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 Laurindinha
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laurindinha já não sai
perdeu a voz, entristeceu
Rio acima nunca mais
nem arraiais lá em Viseu
Pela fresta aberta cai
Sem dinheiro olha o cais
põe-se a sonhar longínquos laranjais
Já ninguém faz canções
pró teu filho não chorar?
Laurindinha doba a lã,
guarda em baús seus enxovais
À noitinha no ecrã
rabisca amor em cem murais
As vizinhas p’lo São João
dizem que a não ouvem chorar
Terá lançado um balão
pra aliviar o peso à solidão?
Já ninguém faz canções
pró teu filho sossegar?
Laurindinha, minha mãe,
o sol raiou, não chores mais
Vê que a dor é como a lei
diz sim senhor e finge uns ais
Está o milho por colher
a filha só está por casar
Antes do país morrer
canta outra vez pra o Douro transbordar
Já ninguém faz canções
prá Laurinda me embalar?
Está o milho por colher
a filha só está por casar
Antes do país morrer
canta outra vez pra o Douro transbordar
Já ninguém faz canções
prá Laurinda me embalar?
The song "A Laurindinha" by Cristina Branco tells the story of a woman named Laurindinha, who seems to have lost her voice and become trapped in a life of loneliness and sadness. She no longer goes out and has lost the spirit of the traditional celebrations in her hometown of Viseu, Portugal. She dreams of an escape and the possibility of far-off places, but her reality is one of poverty and isolation. The only solace she finds is in her memories and in the small moments of joy she can create for herself, such as scribbling love notes on walls. The lyrics also touch on the theme of the passing of time and the weight of societal expectations, as Laurindinha is burdened by the responsibilities of caring for her family and the pressure to marry off her daughter before it's too late.
The song draws from traditional Portuguese music and the fado style, which is known for its melancholic and nostalgic themes. It is performed in a slow, mournful tempo, accentuating the sadness underlying the lyrics. The use of poetic imagery, such as the ten ruby ring and the "longínquos laranjais" (distant orange groves), adds to the emotional depth of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Laurindinha já não sai
perdeu a voz, entristeceu
Rio acima nunca mais
nem arraiais lá em Viseu
Laurindinha doesn't go out anymore, she lost her voice and got sad. She never goes up the river again, nor participates in the fairs in Viseu.
Pela fresta aberta cai
o seu anel de dez rubis
Sem dinheiro olha o cais
põe-se a sonhar longínquos laranjais
Through the open window, her ten ruby ring fell. Without money, she looks at the dock and starts dreaming of distant orange groves.
Já ninguém faz canções
pró teu filho não chorar?
No one makes songs anymore for your son not to cry?
Laurindinha doba a lã,
guarda em baús seus enxovais
À noitinha no ecrã
rabisca amor em cem murais
Laurindinha spins wool and stores her trousseau in chests. At night, she scribbles love on a hundred murals on the screen.
As vizinhas p’lo São João
dizem que a não ouvem chorar
Terá lançado um balão
pra aliviar o peso à solidão?
Neighbors say they don't hear her cry during St. John's. Could she have released a balloon to alleviate the weight of loneliness?
Já ninguém faz canções
pró teu filho sossegar?
Laurindinha, minha mãe,
o sol raiou, não chores mais
Vê que a dor é como a lei
diz sim senhor e finge uns ais
No one makes songs anymore for your son to calm down. Laurindinha, my mother, the sun has risen, don't cry anymore. See that pain is like the law, say yes sir and pretend to moan.
Está o milho por colher
a filha só está por casar
Antes do país morrer
canta outra vez pra o Douro transbordar
Já ninguém faz canções
prá Laurinda me embalar?
The corn is still to be harvested and the daughter is still unmarried. Before the country dies, sing again for the Douro River to overflow. No one makes songs to lull Laurinda asleep anymore?
Contributed by Stella I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.