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)
O Fado Da Procura
Ana Moura Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No largo da Bica fui te procurar
Campo de Cebolas e eu sei te encontrar
Eu fui mesmo até à casa de fado
Mas tu não estavas em nenhum lado
Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra?
Já estou sem saber o que hei de fazer
Se seguir em frente, ai madre de Deus
Se voltar a trás, ai Chiados meus
E o rio diz: que tarde infeliz
Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra?
Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra?
Já estou farta disto, farta de verdade
Vou beber a bica, sentar e pensar
Ver se esta saudade, ai fica ou não fica
E talvez sem quer, não querem lá ver
Sem te procurar te veja passar
Sem te procurar te veja passar
The lyrics to Ana Moura's song O Fado Da Procura express the longing of someone searching for a loved one. The singer describes searching for this person in different areas, including the Largo da Bica and Campo de Cebolas, even going to a fado house, but not finding them anywhere. The frustration of not being able to find this person is expressed in the repeated question "But why don't we meet?". The singer is torn between moving forward with their search or going back, feeling lost and hopeless. The river serves as a reminder of the passing of time, and the singer expresses their exhaustion with the search, resorting to sitting and reflecting on their feelings of longing, hoping this will bring some resolution.
The song speaks to the universal experience of searching for love and the frustration and heartache that often come with it. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, despite our best efforts and intentions, we may not always find what we are looking for. The fado genre, which originated in Portugal, is known for its melancholic themes and soulful expression, and this song is no exception, capturing the emotional weight of a fruitless search for love.
Line by Line Meaning
Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra?
Why don't we meet each other?
No largo da Bica fui te procurar
I searched for you in Largo da Bica
Campo de Cebolas e eu sei te encontrar
I know I can find you in Campo de Cebolas
Eu fui mesmo até à casa de fado
I even went to the fado house
Mas tu não estavas em nenhum lado
But you weren't anywhere
Já estou sem saber o que hei de fazer
I don't know what to do anymore
Se seguir em frente, ai madre de Deus
If I keep going, oh mother of God
Se voltar a trás, ai Chiados meus
If I turn back, oh my Chiado
E o rio diz: que tarde infeliz
And the river says: what an unhappy evening
Já estou farta disto, farta de verdade
I'm tired of this, truly tired
Vou beber a bica, sentar e pensar
I'll have a coffee, sit down and think
Ver se esta saudade, ai fica ou não fica
See if this longing stays or goes away
E talvez sem quer, não querem lá ver
And maybe by chance, without wanting to
Sem te procurar te veja passar
I'll see you pass by without even looking for you
Contributed by Kennedy D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rodrigo Rodrigues
Amo escutar Ana Moura. Lindos fados.
Saudações aqui do sul do Brasil
Nane Lins
Tbm amo fados, em especial Ana.
Saudações do sudeste brasileiro.
Rúben Filipe
" Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra No largo da bica fui-te procurar Campo de cebolas e eu sem te encontrar Eu fui mesmo até à casa do fado Mas tu não estavas em nenhum lado Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra Mas porque é que a gente não se encontra Já estou sem saber o que hei-de fazer Se seguir em frente ai madre de deus Se voltar a trás ai chiados meus..."
Helder Damaso
A melhor canção de fado de todos os tempos. Escrita por Deus, tocada por anjos e cantada pela melhor de todas as vozes.
Thiago Traesel
Esta música é magnífica! A voz da Ana Moura é belíssima, a letra e o arranjo musical não ficam atrás. Que belo que é o fado!
Yoman Bittencourt
o fado no Brasil anda esquecido,precisamos resgatá-lo.São conções belíssimas!
Sara Domingues
acreditem que sim! temos que nos orgulhar de ter duas fadistas deste tão alto e maravilhoso nível!! amo-te portugal! Amo-Te Mariza amo-te Ana!
Jose Fernando
Nada nem ninguém em lado algum , canta como este lindo rouxinol! Ela faz-nos levitar, sonhar - que voz tão linda! Inegualável
Sara Domingues
este fado é simplesmente maravilhoso! é dificil de cantar! por isso se torna maravilhoso pois a nossa Ana Moura nao desafina uma única vez!!!!!!! parabéns Ana Moura!
panquecabraga
Sou jovem e o fado não é muito a minha onda, mas esta música é muito fixe, esta e mais algumas, acho que ela consegue com que o fado chegue ás camadas mais jovens...