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.
Words
Bebel Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need some words
To explain my pain
And describe my misbehave
close...
Come close to me
And give me something worth
why we always have so much held inside
Why does love never end
Oh why we always go so far all the way
Where there's nothing to say
sente...
Perto de mim
Escuta aqui o que ninguem viu nem quis ouvir
vem...
Vou te levar
Vou te encostar-te de lá
Será com esta canção
why we always have so much held inside
Why does life won't never change
Oh why we always go so far all the way
Where there's nothing to say
oh why...
The song "Words" by Bebel Gilberto is a melancholic plea for communication and emotional connection. The lyrics express a deep longing for words to describe the pain and misbehavior that the singer is experiencing. The phrase "why we always have so much held inside" suggests that the lack of words to express feelings is a common problem. The singer asks for someone to come close and give them something true to believe, highlighting the importance of honesty and authenticity in relationships.
The second verse shifts to Portuguese, with the word "sente" urging the listener to feel the emotions being conveyed. The phrase "Escuta aqui o que ninguem viu nem quis ouvir" means "Listen here to what no one saw or wanted to hear" and highlights the idea that the singer's pain may have been ignored or invalidated in the past. The chorus repeats the themes of the first verse, with the singer asking why love and life never seem to change and why people struggle to communicate with each other.
Overall, "Words" is a powerful and relatable meditation on the difficulties of expressing emotions and the importance of connection and communication in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Words...
The singer is in search of words to express her innermost feelings.
I need some words
The singer asserts the necessity of having words to articulate the emotional state of her being.
To explain my pain
The singer seeks words to elaborate on the distress she is experiencing.
And describe my misbehave
The artist yearns for words to describe the actions that may have caused the pain and suffering that she is currently experiencing.
close...
In order to receive clarity, the artist needs someone trustworthy to approach them.
Come close to me
The singer invites someone nearby to move closer to her and offer support.
And give me something worth
The singer desires guidance that will assist her in better understanding her predicament.
Something true I must believe
Given the gravity of the situation, the artist is looking for a dependable solution that she can have faith in.
why we always have so much held inside
The artist ponder's why people tend to hold onto their emotions, refraining from discussing them with others.
Why does love never end
The artist may be questioning the notion that love lasts a lifetime.
Oh why we always go so far all the way
In this line, the singer seems to reflect on why individuals tend to go to such lengths to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that come with discussing one's emotions.
Where there's nothing to say
The artist claims that in these scenarios, there tend to be no words that can accurately describe the emotional turmoil one is experiencing.
sente...
The singer suggests that one should take the time to recognize her circumstances and ask for help from others.
Perto de mim
The singer requests that the listener be physically near to her as she shares her story.
Escuta aqui o que ninguem viu nem quis ouvir
The singer is telling her confidant to pay close attention to her, as she will disclose some of her most intimate and secret thoughts.
vem...
The artist wants her listeners to take the journey with her as she confesses her misdeeds.
Vou te levar
The artist is reassuring the listener that she can be trusted throughout the emotional journey.
Vou te encostar-te de lá
The singer will be supporting the listener throughout the emotional journey.
Será com esta canção
The singer will use the song itself as a tool to help express her emotions.
oh why...
The artist continues to muse on why individuals tend to hold onto emotions and not express them.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BEBEL GILBERTO UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind