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.
As Certezas do Meu Mais Brilhante Amor
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vou acender, que amanhã não há luar
E eu colherei do pirilampo um só fulgor
Que me perdoe o bom bichinho de o roubar
Assobiando as melodias mais bonitas
E das cidades descrevendo o que já vi
Homens e fósseis e seus gestos como escritas
Se estou sozinho é num beco que me encontro
Vou porta a porta perguntando a quem me viu
Se ali morei, se eu era o mesmo e em que ponto
O meu desejo fez as malas e fugiu
Assobiando a melodia mais bonita
A da certeza do meu mais brilhante amor
Da sensação de entre as demais a favorita
Que é ver a rosa com o tempo a ganhar cor
Assobiando as melodias mais brilhantes
Como o brilhante da certeza de um amor
Como o rubi mais precioso entre os restantes
Que é o da meiguice alternando com ardor
Não negarei ficar assim nesta beleza
Assobiando as melodias mais fugazes
Não é possível nem é simples, com certeza
Mas é vontade que me dá do que me fazes
Pewniki moich najbardziej błyskotliwych uczuć
Zapaliłam światło, bo jutro nie ma światła księżyca
Zbiorę poświatę robaczka (świętojańskiego)
Który mi, dobre zwierzę, wybaczy tę kradzież
Gwizdanie najpiękniejszych melodii
i opisywane miasta, jakie już zobaczyłam
ludzi i twarze i gesty zapisane jako
dobro i zło, cisza, spokój, szał
Jeśli jestem sama, to jakbym spotkała się w ślepej uliczce
Idę od drzwi do drzwi pytając, kto mnie widział
Jeżeli tam żyłam, jeśli byłam taka sama i, w którym punkcie
Spakował moje pragnienie do walizek i uciekł
Gwizdanie melodii najpiękniejszej
Jest z pewnością moim najbłyskotliwszym uczuciem
O doznaniu, pośród innych ulubionych
Żeby wiedzieć o róży z czasem wzmacniającej kolor
Gwizdanie melodii najbardziej błyskotliwych
Jak błyskotliwa jest pewność w miłości
Jak rubin, najcenniejszy między pozostałymi
Który ja także chcę żarliwie zmieniać
Nie muszę znajdować w ten sposób piękna
Gwizdanie melodii bardziej ulotnych
Nie jest możliwe, nie jest proste, z pewnością
Lecz jest ochota, którą mi daje to, co tworzysz
The lyrics of "As Certezas do Meu Mais Brilhante Amor" by Cristina Branco talks about the certainty of the singer's love and her willingness to savour the moment despite its fleeting nature. The song begins with the singer describing how she will light up the certainty of her most brilliant love because there will be no moonlight tomorrow. She talks about stealing the light of a firefly and apologizing to the little creature for doing so.
The second verse talks about the singer whistling the most beautiful melodies and describing the cities she has seen. She mentions how she observes people and the gestures they make, which she notes are like scripts of good and evil, peace and frenzy. The third verse talks about how even when she is alone in a dead-end street, she won't deny the beauty of the moment. She mentions going door to door asking if she lived there before and if anyone saw her.
The song continues with the singer whistling the most beautiful melodies, highlighting the certainty of her love and cherishing it despite its fleeting nature. She notes how it is her favourite feeling compared to others, seeing a rose gain colour over time. She concludes that she doesn't need to find beauty in any other way but through the melodies she can whistle.
Line by Line Meaning
As certezas do meu mais brilhante amor
The certainties of my brightest love
Vou acender, que amanhã não há luar
I will light them up, for there won't be moonlight tomorrow
E eu colherei do pirilampo um só fulgor
And I will collect only one glow from the firefly
Que me perdoe o bom bichinho de o roubar
May the kind little creature forgive me for stealing it
Assobiando as melodias mais bonitas
Whistling the most beautiful melodies
E das cidades descrevendo o que já vi
And describing what I have already seen in the cities
Homens e fósseis e seus gestos como escritas
Men and fossils and their gestures written like words
Do bem e do mal, a paz a calma e frenesi
Of good and evil, peace, calm, and frenzy
Se estou sozinho é num beco que me encontro
If I am alone, I find myself in a alley
Vou porta a porta perguntando a quem me viu
Going door to door asking those who saw me
Se ali morei, se eu era o mesmo e em que ponto
If I lived there, if I was the same and at what point
O meu desejo fez as malas e fugiu
My desire packed its bags and ran away
A da certeza do meu mais brilhante amor
The one about the certainty of my brightest love
Da sensação de entre as demais a favorita
Of the feeling that is my favorite among all the others
Que é ver a rosa com o tempo a ganhar cor
Which is seeing the rose gaining color with time
Assobiando as melodias mais brilhantes
Whistling the brightest melodies
Como o brilhante da certeza de um amor
Like the brilliance of the certainty of love
Como o rubi mais precioso entre os restantes
Like the most precious ruby among the others
Que é o da meiguice alternando com ardor
Which is the one of gentleness alternating with ardor
Não negarei ficar assim nesta beleza
I won't deny staying in this beauty
Gwizdanie melodii bardziej ulotnych
Whistling more fleeting melodies
Nie muszę znajdować w ten sposób piękna
I don't have to find beauty in this way
Nie jest możliwe, nie jest proste, z pewnością
It's not possible, it's not easy, surely
Lecz jest ochota, którą mi daje to, co tworzysz
But there's a desire that you give me through what you create
Contributed by Brody M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.