Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. She introduced musical traditions of the Iberian Peninsula in her work, rediscovered many long forgotten popular tunes and found use for obsolete musical instruments. Her work is inspired and influenced not only by Iberian musical tradition, but also Arabic, African, Brazilian and Bulgarian sounds. She sings mostly in her native Portuguese, as well as Spanish, Galician, Mirandese, Italian, English, Arabic and Greek.
Dulce Pontes has collaborated with Cesária Évora, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Carlos Núñez, the Chieftains, Kepa Junkera, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, George Dalaras, Andrea Bocelli (O Mar e Tu, duet sung by Pontes in Portuguese and Bocelli in Neapolitan, for his 1999 album Sogno), and others. Her song "Canção do Mar" appeared on the soundtrack of Hollywood film Primal Fear. A 30-second piece of that same song serves as the theme to the NBC police drama Southland. Her album Focus is the fruit of a collaboration with Italian composer Ennio Morricone with whom she has also performed live.
In June 2006, Pontes prepared her double LP O Coração Tem Três Portas (The Heart Has Three Doors). It was recorded live without an audience in Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar and St Mary Church in Óbidos. According to the artist, it is "her most personal and intimate album." It includes Portuguese folk music, mostly fado. "[1] It was released in December 2006.
In 2009, Pontes released Momentos, a double disc collection that includes songs from her 20 year career as well as several previously unreleased tracks.[2] Currently, she is working on an album of all new songs which is titled Nudez.
Laurindinha
Dulce Pontes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vem à janela
Ver o teu amor
Ai ai ai que vai para a guerra
Se ele vai para a guerra
Deixai-o ir
Ele é rapaz novo
Ai ai ai ele torna a vir
Se Deus quiser
Ainda vem a tempo
Ai ai ai de arranjar mulher
The lyrics of Dulce Pontes's song Laurindinha depict the heart-wrenching struggle of a young girl named Laurindinha, who watches her love go off to war. She stands at the window, watching him walk away, feeling helpless. The song is a call to the young man to leave and defend his nation, though it may bring great sadness to his beloved.
The words of the song do not simply ask Laurindinha's love to go to war; they acknowledge that it will be difficult and may result in his death. Yet the lyrics also hold out hope that he will return and that Laurindinha will be waiting for him. Ultimately, the song is a meditation on the nature of love and the importance of standing by one's partner in times of hardship and challenge.
Line by Line Meaning
Ó laurindinha
Oh my dearest Laurindinha
Vem à janela
Come to the window
Ver o teu amor
To see your love
Ai ai ai que vai para a guerra
Oh no! He's off to war
Se ele vai para a guerra
If he's off to war
Deixai-o ir
Let him go
Ele é rapaz novo
He's a young man
Ai ai ai ele torna a vir
Oh he'll return
Ele torna a vir
He'll return
Se Deus quiser
God willing
Ainda vem a tempo
He'll come back in time
Ai ai ai de arranjar mulher
Oh my! He'll come back for a wife
Contributed by Dylan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.