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.

O Fado Dos Cheirinhos
Carlos do Carmo Lyrics

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Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos
Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas

Tua boca cheira a cravo
E teu corpo a segurelha
Quando cheiro o teu cabelo

Cheiro uma rosa vermelha
Tens um cheirinho a hortelã
Na pimenta das palavras
Quando acordas de manhã
Tens tempero de ervas bravas

Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos
Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas

Tens um cheiro a erva doce
Mesmo na ponta dos dedos
E és já como se eu fosse
Um cravinho de segredos
Há um cheiro a madrugada
Nas colinas dos teus seios
E uma amora perfumada
Nos teus belos lábios cheios

Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos
Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas

Teu colo cheira a maçã
E até o nosso filho
Quando nascer amanhã
Há de cheirar a tomilho
Porque me cheiras tão bem
Desde o dia em que te vi?
No fundo, sabes meu bem
É porque cheiras a ti

Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos
Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas

Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos

Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carlos do Carmo's song "O Fado Dos Cheirinhos" are a poetic expression of the various scents associated with the person the singer is addressing. The song is filled with metaphors and comparisons to different fragrances, evoking a sense of sensuality and love. The singer describes the beautiful scent of the "caldo verde" (a traditional Portuguese soup), the "alecrim" (rosemary) of hope, and the aroma of linen clothes hanging on the windows. The singer expresses a preference for the love shared with this person over other things, like fried fish (iscas).

The verses continue to describe the scent of the person, associating their mouth with cloves, their body with savory, their hair with a red rose, their words with peppermint, and their morning awakening with wild herbs. The lyrics convey the intoxicating effect this person's scent has on the singer.

The song culminates in a declaration of love and connection, with references to the scent of fennel on their fingers, the scent of dawn on their breasts, and the aroma of a perfumed blackberry on their full lips.

Overall, "O Fado Dos Cheirinhos" is a romantic and sensual song that uses scents as metaphors to describe the allure and fascination the singer feels toward the person they are addressing.

Line by Line Meaning

Ai que cheirinho tem o lindo caldo verde que tu trazes nos teus olhos
Oh, what a delightful aroma the beautiful green soup that you carry in your eyes has

Ai que cheirinho tem o alecrim da esperança que tu me atira aos molhos
Oh, what a lovely scent the rosemary of hope that you throw me in abundance has

Ai que cheirinho têm as roupas de linho que tu estendes nas janelas
Oh, what a delightful fragrance the linen clothes that you hang on the windows have

Ai que cheirinho gosto mais de amor contigo do que das iscas com elas
Oh, what a wonderful aroma I prefer the love with you over the fried fish

Tua boca cheira a cravo
Your mouth smells like cloves

E teu corpo a segurelha
And your body smells like savory

Quando cheiro o teu cabelo
When I smell your hair

Cheiro uma rosa vermelha
I smell a red rose

Tens um cheirinho a hortelã
You have a scent of mint

Na pimenta das palavras
In the spice of words

Quando acordas de manhã
When you wake up in the morning

Tens tempero de ervas bravas
You have the seasoning of wild herbs

Tens um cheiro a erva doce
You have a scent of fennel

Mesmo na ponta dos dedos
Even on the fingertips

E és já como se eu fosse
And you are already as if I were