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.
O Sabor De Saber
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rui Branco/Custódio Castelo
Na nudez dos dias, e nas frestas da Lua
Deixo adivinhar o que não sabias antes
Que toda eu sou Nua, que toda eu sou Tua
Guarda o aroma das palavras
Dá-me as mãos com que desenhas
Os infinitos caminhos de mel
Que apenas sei quase a medo
Mas que guardo quase em segredo...
Guarda o meu sabor sem palavras
Que eu nada direi do que sabes
Do frémito da chama do desejo,
Do súbito arrepio de te ter...
Na nudez dos dias e nas frestas da Lua...
The lyrics of O Sabor De Saber speaks of the intimacy and vulnerability of a person in a relationship. In the midst of the nakedness of everyday life, and the quiet moments of the moonlit night, the persona reveals a part of themselves that their partner may not have known before. The persona bares everything, both physically and emotionally, as they surrender themselves to the relationship entirely. The lyrics also suggest a connection beyond words, as the partner is asked to preserve the scent of their words and guide the persona through the endless paths of sweetness. The persona acknowledges the fragility of their feelings, but they treasure and keep them close to their heart. The persona's plea to keep their taste without words also implies that some things do not need to be expressed or justified, and the partner understands and appreciates the intensity of the desire without any explanation.
Overall, the lyrics of O Sabor De Saber speaks of the courage and vulnerability one needs to have in a relationship. It shows the beauty and importance of intimacy without words, and the power of connection beyond physicality, which enhances the significance of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Na nudez dos dias, e nas frestas da Lua
In the starkness of everyday life, and the quiet moments of the night
Deixo adivinhar o que não sabias antes
I let you discover what you didn't know before
Que toda eu sou Nua, que toda eu sou Tua
That I am all bare, and that I am all yours
Guarda o aroma das palavras
Keep the scent of the words
Que nuas bailam na minha pele
That dance naked on my skin
Dá-me as mãos com que desenhas
Give me the hands guiding the drawings
Os infinitos caminhos de mel
Through the limitless paths of honey
Que apenas sei quase a medo
That I only almost know with hesitance
Mas que guardo quase em segredo...
But keep almost secret...
Guarda o meu sabor sem palavras
Save my taste without words
Que eu nada direi do que sabes
For I will say nothing of what you know
Do frémito da chama do desejo,
Of the shiver of desire's flame,
Do súbito arrepio de te ter...
Of the sudden tremble of having you...
Na nudez dos dias e nas frestas da Lua...
In the starkness of everyday life, and the quiet moments of the night...
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.