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.
Namorados da cidade
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À beira Tejo assentados
A dormir na Madragoa
Namorados de Lisboa
Num mirante deslumbrados
À beira verde acordados
Namorados de Lisboa
Uma pevide salgada
Uma boca que se beija
E que nos sabe a cereja
A miséria adocicada
À beira parque plantada
Namorados de Lisboa
Sempre sempre apaixonados
Mesmo que a tristeza doa
Namorados de Lisboa
Namorados de Lisboa
Na cadeira de um cinema
Onde as mãos andam à toa
À procura de um poema
Namorados de Lisboa
Que o mistério não desvenda
Até que o escuro se acenda
Namorados de Lisboa
A apretar num vão de escada
O prazer que nos magoa
E depois não sabe a nada
Namorados de Lisboa
A morar num vão de escada
Namorados de Lisboa
Sempre sempre apaixonados
Mesmo que a tristeza doa
Namorados de Lisboa
The song "Namorados da cidade" by Carlos Do Carmo and Lucília Do Carmo is a beautiful ode to love and to the city of Lisbon. The song talks about the typical romance that takes place in the Portuguese capital, with couples sitting by the river Tagus, waking up near green areas, drinking beer and eating salty peanuts on a Sunday afternoon, holding hands in the cinema, and even kissing in hidden stairwells.
The song describes the love that is kept alive by those who are not afraid to face the struggles of life together. It talks about how couples in Lisbon are always in love, even when life gets tough. The lyrics paint a picture of the city as a place of beauty and romance, and highlight the power of love to overcome hardship.
Overall, "Namorados da cidade" is a beautiful tribute to the people of Lisbon and their way of living, loving, and enduring. The song is a symbol of hope, optimism, and love for all those who live in or visit this amazing city.
Line by Line Meaning
Namorados de Lisboa
This is a song about couples in love in Lisbon.
À beira Tejo assentados
Sitting by the Tagus river.
A dormir na Madragoa
Sleeping in the Madragoa neighborhood.
Num mirante deslumbrados
Dazzled by a viewpoint.
À beira verde acordados
Waking up by the greenery.
Ao Domingo uma cerveja
Having a beer on Sundays.
Uma pevide salgada
Enjoying a salty snack.
Uma boca que se beija
Sharing a kiss.
E que nos sabe a cereja
That tastes like cherry to us.
A miséria adocicada
Sweetened poverty.
À beira parque plantada
Planted by a park.
Sempre sempre apaixonados
Always always in love.
Mesmo que a tristeza doa
Even when sadness hurts.
Na cadeira de um cinema
In a cinema seat.
Onde as mãos andam à toa
Where hands wander aimlessly.
À procura de um poema
In search of a poem.
Que o mistério não desvenda
That mystery does not unravel.
Até que o escuro se acenda
Until the darkness lights up.
A apretar num vão de escada
Holding tight in a staircase gap.
O prazer que nos magoa
The pleasure that hurts us.
E depois não sabe a nada
And then it doesn't taste like anything.
A morar num vão de escada
Living in a staircase gap.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Fernando Tordo, Ary Dos Santos
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind