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.
Quando Julgas Que Me Amas
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se perguntasse em redor
O que foi feito de nós
Que silêncio meu amor
À volta da minha voz
Não é a mim que tu tocas
Que coisas dizem as bocas
Ao fingirmos que me chamas?
Uma só cama no quarto
E dois sonhos separados
Meu amor no teu retrato
Vejo os meus olhos parados
Não penses que perdoei
Só por te abraçar assim
Nem vás pensar que chorei:
Foi a vidraça por mim
Vesti-me da sua vida
Por dentro da minha pele:
Com a ternura assim escondida
Não vão dizer que sou dele
E guardo os olhos no lenço
Ao passar na sua rua
Quem sabe que lhe pertenço?
Quem descobre que ando nua?
Ele chega quando eu parto
Volto sozinha depois.
Só dentro do nosso quarto
De repente somos dois
The song "Quando Julgas Que Me Amas" by Cristina Branco is a poignant musing about a love that has faded over time. The lyrics, written by António Lobo Antunes and set to music by Mário Laginha, describe a relationship that has lost its intensity and passion. The singer wonders what has become of them and why there is such silence between them. They question whether love is really present in the relationship, or if they are just going through the motions.
The second verse speaks to the disconnect that exists between the two lovers. The singer notes that even though they may touch, it is not really them that are being touched. The words they use to describe their love are empty and meaningless. They are just pretending to feel something, while in reality they are miles apart. The third and fourth verses continue this theme of separation and distance, with the singer describing how there is only one bed in the room but two separate dreams. They see themselves in old photos together, but the love that once existed is no longer visible in their eyes.
The final verse hints at a possible external factor that has contributed to the breakdown of their relationship. The singer mentions "his" life, which they have assimilated into their own, but which is not really theirs. They wear the "tenderness" hidden inside their skin, but it is not enough to convince anyone that they belong to each other. Despite all of this, they still longingly look for each other on the street, but wonder if anyone can see that they belong together. The final line suggests the possibility that the two lovers may only truly connect when they are alone in their own private space.
Line by Line Meaning
Se perguntasse em redor
If I asked around
O que foi feito de nós
What became of us
Que silêncio meu amor
What silence, my love
À volta da minha voz
Around my voice
Não é a mim que tu tocas
It's not me that you touch
Quando julgas que me amas
When you think you love me
Que coisas dizem as bocas
What do mouths say
Ao fingirmos que me chamas?
When we pretend that you call me?
Uma só cama no quarto
Only one bed in the room
E dois sonhos separados
And two separate dreams
Meu amor no teu retrato
My love in your photo
Vejo os meus olhos parados
I see my eyes still
Não penses que perdoei
Don't think I forgave
Só por te abraçar assim
Just because I hugged you like this
Nem vás pensar que chorei
Don't even think I cried
Foi a vidraça por mim
It was the windowpane for me
Vesti-me da sua vida
I dressed in his life
Por dentro da minha pele
Inside my own skin
Com a ternura assim escondida
With my tenderness hidden like this
Não vão dizer que sou dele
They won't say I'm his
E guardo os olhos no lenço
And I keep my eyes on the handkerchief
Ao passar na sua rua
When passing on his street
Quem sabe que lhe pertenço?
Who knows that I belong to him?
Quem descobre que ando nua?
Who finds out that I walk naked?
Ele chega quando eu parto
He arrives when I leave
Volto sozinha depois
I come back alone later
Só dentro do nosso quarto
Only inside our room
De repente somos dois
Suddenly we are two
Contributed by Eli N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.