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)
Passos na Rua
Ana Moura Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quem passa traz o passado
Talvez seja uma ameaça
Ou o silêncio de fado
Passos na rua quem é
É um sonho magoado
É a ira da maré
Passos na rua ilusão
De quem quer ouvir tais passos
Talvez seja um coração
A gritar os seus cansaços
Passos na rua sentença
Dum fado por inventar
Passos na rua descrença
Deixai os passos passar
Ana Moura's song Passos na Rua is a reflection on the experience of walking on the street and encountering the traces of the past that lurk in the present. As people pass by, they bring with them the weight of their memories, the echoes of their emotions, and the imprints of their journeys. Sometimes, this can feel threatening or haunting, as if the ghosts of the past are reappearing to haunt the living. Other times, it can be a melancholic reminder of how fleeting life is, and how the footsteps we take today will soon become echoes of the past. The phrase "Ou o silêncio de fado" suggests that this feeling of nostalgia is deeply rooted in the Portuguese music genre of fado, which is known for its themes of yearning, loss, and nostalgia.
The lyrics of the song capture this complex mixture of emotions that arise from the encounter with the past. The line "É a ira da maré" evokes the idea of being caught in the ebb and flow of life, buffeted by the tides of change and uncertainty. The image of "Um sonho magoado" suggests the pain and disappointment that come from unfulfilled desires and dashed hopes. The phrase "A gritar os seus cansaços" alludes to the exhaustion and weariness that can accompany the struggle to keep moving forward.
Passos na Rua is a powerful ode to the intertwined nature of memory and the present moment. It celebrates the beauty and complexity of the human experience, even as it acknowledges the struggles and challenges that we all face. By blending together the elements of fado, jazz, and contemporary pop music, Ana Moura creates a truly unique and unforgettable sound that captures the heart and soul of Portugal.
Line by Line Meaning
Passos na rua, quem passa
As pessoas que passam na rua são uma representação do passado que cada pessoa carrega consigo
Quem passa traz o passado
Cada pessoa traz a sua história e vivências consigo, influenciando-a nas suas ações no presente
Talvez seja uma ameaça
Os passos podem representar algo ameaçador ou perigoso, tal como uma lembrança negativa
Ou o silêncio de fado
Ou podem representar o silêncio e a tristeza do fado, como uma forma de melancolia ou saudade
Passos na rua quem é
Os passos na rua são um enigma que pode representar diferentes emoções ou situações, dependendo de cada pessoa que os escuta
É um sonho magoado
Os passos podem representar um sonho que não foi alcançado e que ainda magoa a pessoa que os escuta
É a ira da maré
Podem representar a força avassaladora da maré, que arrasta tudo consigo, inclusive sentimentos e emoções
É a morte dum pecado
Os passos podem representar a culpa e a remissão de um pecado, como uma forma de redenção pessoal
Passos na rua ilusão
Os passos podem ser uma ilusão criada pela mente da pessoa que os escuta, uma percepção equivocada ou um desejo não realizado
De quem quer ouvir tais passos
Pode representar a necessidade de ouvir algo que confirme ou acalme a pessoa em relação a algo que a preocupa ou incomoda
Talvez seja um coração
Os passos podem representar os batimentos do coração, ou seja, as emoções e os sentimentos que a pessoa carrega consigo
A gritar os seus cansaços
Os passos podem representar a exaustão emocional da pessoa, que precisa de uma forma de expressão para as suas frustrações
Passos na rua sentença
Podem representar uma sentença emocional, ou seja, uma decisão que a pessoa precisa tomar em relação a algo que a perturba
Dum fado por inventar
Uma forma de lidar com as adversidades da vida, criando um novo fado, uma nova narrativa, para lidar com as emoções negativas
Passos na rua descrença
Também podem representar a descrença ou a falta de esperança da pessoa em relação a algo, como uma forma de resignação
Deixai os passos passar
Por fim, os passos devem ser deixados para trás, como uma forma de seguir em frente e encontrar novos caminhos e novas experiências
Contributed by Jordyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.