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.
Lisboa de paixoes
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Terra de todos e ninguйm.
A que Deus deu o encanto.
A ti, cidade ninguйm
Nua de mim em pranto
Йs luz divina de sol
E triste...
Tгo triste de vento.
Mas й assim Lisboa, doнda de choro
Que encaminho a alma do meu fado
Em direcзгo aos becos do teu corpo.
Nгo йs minha, nгo, Lisboa
Йs de Deus e Alйm,
Do mar e Universo.
Lisboa.
Jб te escreveram de paixхes
Corpos ardendo... por ti!
E eu que jб te cantei em versos sonhados!
Mas й assim Lisboa......
The lyrics of "Lisboa de paixões" by Cristina Branco portray the city of Lisbon as a land of both enchantment and despair. The singer describes it as a place that belongs to no one and everyone, a city of divine light and also great sadness. It is a place where people come to lose themselves in the winding streets and narrow alleyways, seeking solace for their pain in the music of fado. The song addresses the city directly, as if it is a living entity that has the power to heal and console those who seek refuge within its walls.
The singer goes on to say that Lisbon is not hers or anyone else's, but rather belongs to God, the sea, and the universe. This suggests that it is a place that transcends human ownership and control, a city that exists as a sort of cosmic force that draws people from all over the world to its doorstep. The song ends with the acknowledgement that Lisbon has inspired countless songs and poems throughout the years, yet its essence remains elusive and mysterious, always beckoning us to return and explore its endless depths.
Overall, "Lisboa de paixões" is a haunting and elegiac tribute to a city that is both beautiful and sorrowful, a place where joy and pain intertwine and give birth to the heartfelt music of fado.
Line by Line Meaning
Lisboa
Referring to the city of Lisbon.
Terra de todos e ninguém.
A place that belongs to everyone and no one in particular.
A que Deus deu o encanto.
A city blessed with divine charm by God.
A ti, cidade ninguém
To you, city with no one in particular.
Nua de mim em pranto
Stripped of myself and crying.
Йs luz divina de sol
You are a divine light of the sun.
E triste...
And sad...
Tгo triste de vento.
So sad with the wind.
Mas й assim Lisboa, doída de choro
But that's how Lisbon is, afflicted with weeping.
Que encaminho a alma do meu fado
Guiding the soul of my fate.
Em direcзгo aos becos do teu corpo.
Towards the alleys of your body.
Nгo йs minha, nгo, Lisboa
You are not mine, no, Lisbon.
Йs de Deus e Alйm,
You belong to God and beyond.
Do mar e Universo.
Of the sea and the universe.
Jб te escreveram de paixхes
Passionate stories have already been written about you.
Corpos ardendo... por ti!
Bodies burning... for you!
E eu que jб te cantei em versos sonhados!
And I, who have sung about you in dreamed verses!
Mas й assim Lisboa......
But that's how Lisbon is...
Contributed by Tristan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paulo dos Anjos
Eita, saudade né, Fernando?! Apareça, meu irmão. Portugal continua lhe aguardando de braços abertos...e nós também.