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.
Ai Vida
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trago a alma insaciada
Uma voz sem tom nem tempo
Age oculta, p’la calada
Sou a solidão do tempo
Quando o nevoeiro cerra
Sou a estranha flor ao vento
Num intenso gesto de alma, sou
Esta pena de me achar tão só
Tanto e tão pouco
Ai vida!
Porque é longa a minha sede
Busco a fonte desejada
Uma voz sem tom nem tempo
Que se oculta em mim, calada
The lyrics of the song "Ai Vida" by Cristina Branco are about the deep thirst for something that cannot be quenched. The singer says that her thirst is long and her soul is insatiable, and she carries a voice that is hidden and silent, without tone or rhythm. She describes herself as the loneliness of time, enveloped in fog, and the strange flower in the wind, forgotten by the earth. In a moment of intense emotional expression, the singer reveals that she is just a feather, feeling so alone, both so much and so little at the same time, expressing her frustration and sadness towards life.
Overall, the song "Ai Vida" is a powerful representation of the human experience. The lyrics are poetic and introspective, exploring the complexities of the human psyche in a way that is both beautiful and haunting. It is a song about the human condition, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that can sometimes be overwhelming and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Porque é longa a minha sede
I have been thirsty for so long
Trago a alma insaciada
My soul remains unsatisfied
Uma voz sem tom nem tempo
A voice inside me, without tone or rhythm
Age oculta, p’la calada
It acts in secret, silently
Sou a solidão do tempo
I am the loneliness of time
Quando o nevoeiro cerra
When the fog sets in
Sou a estranha flor ao vento
I am the strange flower in the wind
No esquecimento da terra
Forgotten by the earth
Num intenso gesto de alma, sou
In an intense gesture of the soul, I am
Esta pena de me achar tão só
This sorrow of feeling so alone
Tanto e tão pouco
So much and so little
Ai vida!
Oh life!
Busco a fonte desejada
I search for the desired source
Que se oculta em mim, calada
That hides within me, silently
Contributed by Connor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
oubapo
Because my thirst is long
I bring a thirsty soul
A toneless timeless voice
Acts in hiding, in silence
I’m the loneliness of time
When the fog becomes thick
I’m the strange flower in the wind
In the forgetfulness of the earth
In an intense gesture of the soul, I’m
This sorrow of finding myself so lonely
So much and so little
Oh life! Oh life!
Because my thirst is long
I look for the desired fountain
A toneless timeless voice
That hides in me, in silence
Antria
🥀🖤🎼👑🐎
Because my thirst is long
I bring a thirsty soul
A toneless timeless voice
Acts in hiding, in silence.
I'm the loneliness of time
When the fog becomes thick
I'm the strange flower in the wind
In the forgetfulness of the earth
In an intense gesture of the soul I'm
This sorrow of finding myself so lonely
So much and so little
Oh life! Oh life!
Because my thirst is long
I look for the desire fountain
A toneless timeless voice
That hides in me,
In silence! 🥀🖤🎼👑🐎
Aleksandar branković
muchos gracias...
White Star
this is magic...
Antonio Casal
ANGEL
marijan394
great!!!
Adı Türker Ertürk
eu como um turco, eu amei a música e artistas. tem cheiro de tristeza e melancolia e saudade. Graças.
jobrem
E o céu cariciou a terra...
Stefan Nedelchev
Beautiful warm voice, great fadista! Greetings from Bulgaria!
youbwana
This is one of my all-time favourite fado songs! Oustandingly sung and played, by 2 of the greatest artists in the genre!
Jorge F R Belo
Não conhecia. Não consigo parar de ouvir. Não é possível tanta beleza numa canção, numa voz.
Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
GORGEOUS!