translation."
Ana was born in 1980, in Santarém, the bustling capital of the Ribatejo province in the center of Portugal's heartland on the Tejo River northeast of Lisbon.
The city of half a million souls is also one of Portugal's most historic cities -- an ideal place to develop an appreciation for fado. "I've been singing fado since I was little, because grew up listening to it at home," she recalls of her early home life. "My parents sang well, and at family gatherings, we all would sing."
Like young people everywhere, she soon developed an appreciation for other styles of music. The lure of singing fado, however, never waned. In her late teens, while sing pop and rock music with a local band, Ana always included at least one fado in each performance. Then, one night on a whim, about five years ago, she and some friends went to one of Lisbon's storied fado houses -- small performance venues where singers, guitarists and aficionados gather to worship the affecting style that's become Portugal's most important music export.
At the urging of her companions, she sang. "People liked me," she recalls of her first foray into a venerated bastion of the fado culture. Later that year, at a Christmas party that was attended by a lot of fadistas (fado singers) and guitarists, she sang again and, as fate would have it, noted fado vocalist Maria de Fe was in the audience and was duly impressed. "She asked me to sing at her fado house," Ana recalls of the fortuitous moment that launched her career.
"My life changed when I began going to the fado houses," Ana states today. "There's no microphone -- it's very intimate. New singers learn through a kind of apprenticeship, learning the intricacies of the style from the older, more established singers."
Before long, word of Ana's rich contralto, stunning looks and innate affinity for the demanding style spread, winning airtime on local television programs devoted to fado and rave reviews in Lisbon newspapers.
Ana has emerged as a leading voice of traditional fado just as the venerable idiom is enjoying a renaissance of popularity. "Today," she explains, "there's a new generation that sings lyrics related to our time. There are some older fado songs that we, the younger singers, cannot perform, because the lyrics are about a time and themes we don't identify with. We don't feel it, and fado is all about feelings. We must feel what we sing, and there are many older fados that don't belong to our generation. Younger singers use lyrics that speak of today, so young people have begun to get more interested in the music again."
As with jazz and country music in the U.S., tango in Argentina, samba in Brazil, fado sprang from the culture of working class people. And, as with the aforementioned examples, over the years the style evolved from humble origins to win broad appeal. Today, as Ana proudly proclaims, "In Portugal, fado is for everyone."
Like virtually every aspiring fadista, Ana drew early inspiration from the example of Amalia Rodrigues, the revered singer who most personified the style. "It was her soul and her voice," she comments of the late vocalist's singular imprint on the music. "She had everything in her. Some singers have a great voice by no soul, no intensity. Others have feeling but not a suitable voice. She had it all, and, she was a very good improviser."
Improvising is an under-appreciated part of the fado tradition. One technique, which Ana uses to great effect on the song "Lavava no rio lavava" (I Went to the River to Wash), is what the Portuguese term vocalisos -- the expression of words and effects through use of vocal trills. The practice is believed to have been absorbed over centuries of exposure to Spanish flamenco and Moorish styles.
A key track from her album exquisitely sums up the magnetic pull fado has exerted on Ana. "Sou do fado, sou fadista" (I belong to fado, I am a fadista) by her mentor and primary collaborator, guitarist Jorge Fernando, eloquently explains Ana's total surrender to the style:
"I know my soul has surrendered, taken my voice in hand, twisted in my chest and shown it to the world. And I have closed my eyes in a wistful longing to sing, to sing. And a voice sings to me softly, and a voice enchants me softly, I belong to fado, I belong to fado, I am a fadista."
Today, Ana Moura still thinks of how and where it all began, and of the importance of keeping those vital ties alive. "Before," she muses, "I used to sing in the fado house every day. Today, because of my concert schedule and travel, it's impossible. But, when time permits, I like to return. Sometimes I feel that I must go there. I need that."
