Carlos do Carmo (Lisbon, 21 December 1939 - Lisbon, 1 January 2021) was a P… Read Full Bio ↴Carlos do Carmo (Lisbon, 21 December 1939 - Lisbon, 1 January 2021) was a Portuguese singer. He was one of the most iconic faces of Fado.
He was the son of Lucília do Carmo (one of the greatest fadistas of the 20th century) and Alfredo de Almeida, (bookseller and later entrepreneur in the hotel business). His parents were also the owners of the famous Lisbon restaurant "O Faia". One might say that Carlos do Carmo was raised in an artistic atmosphere. His parents' house in the old part of the city, Bairro Alto, was a place where intelectuals and artists gathered, some of the more prominent figures of Lisbon society at that time. He studied the hotel business in Switzerland. In 1964, Carlos do Carmo began one of the most solid careers in the artistic panorama of Portugal...
When he returned to Lisbon from Switzerland he entered the hotel business with his parents, and took the reigns of "Casa de Fado" which they had founded, using all of the ideas and techniques that he learned in Switzerland. After the death of his father, Carlos do Carmo became the owner, and thanks to his merits and good luck, made "Casa de Fado" the best in Lisbon. But music was ever present in him, and he recorded one of his mother's songs, "Loucura", at the request of Mário Simões almost on a lark. The success of this experience was so great that the destiny of Carlos do Carmo could not possibly be delayed a minute more. The opportunity to record his first album came quickly, and in 1964 he recorded " Estranha Forma de Vida". His way of singing was different, his personal style unmistakable, he was the one that fado was waiting for to carry on the tradition, and there was a certainty that a new star had been born. From that moment on, success was part of his life, each and every fado that he sang, every album he recorded, every performance he gave, corresponded with yet another hit. All of his albums up to the present day have been cherished and the sales of his television performances are now part of fado history, recognized for their high quality, and for the inovative spirit that each one transmits. "Por morrer uma andorinha", "Duas lágrimas de orvalho", "Bairro Alto", "Gaivota",
"Canoas do Tejo", "Os Putos", "Lisboa Menina e Moça" e "Estrela da Tarde", are some of the biggest hits of his career. Because of a desire to maintain a purely artistic career for such a long time, his artistic references include quite diverse artists as Frank Sinatra, Jaques Brel, Elis Regina and José Afonso. The international circulation of his work was driven, as he always likes to affirm, "By those Portuguese who leave my country in search of a better life, and who have passed my works in to the hands of entrepreneurs and cultural agents of the various countries where they reside".
He has sung on 5 continents, his performances at the "Olympia" in paris, the opera houses of Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, the Canecão in Rio de Janeiro, the "Savoy" in Helsinki, the Auditório Nacional in madrid, the Teatro da Rainha in Haia, the theater of Saint Petersburgh, the "Place des Arts" in Montreal, the Tivoli in Copenhagen, and the Memorial da América latina in São Paulo are some of the finest moments of his career. His performances throughout Portugal at the Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos, the Fundação Gulbenkian, the Coliseu dos Recreios, the Casino do Estoril,
and at the Centro Cultural de Belém make a difference in the cultural level of the country.
The number of honours and awards he has received to this day are innumerable, from being named an honorary citizen of the city of Rio De Janeiro, member of the honor of Claustro Ibero-Americano das Artes, to the diploma accorded him by the senate of Rhode Island in the U.S. for his contribution to the propagation of Portuguese music, to the golden globe. He also figures as a pioneer in the new Portuguese discography, due to his album "Um Homem no País", the first cd to be edited by an artist in Portugal.
Carlos do Carmo knows the importance of family life, he's been married since 1964 having 3 children, as fruit of this union, one daughter and 2 sons, who maintain a close relationship with him. It's not always easy to juggle life as a family man with the life of a world traveling artist. He persues the realization of this dream, because he considers the union of family to be important. He considers himself the first link in a chain of individual connections. He values being with friends, and enjoys making new friends, maintaining an high level of quality in his artistic life.
Carlos do Carmo is an artist who has certainly already attained some of his goals, aiming for a public who holds him in high esteem, great respect, apreciating in him not only his qualities as a musician, but also those of an artist interested in the evolution of the music of his homeland, and who believes in the evolution of man as a creature who can embrace the whole world in it's diversity.

Fado Penélope
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sagrado é este fado que te canto
Do fundo da minha alma tecedeira
Da noite do meu tempo me levanto
E nasço feito dia á tua beira
E nasço feito dia á tua beira

Passei por tantas portas já fechadas
C’o a dor de me perder pelo caminho

A solidão germina nas mãos dadas
Que dão a liberdade ao passarinho
Que dão a liberdade ao passarinho

Enquanto meu amor anda em viagem
Fazendo a guerra santa ao desespero
Eu encho o meu vazio de coragem
Fazendo e desfazendo o que não quero
Fazendo e desfazendo o que não quero

/Coro/: Fazendo e desfazendo o que não quero, não quero
Eu encho o meu vazio de coragem, de coragem, coragem, coragem ...

A fome de estar vivo é tão entensa
Paixão que se alimenta do perigo
Do chão em que se increve a minha crença

Só ter por garantia ser antigo
Só ter por garantia ser antigo

Overall Meaning

The song "Fado Penélope" by Carlos do Carmo is a beautiful expression of the Portuguese music genre, Fado. The lyrics are emotional and moving, expressing both the pain and hope of the human experience.

The opening line, "Sagrado é este fado que te canto" (Sacred is this fado that I sing to you) shows us the depth of the emotion and sentiment that the singer is putting into his music. Fado music is often associated with expressing the deepest emotions of human experience, and this line reflects this.

The second verse is perhaps the most poignant, as it describes the loneliness and pain that comes with wandering aimlessly through life. The line "A solidão germina nas mãos dadas" (Loneliness germinates in hands held) speaks to the idea that sometimes we cling to things we know aren't good for us, just to avoid being alone.

The final verse provides a sense of hope and resilience, as the singer speaks of filling their emptiness with courage and finding strength in the knowledge that they are part of a long line of people who have come before them, and have survived hardship.

Overall, "Fado Penélope" is a beautifully written and performed song that captures the spirit and emotion of Fado music.

Line by Line Meaning

Sagrado é este fado que te canto
This fado that I sing to you is sacred

Do fundo da minha alma tecedeira
It comes from deep within my weaver soul

Da noite do meu tempo me levanto
I rise from the night of my time

E nasço feito dia á tua beira
And I am born like a day by your side

Passei por tantas portas já fechadas
I've passed through so many closed doors

C’o a dor de me perder pelo caminho
With the pain of losing myself along the way

A solidão germina nas mãos dadas
Loneliness grows on joined hands

Que dão a liberdade ao passarinho
Which give freedom to the little bird

Enquanto meu amor anda em viagem
While my love is on a journey

Fazendo a guerra santa ao desespero
Fighting a holy war against despair