The sexy/quirky/mysterious Brazilian Girls were three men -- Didi Gutman (from Argentina) on keyboards and computers, Jesse Murphy on bass, and Aaron Johnston on drums -- and one woman, Sabina Sciubba, the vocalist. Sciubba often enjoys wearing lacy eye masks on-stage and sings in no fewer than five different languages. She was born in Rome but grew up in Nice and Munich before settling in Brooklyn, NY. She first came to record buyers' attention when she recorded two jazz albums -- You Don't Know What Love Is with pianist Chris Anderson and Meet Me in London with guitarist Antonio Forcione -- for the English audiophile label Naim. She described her meeting with the men of Brazilian Girls as "love at first sight and it moved as fast as the Autobahn." Falling into the new, playful downtown scene that was revolving around the Nublu club helped speed the band's success.
Like-minded bands like Wax Poetic and the Nublu Orchestra had made the club the hip spot 2004 for adventurous pop fans and Brazilian Girls' freeform, bouncy kind of jamming fit right in. Soon they had the Saturday night slot at Nublu, and the East Village press had fallen in love with them. Murphy and Johnston made appearances on John Zorn's 2003 album Voices in the Wilderness and every Brazilian Girl contributed to Wax Poetic's sophomore release, the Nublu Sessions, the same year. The Verve Company became interested in the band around this time, thinking them perfect for the more pop and progressive imprint Verve Forecast. In 2004 the label released the Lazy Lover (EP), which included the title track -- a chillout room favorite -- in its original form and in a remix by the quirky house producer Herbert. The group's self-titled, full-length debut Brazilian Girls hit the streets in early 2005. (allmusic.com, 02/06) The band's second album, Talk to La Bomb, was released in September 2006 by Verve Forecast, to mixed reviews.
In 2008, the band released a third album "New York City" - also to mixed reviews. In the interim, singer Sciubba returned to France and had a child. Unfortunately, the band announced in January 2011 that they had broken up.
Brazilian Girls-Me Gustas Cuando Callas
Brazilian Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente,
Y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te toca.
Parece que los ojos se te hubieran volado
Y parece que un beso te cerrara la boca.
Y parece que un beso te cerrara la boca.
Como todas las cosas están llenas de mi alma
Emerges de las cosas, llena del alma mía.
Mariposa de sueño, te pareces a mi alma,
Y te pareces a la palabra melancolía.
Y te pareces a la palabra melancolía.
Ooohh
Me gustas cuando callas y estás como distante.
Me gustas cuando callas y estás como distante.
Y estás como quejándote, mariposa en arrullo.
Y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te alcanza:
Déjame que me calle con el silencio tuyo.
Ooohh
Déjame que te hable también con tu silencio
Déjame que te hable también con tu silencio
Claro como una lámpara, simple como un anillo.
Eres como la noche, callada y constelada.
Tu silencio es de estrella, tan lejano y sencillo.
Tu silencio es de estrella, tan lejano y sencillo.
Ooohh
Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente.
Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente.
Distante y dolorosa como si hubieras muerto.
Una palabra entonces, una sonrisa bastan.
Y estoy alegre, alegre de que no sea cierto.
Y estoy alegre, alegre de que no sea cierto
The lyrics of Brazilian Girls's song "Me Gustas Quando Callas" explore the idea of finding beauty and connection in silence. The singer expresses a preference for their loved one's silence, as it makes them feel as though they are absent and unreachable. They describe how the person seems to recede into the distance when they are silent, and the singer's voice cannot reach them. The singer compares this to the feeling of being kissed and having their own mouth sealed shut.
The lyrics then move to a more philosophical tone, suggesting that everything around us is imbued with our own soul. The person being addressed is described as a dream butterfly, similar to the singer's soul and to the word "melancholy." The final verse introduces a new element, as the person being addressed is now described as distant and plaintive, like a cooing butterfly. The singer longs to speak with the person through their silence, comparing their silence to a clear lamp or simple ring. The person is likened to the night sky, and their silence is compared to the simplicity of a star. The final lines reveal the true meaning of the song's title: the singer likes their loved one best when they are silent and absent, as one word or smile is enough to make the singer question whether the person is truly gone.
Overall, "Me Gustas Quando Callas" is a contemplation of the many ways that silence can be meaningful and beautiful, both in relationships and in life in general.
Line by Line Meaning
Me gustas cuando callas porque estás como ausente,
I like it when you are silent because you seem absent, as if you are not really here.
Y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te toca.
Even though I speak to you, it feels like my voice cannot reach you.
Parece que los ojos se te hubieran volado
It seems like your eyes have flown away and you are not really looking at anything.
Y parece que un beso te cerrara la boca.
It seems like a kiss has sealed your lips and you cannot speak.
Como todas las cosas están llenas de mi alma
All things are filled with my soul.
Emerges de las cosas, llena del alma mía.
You emerge from these things, full of my soul.
Mariposa de sueño, te pareces a mi alma,
You, the dream butterfly, resemble my soul.
Y te pareces a la palabra melancolía.
And you resemble the word melancholy.
Me gustas cuando callas y estás como distante.
I like it when you are silent and seem distant.
Y estás como quejándote, mariposa en arrullo.
It's as though you are complaining, like a butterfly cooing.
Y me oyes desde lejos, y mi voz no te alcanza:
Even though I speak to you, it's like my voice cannot reach you from far away.
Déjame que me calle con el silencio tuyo.
Let me be quiet with your silence.
Déjame que te hable también con tu silencio
Let me talk to you with your silence.
Claro como una lámpara, simple como un anillo.
Clear like a lamp, simple like a ring.
Eres como la noche, callada y constelada.
You are like the night, silent and full of stars.
Tu silencio es de estrella, tan lejano y sencillo.
Your silence is like a star, both far away and simple.
Distante y dolorosa como si hubieras muerto.
Distant and painful, as if you had died.
Una palabra entonces, una sonrisa bastan.
One word, one smile is enough.
Y estoy alegre, alegre de que no sea cierto.
And I am happy, happy that it is not true.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: DIDI GUTMAN, AARON JOHNSTON, JESSE YUSEF MURPHY, SABINA SCIUBBA, RICARDO NEFTALI REYES BASOALTO, PETER RENDE, YUSUKE YAMAMOTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind