At the age of seven, Bebel made an appearance on her mother's first solo album Miúcha. At age nine, Bebel performed with her mother and jazz saxophonist Stan Getz at a jazz festival in New York's Carnegie Hall. Back in Brazil, Bebel performed and recorded for the soundtrack of the children's musical Os Saltimbancos, written by Sergio Bardotti and Chico Buarque. Later on Bebel joined an experimental theatrical group and was a member of the founding team of the performance space Circo Voador (Flying Circus) at Ipanema Beach. In this group she met singer/songwriter Cazuza, who became a close friend and soon a major rock star in Brazil during the 1980s.
Throughout the 1990s, Bebel collaborated with a variety of musical stars such as Arto Lindsay, Thievery Corporation, David Byrne, Towa Tei, Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque. In 1996 Bebel was featured in the AIDS charity project Red Hot + Rio, produced by her close friend and collaborator Béco Dranoff. By the mid 1990s, Bebel also had successes as songwriter with the international dance hits "Technova" and "Batucada" in collaboration with producers Towa Tei and Arto Lindsay.
Bebel was featured on the soundtrack of Brad Anderson's film Next Stop Wonderland with Vinicius Cantuária and Mauro Refosco. In the late 1990s, Bebel moved to London where she began to develop the sound featured on her critically acclaimed debut album Tanto Tempo. During this period, she met Suba, the multi-talented Serbian producer living in São Paulo who ended up writing and producing several tracks on Tanto Tempo. While in London, she also worked with DJ/producer Amon Tobin, Dutch duo Arling & Cameron and singer Nina Miranda.
In 2000, Bebel's Tanto Tempo album was released on Ziriguiboom (Crammed Discs sub-label) and has sold over one million copies worldwide. The album was also nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards. Her second album, Bebel Gilberto (2004), was also released to great critical acclaim, receiving a MOBO Award in the UK and also a World Music Grammy nomination.
Also in 2006, Bebel started writing and producing the songs that would become part of her third album Momento, released in April 2007. On this album, Bebel collaborated with UK producer Guy Sigsworth, her friends Didi Gutman and Sabina Sciubba (from NY based band Brazilian Girls) and the Rio based Orquestra Imperial.
Gilberto's most recent album, All In One, was released in the US in September 2009 by jazz imprint Verve.
Samba da Ben
Bebel Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alegria é a melhor coisa que existe
É assim como a luz no coração
Mas pra fazer um samba com beleza
É preciso um bocado de tristeza, é preciso um bocado de tristeza
Senão não se faz um samba não
Fazer samba não é contar piada
O bom samba é uma forma de oração
Porque o samba e a tristeza que balança
E a tristeza tem sempre uma esperança, a tristeza tem sempre uma esperança
De um dia não ser mais triste não
Põe um pouco de amor numa cadencia
E vai ver que ninguem no mundo vence
A beleza que tem um samba não
Porque o samba nasceu la na Bahia
E se hoje ele é branco na poesia, se hoje ele é branco na poesia
Ele é negro demais no coração
É melhor ser alegre que ser triste
Alegria é a melhor coisa que existe
É assim como a luz no coração
Põe um pouco de amor numa cadencia
E vai ver que ninguem no mundo vence
A beleza que tem um samba não
Porque o samba nasceu la na Bahia
E se hoje ele é branco na poesia, se hoje ele é branco na poesia
Ele é negro demais no coração
The lyrics of "Samba da Benção" by Bebel Gilberto speak about the importance of joy and sadness in creating a beautiful samba. It is better to be happy than sad, as happiness is the best thing that exists and is like a light in the heart. However, to make a samba with beauty, a bit of sadness is necessary. The song suggests that the best samba is a form of prayer, as it balances both sadness and hope. The sadness present in samba always carries hope within it, as it looks forward to a time when it will no longer be sad. To make a good samba, it is not about telling jokes, but it is about capturing the essence of what samba is - a mixture of joy, sadness, and hope.
The song beautifully portrays the spirit of Brazilian samba that emerged from the streets and mingled cultures of Bahia. It was a form of expression for the poor and marginalized communities in particular. The song acknowledges its African roots and its ongoing struggles against the discrimination that these communities face. "Samba da Benção" showcases the beauty and complexity of samba as a cultural expression that represents both struggles and resilience. This song is known for its lively rhythm and the soothing voice of Bebel Gilberto.
