She grew up far from the fado houses of Lisbon and nothing suggested that she was predestined for the fado. Like almost all young Portuguese born after the revolution of 1974, she was interested in folk music, jazz, blues, bossa nova but not in fado. She regarded it as a genre for a different generation. This lasted until her 18th birthday, when her grandfather gave her the album Rara e Inédita by Amália Rodrigues. Suddenly, Cristina Branco discovered all the emotions that the genre could offer in the close connections that arose among voice, poetry and music. The amateur singer - then studying communication sciences and still full of her ambition to become a journalist - began to develop her vocal technique and to take her new vocation seriously.
After that, Cristina studied the poems from which major fado lyrics are taken.
Since then, Cristina has worked on her fado repertory, accompanied by Custódio Castelo on guitar and as composer.
Halfway through the nineties, other young musicians also found a new means of expression in the fado and this contributed to a surprising renaissance. Just as they did, Cristina Branco began to make clear choices in which respect for the tradition went hand in hand with the desire for renewal.
There can be no doubt that Cristina Branco is developing her own style from a number of primary components. She employs a traditional group (voice, Portuguese guitar, guitar and bass guitar) and offers us concurrently a light, warm and experienced voice; she mixes the traditional fado with themes and folk songs that are personal favourites and seems always to choose the words of the best Portuguese, or even Dutch poets with discretion.
A Case Of You
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said, "Constant in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"
On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice
Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet
Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid
I remember that time that you told me, you said
"Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
"Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time
Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
And you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet
I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said
"Go to him, stay with him if you can
Oh but be prepared to bleed"
Oh but you are in my blood you're my holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet
The lyrics of "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell, which has been covered by various artists including the Portuguese fado singer Cristina Branco, speak of a love that is both bitter and sweet. The song is divided into three parts, with the first part detailing a conversation between the singer and her lover. Her lover claims to be as constant as a northern star, but the singer wonders what that means in the darkness. The singer decides to leave her lover and head to the bar, where she draws a map of Canada with her lover's face on it.
The second part of the song speaks of the intensity of the relationship between the singer and her lover. She describes how her lover is in her blood like holy wine and how bitter and sweet he tastes. She reveals that she could drink a case of him and still be on her feet.
The final part of the song speaks of the aftermath of the love affair. The singer meets a woman who reminds her of her lover and advises her to go back to him, but warns her to be prepared to bleed. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that her lover is still a part of her and that she could still drink a case of him and remain standing.
Overall, the song tells the story of a love that is both lasting and consuming, with the bitter and sweet aspects of the relationship being intricately intertwined.
Line by Line Meaning
Just before our love got lost you said
Right before our relationship fell apart, you told me something
"I am as constant as a northern star"
You claimed to be unwavering, like the steady northern star
And I said, "Constant in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"
I replied, wondering how someone can claim to be constant in the darkness. I offered to be in the bar if you needed me
On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice
In a low-key setting, I drew a map of Canada on a coaster as an artistic expression of my love for you- so much so that I drew your face twice
Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet
You are an integral and intoxicating part of my life, like holy wine. And although you can hurt me, you can also be sweet. I love you so much that I could drink a whole case of you and still stand strong
Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
I'm frightened by the devil
And I'm drawn to those ones that ain't afraid
I am a solitary artist, living in my world of paints. I am afraid of the negative forces in life, but I'm also attracted to courageous people who are unafraid of them
I remember that time that you told me, you said
"Love is touching souls"
Surely you touched mine
"Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time
I recall you sharing your belief that love is about touching souls, and I know that you touched mine because sometimes you are reflected in my art
I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said
"Go to him, stay with him if you can
Oh but be prepared to bleed"
I encountered a woman who resembled you in appearance and knowledge of your life, and she advised me to stay with you if possible, but warned me of the possible emotional pain
Oh but you are in my blood you're my holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
Still I'd be on my feet
I'd still be on my feet
You are like holy wine, flowing in my blood. Although you can be both sweet and bitter, I could consume a whole case of you and still stand strong
Writer(s): Joni Mitchell
Contributed by Isaiah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.