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.
Carta A Miguel Djéjé
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Como está você?
Em todo o Xipamanine
Já ninguém o vê
Vou dar-lhe a minha viola
Para tocar outra vez
O seu valor um dia
Todo o mainato o ouvia
E até dançou
Miguel só você sabia
Tocar como já tocou
Vinha maningue gente
Para aprender
Moda lá da sua terra
Bonita a valer
O Jaime e o Etekinse
Amigos não volta haver
Quando a noite se ouvia
Miguel tocar
Também havia a marimba
Para acompanhar
A noite
Na Ponta Geia
Amigos hei de recordar
O barco foi andando
E a Nanga vi
Foi a saudade aumentando
Longe daí
A gente
Na minha terra
Não canta assim
Como eu ouvi
The lyrics to Cristina Branco's song "Carta A Miguel Djéjé" tells a story of a person who is seeking out a friend named Miguel, who has seemingly disappeared from the area of Xipamanine. The singer is reminiscing about Miguel, who had a great talent for playing the guitar and would attract crowds of people who wanted to learn from him or simply listen to his beautiful music. The lyrics also mention other friends, a Jaime and an Etekinse, who were part of this music scene and are no longer around. The song expresses a deep sense of nostalgia for the past and the music that brought people together.
The lyrics of "Carta A Miguel Djéjé" have a strong emotional tone, and they paint a vivid picture of the world that Miguel inhabited. The lyrics are also significant because they reference a specific type of music, called maningue or Marrabenta, which is a popular genre in Mozambique. The song is a tribute to a lost era and the vibrant musical community that existed in Xipamanine during this time. The song also serves as a reminder of the power of music to bring people together and create a sense of shared community.
Line by Line Meaning
Diga amigo Miguel
She addresses her friend and musician Miguel, asking how he is doing.
Como está você?
She asks him how he is feeling.
Em todo o Xipamanine
She notes that she hasn't seen him around Xipamanine.
Já ninguém o vê
She reiterates that no one seems to have seen him lately.
Vou dar-lhe a minha viola
She expresses her intention to give him her guitar to play again.
Para tocar outra vez
She tells him that the guitar is meant for him to play once again.
O seu valor um dia
She talks about Miguel's value as a musician.
Você mostrou
She points out that he had once shown his worth as a musician.
Todo o mainato o ouvia
She remembers how all the young people used to listen to him.
E até dançou
She recalls how they even danced to his music.
Miguel só você sabia
She emphasizes that he was the only one who knew how to play like he did.
Tocar como já tocou
She encourages him to play like he did before.
Vinha maningue gente
She talks about how people used to come to listen and learn from him.
Para aprender
She clarifies that they came to learn from him.
Moda lá da sua terra
She notes that he played music from his homeland.
Bonita a valer
She describes the music as really beautiful.
O Jaime e o Etekinse
She mentions two of his friends.
Amigos não volta haver
She bemoans the fact that they will not have friends like them again.
Quando a noite se ouvia
She recounts how they used to listen to him at night.
Miguel tocar
She refers to when Miguel would play his music.
Também havia a marimba
She mentions the marimba that was played alongside him.
Para acompanhar
She clarifies that the marimba was used to accompany his music.
A noite
She remembers the nights when they used to gather to listen to his music.
Na Ponta Geia
She mentions a specific place where they used to gather.
Amigos hei de recordar
She declares that she will always remember those friends.
O barco foi andando
She compares life and time passing to a moving boat.
E a Nanga vi
She remembers seeing the Nanga (a type of boat or ship).
Foi a saudade aumentando
She notes that her nostalgia and longing for the past grew stronger.
Longe daí
She notes that she is now far away from those memories.
A gente
She notes that people in her current location do not play music like Miguel.
Na minha terra
She points out that it was only in her homeland where she could hear such music.
Não canta assim
She laments the fact that the music she hears now is not the same as what she heard before.
Como eu ouvi
She nostalgically recalls the music she had heard before.
Writer(s): José Afonso
Contributed by Colton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Kurcudilo
Gostei muito desta versão.
O Mário encontrou a voz da Cristina Branco....que é fogo !
@100dalmata
Só 238 visualizações??!!! ... esta música é para ouvir vezes sem fim!
@timetravelpt
Excelente! Amazing! :)
@analiagomes712
Interpretação soberba!