Line by Line Meaning
É melhor ser alegre que ser triste
It's better to be happy than sad
Alegria é a melhor coisa que existe
Happiness is the best thing that exists
É assim como a luz no coração
It's like a light in the heart
Mas pra fazer um samba com beleza
But to make a beautiful samba
É preciso um bocado de tristeza, é preciso um bocado de tristeza
A bit of sadness is needed, a bit of sadness is needed
Senão não se faz um samba não
Otherwise, you can't make a samba
Fazer samba não é contar piada
Making samba is not just telling jokes
E quem faz samba assim não é de nada
Those who make samba like that are worth nothing
O bom samba é uma forma de oração
The good samba is a form of prayer
Porque o samba e a tristeza que balança
Because samba is the sadness that sways
E a tristeza tem sempre uma esperança, a tristeza tem sempre uma esperança
And sadness always has hope, sadness always has hope
De um dia não ser mais triste não
Of not being sad one day
Põe um pouco de amor numa cadencia
Put a bit of love in the rhythm
E vai ver que ninguem no mundo vence
And you will see that no one in the world wins
A beleza que tem um samba não
The beauty that a samba has
Porque o samba nasceu la na Bahia
Because samba was born there in Bahia
E se hoje ele é branco na poesia, se hoje ele é branco na poesia
And if today it looks white in poetry, if today it looks white in poetry
Ele é negro demais no coração
It's still too black in the heart
É melhor ser alegre que ser triste
It's better to be happy than sad
Alegria é a melhor coisa que existe
Happiness is the best thing that exists
É assim como a luz no coração
It's like a light in the heart
Põe um pouco de amor numa cadencia
Put a bit of love in the rhythm
E vai ver que ninguem no mundo vence
And you will see that no one in the world wins
A beleza que tem um samba não
The beauty that a samba has
Porque o samba nasceu la na Bahia
Because samba was born there in Bahia
E se hoje ele é branco na poesia, se hoje ele é branco na poesia
And if today it looks white in poetry, if today it looks white in poetry
Ele é negro demais no coração
It's still too black in the heart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chazwyman
Samba Of the Blessing
It's better to be happy than sad
Happiness is the best thing there is
It is like a light in the heart
But to make a samba with beauty
It's needed a bit of sadness
If not the samba can't be made
To make a samba is not like telling a joke
And who makes samba like this is worth nothing
The good samba is a kind of prayer
Because samba is the sadness that sways
And sadness is always hopeful
Of one day not being sad any more
Put a little love in the cadence
And you'll see that in this world nobody wins
The beauty that a samba have
Because samba was born in Bahia
And if today it is white in it's poetry
It is very black in it's heart
@KingKull1971
(Lyrics in English)
It's better to be happy than to be sad
Happiness is the best thing that exists
It's like the light in the heart
But to make a samba with beauty
It takes a little sadness
It takes a little sadness
Otherwise, you can't make a samba, no
Making samba is not telling a joke
And whoever makes samba like that is nothing
The good samba is a form of prayer
Because samba is the sadness that sways
And sadness always has a hope
Sadness always has hope
Of one day not being sad anymore, no
Put some love on a cadence
And you will see that no one in the world wins
The beauty that has a samba, no
Because samba was born there in Bahia
And if today he is white in poetry
If today he is white in poetry
He's too black at heart
It's better to be happy than to be sad
Happiness is the best thing that exists
It's like the light in the heart
Put some love on a cadence
And you will see that no one in the world wins
The beauty that has a samba, no
Because samba was born there in And if today he is white in poetry
And if today he is white in poetry
He's too black at heart
@aleandrasutter7002
Greetings from germany, i am in love!!!!
@hjun98
I recently visited Arpoador in Rio, where this beautiful video was shot. It was a sunny afternoon and my loved one and I were some of the swimmers enjoying the fresh waters of Ipanema beach. I can tell you that Bebel´s version of this classic Vinicius de Moares & Baden Powell song, truly conveys the feeling of the place, its sensuality, its beauty, its uniqueness. I play and play this song to remember that magical day in Rio. My memories of the place have "Samba da bencao" for soundtrack. Thank you Bebel for this wonderful song, your elegance, your passion.
@santosbr790
Amo minha cidade, quando pego minha bike e vou de copacabana ao leme com a briza do mar em meu rosto vendo pessoas de todo lugar do mundo que vem desfrutar as belezas do Rio esse lugar maravilhoso onde ninguém discrimina ninguém e todos são bem recebidos maravilhoso
@Ondine001
Quelle chance
@skjiaffensgamer6909
Infelizmente a cidade é dominada por bandidos. Os engravatados e os dos morros.
@sandrasamarafontana7602
PISOU NA BANDEIRA, PISOU NO POVO BRASILEIRO. AGORA COMO BROA, PQ SE NÃO FEZ SUCESSO ATÉ AGORA, DESISTE!
@Prod.Orochinho_Walker
Esses esquerdopatas são cringe demais kkk ainda tem q pisar na bandeira pra demonstrar o ódio a um presidente
@eduardoalmeida61
Chora não, bolsominion. Vai lá escutar o teu AGRO-CORNO, ou o teu subsubrock do mamando roula. KKKKKk KKKKK KKKK KKKK
@pammonte4581
Brasil ♥️ voy por ti cuando todo esto termine
@gustavopalacios7774
Me llevas jijijij bromas 😊