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.
Saudades da Guanabara
Beth Carvalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que o meu peito é lona armada
Nostalgia não paga entrada
Circo vive é de ilusão (eu sei...)
Chorei
Com saudades da Guanabara
Refulgindo de estrelas claras
Longe dessa devastação (...e então)
Pic-nic na Mesa do Imperador
E na Vista Chinesa solucei de dor
Pelos crimes que rolam contra a liberdade
Reguei
O Salgueiro pra muda pegar outro alento
Plantei novos brotos no Engenho de Dentro
Pra alma não se atrofiar (Brasil)
Brasil, tua cara ainda é o Rio de Janeiro
Três por quatro da foto e o teu corpo inteiro
Precisa se regenerar
Eu sei
Que a cidade hoje está mudada
Santa Cruz, Zona Sul, Baixada
Vala negra no coração
Chorei
Com saudades da Guanabara
Da Lagoa de águas claras
Fui tomado de compaixão (...e então)
Passei
Pelas praias da Ilha do Governador
E subi São Conrado até o Redentor
Lá no morro Encantado eu pedi piedade
Plantei
Ramos de Laranjeiras foi meu juramento
No Flamengo, Catete, na Lapa e no Centro
Pois é pra gente respirar (Brasil)
Brasil
Tira as flechas do peito do meu Padroeiro
Que São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro
Ainda pode se salvar
In Beth Carvalho's song Saudades Da Guanabara, the lyrics talk about the singer's longing for the city of Rio de Janeiro, also known as Guanabara. The first stanza mentions how nostalgia is something that the singer carries within them, and how the world is full of illusions. The second stanza talks about the pain the singer feels for the crimes against freedom that are happening in the city. The third stanza mentions how the city has changed and how there is a dark hole in its heart. The chorus talks about the need for Brazil to be regenerated, and how the city of Rio de Janeiro is a crucial part of the country's identity. The last stanza is a plea to the city's patron saint, St. Sebastian, to save the city from its current state.
The song highlights the singer's love for the city of Rio de Janeiro and its culture. It also mentions the singer's sense of responsibility towards the city and its people, as they take matters into their own hands by planting, taking care of their surroundings, and hoping for a better future. The song's lyrics are heartfelt, and the melody is upbeat, giving the listeners a sense of hope and optimism.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu sei
I acknowledge
Que o meu peito é lona armada
My chest is like a tent
Nostalgia não paga entrada
Nostalgia cannot buy entry
Circo vive é de ilusão (eu sei...)
The circus feeds on illusions (I know...)
Chorei
I cried
Com saudades da Guanabara
With longing for Guanabara
Refulgindo de estrelas claras
Shining with bright stars
Longe dessa devastação (...e então)
Far from this devastation (...and then)
Armei
I prepared
Pic-nic na Mesa do Imperador
Picnic at Mesa do Imperador
E na Vista Chinesa solucei de dor
And at Vista Chinesa I sobbed in pain
Pelos crimes que rolam contra a liberdade
For the crimes that happen against freedom
Reguei
I watered
O Salgueiro pra muda pegar outro alento
The Salgueiro so that it takes on a new breath
Plantei novos brotos no Engenho de Dentro
I planted new shoots in the Engenho de Dentro
Pra alma não se atrofiar (Brasil)
So that the soul doesn't atrophy (Brazil)
Brasil, tua cara ainda é o Rio de Janeiro
Brazil, your face is still Rio de Janeiro
Três por quatro da foto e o teu corpo inteiro
Three by four from the photo and your whole body
Precisa se regenerar
You need to regenerate
Eu sei
I acknowledge
Que a cidade hoje está mudada
That the city is different today
Santa Cruz, Zona Sul, Baixada
Santa Cruz, South Zone, Baixada
Vala negra no coração
A black hole in the heart
Chorei
I cried
Com saudades da Guanabara
With longing for Guanabara
Da Lagoa de águas claras
Of the clear water Lagoon
Fui tomado de compaixão (...e então)
I was filled with compassion (...and then)
Passei
I passed
Pelas praias da Ilha do Governador
Through the beaches of Ilha do Governador
E subi São Conrado até o Redentor
And climbed São Conrado up to the Redeemer
Lá no morro Encantado eu pedi piedade
Up on the Morro Encantado I begged for mercy
Plantei
I planted
Ramos de Laranjeiras foi meu juramento
Orange tree branches were my oath
No Flamengo, Catete, na Lapa e no Centro
In Flamengo, Catete, in Lapa and downtown
Pois é pra gente respirar (Brasil)
For us to breathe (Brazil)
Brasil
Brazil
Tira as flechas do peito do meu Padroeiro
Remove the arrows from my Patron's chest
Que São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro
That Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro
Ainda pode se salvar
Can still be saved
Contributed by Annabelle V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marcia Dias de Oliveira
Vai com Deus Aldir Blanc, que Beth te receba com este lindo samba!
Marcone Jose
Bela música na linda voz da madrinha do samba
Adao Souza
Ainda choro com saudades de Beth Carvalho, nossa madrinha, que Deus o tenha
Cláudio Loureiro
Eu também tenho muitas saudades da velha e charmosa Guanabara.
Charles Junior
Amo esse samba
Eeeeee saudades!!!
zinacio
"Chorei com Saudades..."
Obrigado Beth Carvalho!
Alupe Do Vidiga
Sempre gostei da Beth pelo seu bom gosto de escolha de repertórios, tive quase todos os seus discos.hoje sofre com problemas de Saúde , mas será sempre a grande dama do samba.
João Guimarães
"Brasil, tua cara ainda é o Rio de Janeiro
Três por quatro da foto e o teu corpo inteiro
Precisa se regenerar,,,"
"Brasil
Tira as flechas do peito do meu Padroeiro
Que São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro
Ainda pode se salvar."
Ludwig Steinberg
Beth Guerreira! Eu amo você de todo o coração! Força!
Roxana Huergo
choreiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ..adoroooooooooo