Carvalho was raised in a middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone. Her father, João Francisco Leal de Carvalho, was a lawyer. She grew up influenced by different types of music. Her father used to take her to samba school rehearsals, and her mother was a lover of classical music who encouraged her to become a ballerina. She started playing the guitar as a teenager, and got involved with the emerging Bossa Nova movement, winning a nationwide song contest on TV at the age of 19. Her first record was 1968's "Andança", carrying the song of the same name to victory in a larger festival, which brought her to prominence. Although she started her career with Bossa Nova, that was an ephemeral phase which lasted less than one year. Beth started dedicating herself entirely to samba just as her fame began, working with legendary composers such as Nelson Sargento.
Carvalho is a very important artist in the history of samba, as she has celebrated and brought the spotlight to the work of legendary composers such as Cartola, Nelson Cavaquinho & Guilherme de Brito when they weren't receiving the attention they deserved. Almost all of her records have songs by these composers, among other legendary sambistas such as Nelson Sargento and the Old Guard of Portela. Her samba school is Mangueira, but that didn't stop her from recording dozens of songs from composers of Portela, the other great traditional samba school in Rio.
Later, in the late 1970s and early 80's, Beth helped bring to the public the work of other rising pagode artists from Cacique de Ramos, such as Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão and the Fundo de Quintal group. Then, in 1983, she introduced Zeca Pagodinho who would become the major samba name of the 90's. Carvalho always tried to bring underrated composers the recognition they deserve, and she is regarded as madrinha do samba (the godmother of samba). She was a driving force in the modernization of samba in the 80s, and at the same time rejected commercial pop trends in samba arrangements, preserving tradition.
In the 1990s, Beth's popularity wasn't the strongest, but she was always popular. She recorded an album dedicated to the samba from São Paulo, rejecting the famous axiom that São Paulo is the grave of samba. In 1998 she recorded an album dedicated entirely to the pagode classics, Pérolas do Pagode (Pagode Pearls).
In the new millennium, Beth working more than ever, released CDs and DVDs. With a career that spans 40 years, she is a historical figure in Brazilian culture, and recognized as the female sambista with the most substantial opus in Brazil, without diminishing other, younger stars such as Clara Nunes and Daniela Mercury.
Trivia
Beth is a known supporter of both the Botafogo and Clube Atlético Mineiro football teams
Beth is one of the main personalities of the samba school Mangueira
Beth had a variety of hits in the 1970s, with her 1979 song Coisinha Do Pai being one of her biggest hits. The song was inserted into the Mars Pathfinder.
Her social music often concerns the poor and the Indigenous peoples in Brazil.
Saigon
Beth Carvalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meias palavras
Nosso apartamento
Um pedaço de Saigon
Me disse adeus
No espelho com batom
Vai minha estrela
Toda esta cidade
Como um céu
De luz neon
Seu brilho silencia
Todo som
Às vezes
Você anda por aí
Brinca de se entregar
Sonha pra não dormir
E quase sempre
Eu penso em te deixar
E é só você chegar
Pra eu esquecer de mim
Anoiteceu!
Olho pro céu
E vejo como é bom
Ver as estrelas
Na escuridão
Espero você voltar
Pra Saigon
Tantas palavras
Meias palavras
Nosso apartamento
Um pedaço de Saigon
Me disse adeus
No espelho com batom
Vai minha estrela
Iluminando
Toda esta cidade
Como um céu
De luz neon
Seu brilho silencia
Todo som
Às vezes
Você anda por aí
Brinca de se entregar
Sonha pra não dormir
E quase sempre
Eu penso em te deixar
E é só você chegar
Pra eu esquecer de mim
Anoiteceu!
Olho pro céu
E vejo como é bom
Ver as estrelas
Na escuridão
Espero você voltar
Pra Saigon
In the song "Saigon", Beth Carvalho sings about her relationship with someone in their apartment, which she calls a piece of Saigon. The lyrics express the complexity of their relationship, filled with many words left unsaid or only half spoken. The relationship seems to be challenging, with the person she is with saying goodbye to her with a kiss on the mirror. Despite this, Beth is still in love with the person and talks about how the person brightens up the city like a neon sky. She notes how their bright light silences all the noise around her, an indication of how important this person is in her life.
Beth talks about how the person she is with walks around, seemingly toying with the idea of surrendering to her love and how they dream to avoid sleeping whenever possible. In the chorus, she admits that she often thinks about leaving the relationship but can never quite bring herself to do it. Every time the person comes back, she forgets about her doubts and simply indulges in their love. She ends the song, watching the night sky and the stars, saying how she hopes that the person will come back to Saigon.
Overall, "Saigon" is a song about a tumultuous but passionate relationship. Beth talks about how complex their situation is, but she shows a deep love for the person despite all the challenges that they face.
Line by Line Meaning
Tantas palavras
There were so many words spoken between us
Meias palavras
But there were also many half-spoken words, left unsaid
Nosso apartamento
Our apartment, which once felt like home
Um pedaço de Saigon
Now feels like a piece of a distant city, far away
Me disse adeus
That piece of Saigon seems to be saying goodbye to me
No espelho com batom
I see the evidence of your leaving in the lipstick stains on the mirror
Vai minha estrela
My star is leaving, shining and lighting the way for others
Iluminando
This star is shining, illuminating the city from above
Toda esta cidade
The whole city is bathed in its light
Como um céu
Like a sky full of neon lights
De luz neon
A neon light show that fills the streets
Seu brilho silencia
Its brightness is so overwhelming, it seems to silence all other sounds
Todo som
Every other noise in the city is drowned out by its brilliance
Às vezes
Sometimes at night
Você anda por aí
I imagine you walking around the city
Brinca de se entregar
Playing with the idea of giving yourself up to the bright lights of the night
Sonha pra não dormir
Dreaming to avoid sleep and thoughts of what's been lost
E quase sempre
And almost always
Eu penso em te deixar
I think about leaving you behind
E é só você chegar
But as soon as you show up
Pra eu esquecer de mim
I forget about myself and all my plans to leave
Anoiteceu!
Night has fallen
Olho pro céu
I look up at the sky
E vejo como é bom
And I see how beautiful it is
Ver as estrelas
To see the stars shining above
Na escuridão
In the darkness that surrounds me
Espero você voltar
I wait for you to return
Pra Saigon
Back to this fragment of Saigon that we call home
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carlos Eduardo Cezar Andrade, Claudio Brandini Cartier, Paulo Cesar De Olive Feital
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VitorSilva-cd9zx
Beth interpretou lindamente!!!Nada ficou devendo ao magnífico Emílio Santiago!!!
@larryjoaquim712
vamos fazer decreto? esqueçamos a política insana por um momento e dedicamos um minutos da nossa vida, só prá ouvir música de qualidade! Valeu Beth, que beleza de interpretação!
@DavidAtenas
Por que vocês têm de citar política em tudo? Tá tão interessado nisso, ENTRE na política e tente mudá-la!
@silantunes2448
Agora eu concordo!! Insana
@XandyAle26
A voz mais linda que já ouvi.. Saudades eternas
@matheusbrito5205
Tbm, salve a Rainha do Samba!
@evaristogiovannettinetto9457
Essa voz vai fazer falta! Descanse em paz!
@sidneicardoso7485
aí está minha gente,a interpretação marcante da Grande Madrinha do Samba,Beth Carvalho.(saudosa)boa tarde,a todos!
@mayconsouza8585
Infelizmente perdemos nossa madrinha ontem. Dia 31/04/19 as 17:33. Que Deus a abençoe e a guarde sempre com ele.
@brunnogusmao802
Não da pra parar de escutar