(Adapted from a text by Cindy Byram)
Como Uma Nuvem No Céu
Ana Moura Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lê-se em anúncios, na palma da mão
Como uma nuvem no céu
O nosso amor não tem solução
Dizem os sábios, os lábios, os olhos
Vem em jornais e revistas que li
Como uma nuvem no céu
O nosso amor já não passa daqui
Mentira, como uma nuvem no céu
Ou como um rio que corre para o mar
Também eu corro para ti
Isso nunca irá mudar
Dizem os livros, os astros, a rádio
Vem nos horóscopos, nos editais
Como uma nuvem no céu
O nosso amor já não dura mais
Dizem as folhas do chá e as notícias
Dizem as fontes bem informadas
Como uma nuvem nocéu
O nosso amor tem as horas contadas
Dizem os sonhos, as lendas, a história
Vem num artigo, saiu num decreto
Como uma nuvem no céu
O nosso amor carece de afecto
Dizem os homens, as fadas, os fados
E vem o código da nossa estrada
Como uma nuvem no céu
O nosso amor não vai dar em nada
Jak obłok na niebie
Mówią poglądy, wyroki i prawa
Mówią reklamy na dłoni i w ręce
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość nierozwiązana
Mówią mędrcy, usta i oczy
Mówią gazety, które czytałam
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość już tutaj nie jest
To kłamstwo, bo jak obłok na niebie
Jak rzeka, która do morza płynie
Ja także do ciebie biegnę
I to się nie zmieni nigdy
Mówią to książki, gwiazdy i radio
Widziałam nasze też horoskopy
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość nie potrwa więcej
Mówią o liściach herbaty wieści
Mówią tak źródła dobrze wiedzące
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość godziny liczy
Mówią marzenia, legendy, historie
Jest w artykule, wyszedł w dekrecie
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość uczucia pragnie
Mówią ludzie i wróżki i losy
Przychodzi w kodzie o naszej drodze
Niby jak chmury na niebie
To nasza miłość nie będzie nigdzie
The lyrics of Ana Moura's song "Como Uma Nuvem No Céu" talk about how everyone around seems to be saying the same thing, that their love has no solution or future, but the singer refutes it. She says that their love is no lie and that it will never change, no matter what they say. The song talks about how people try to put labels on things and put them in little boxes, but love doesn't work that way. Love is not something that can be measured or quantified, and therefore it cannot be predicted.
The song's chorus talks about love being like a cloud in the sky, something intangible, but real nonetheless. The singer is telling her lover that even though everyone thinks their love is headed for disaster, she knows that it's not true. They say their love is like a river that flows to the sea, and they will always find their way back to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Dizem as crenças, as leis, as sentenças
People say through beliefs, laws, and sentences
Lê-se em anúncios, na palma da mão
It is read in advertisements, in the palm of the hand
Como uma nuvem no céu
Like a cloud in the sky
O nosso amor não tem solução
Our love has no solution
Dizem os sábios, os lábios, os olhos
The wise, lips, and eyes say
Vem em jornais e revistas que li
It comes in newspapers and magazines I've read
O nosso amor já não passa daqui
Our love doesn't go beyond this point anymore
Mentira, como uma nuvem no céu
Lie, like a cloud in the sky
Ou como um rio que corre para o mar
Or like a river that flows into the sea
Também eu corro para ti
I also run to you
Isso nunca irá mudar
That will never change
Dizem os livros, os astros, a rádio
The books, stars, and radio say
Vem nos horóscopos, nos editais
It comes in horoscopes, in the public notices
O nosso amor já não dura mais
Our love doesn't last anymore
Dizem as folhas do chá e as notícias
The tea leaves and the news say
Dizem as fontes bem informadas
The well-informed sources say
O nosso amor tem as horas contadas
Our love's hours are numbered
Dizem os sonhos, as lendas, a história
The dreams, legends, and history say
Vem num artigo, saiu num decreto
It comes in an article, came out in a decree
O nosso amor carece de afecto
Our love needs affection
Dizem os homens, as fadas, os fados
The men, fairies, and fados say
E vem o código da nossa estrada
And the code of our road comes
O nosso amor não vai dar em nada
Our love won't amount to anything
Contributed by Joshua V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CredendoVidas
Love it! Guess what... I walked past "De Doelen", the biggest theater of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and they still have the poster up from Ana's concert in 2008! Considering the amazing talents that have been in that theater, Ana impressed them so much that they kept it this long!! :-) Many hugs from Holland!
Rita6ouveia
Wow!! She's amazing :-) Thank you so much for your comment!
Inês Perez
Maravilla la voz, los mejores guitarristas de Fado.
Anibal Perez
vao 50 vezes que escuto .... em 5 dias..... as entradas dela sao perfeitas..e a velocidade.... os musicos , excelentes , mas o careca do bandolim e um eximio craque..... e como disfruta tocando ... ele so, ja e um espetaculo . abraco desde uruguai
CredendoVidas
She definitely is. After devoting years to intricately study the Fado scene, I can most definitely confirm that. Send her the warmest regards from Holland.
captaperez1952
foera do inmneso talento da moura, um chapeau pros musicos, !!!!!!!!!!!ouço cada noite e nao canso. que talento os musicos !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary Jesus
MARAVILHOSA...!!! Adorei...
Ramana Vieira- Contemporary Fado Artist
love this!
Anibal Perez
a menina e brilhante, mas craque de verdade e o careca do bandolim.... meu deus........ as entradas da mOça sao perfeitas......... o apoio do careca sao sublimes. CRAQUES !!!!!!!!!!!!
captaperez1952
que voz e que presençá tem issa moça. e qeu violeiros,d esde o uruguai , abraço e força