Elba Ramalho was born in the rural area of Conceição, in Vale do Piancó. In 1962, the family moved to the city of Campina Grande, also in Paraíba. Her father became the owner of the local theater. Daughter of a musician, she became interested in music still as a teenager.
In 1966, she participated, for the first time, in a performance on stage, in the Choir of the Fundação Artística e Cultural Manuel Bandeira, of which she was a member, with "Evocação do Recife". The Manuel Bandeira and Cecília Meireles Talking Choirs gained fame and started to be seen all over the Northeast, and Elba, who made her first presentation on stage together with them, soon became the highlight in the presentations. She starred in the poetic montages of Castro Alves, Thiago de Mello, Lindolfo Bell, Carlos Pena Filho and Figueiredo Agra. He participated in the montages of the plays "Ministro do Supremo" and "Diálogo das Carmelitas."
In 1968, while attending college of Economics and Sociology at the Federal University of Paraíba, she formed the ensemble As Brasas, in which she acted as drummer, which later became a theater group. However, Elba never stopped singing, and performed in several festivals throughout the Northeast.
In 1979, she released her first album, "Ave de Prata", and since then she has consolidated her position as one of the main Brazilian singers in activity. On her father's side, she is a cousin of fellow singer Zé Ramalho.
She has two Latin Grammys for her albums: Qual o Assunto Que Mais Lhe importa?, released in 2008, and Balaio de Amor, 2009, in the category Best Brazilian Roots Album: Regional and Tropical. In over 35 years of career, Elba Ramalho has sold more than 10 million albums. She received from the Art Critics Association of São Paulo the award "Best Show of the Year" on two occasions: in 1989 for the show Popular Brasileira and in 1996 for the show Leão do Norte.
Pagode Russo/Onde tu tá neném
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dançando um pagode russo
Na boate cossacou
Ontem eu sonhei que tava em Moscou
Dançando um pagode russo
Na boate cossacou
Naquele vai ou não vai
Parecia até um frevo
Naquele cai ou não cai
Parecia até um frevo
Naquele vai ou não vai
Parecia até um frevo
Naquele cai ou não cai
Vem cá cossaco
Cossaco, dança agora
Na dança do cossaco
Não fica cossaco fora
Ontem eu sonhei que tava em Moscou
Dançando um pagode russo
Na boate cossacou
Parecia até um frevo
Naquele cai ou não cai
Parecia até um frevo
Naquele vai ou não vai
The lyrics to Elba Ramalho's song "Pagode Russo/Onde tu tá neném" tell the story of a dream where the singer finds themselves in Moscow, dancing in a club called "Cossacou" to a style of music called "pagode russo". The dreamer describes the dance as resembling a frevo, a type of Brazilian dance characterized by fast and frenetic movements. The dreamer invites the Cossack dancers to join in, urging them not to miss out on the fun.
While the lyrics may seem nonsensical, they are actually a reference to a popular Brazilian song of the same name, which was released in 1978 by the group Casuarina. The song was originally composed by the Russian pianist and composer Igor Stravinsky in 1910, and was later adapted by Brazilian composer João de Barro in 1932. The song became famous in Brazil and was eventually adapted into a style called "pagode russo", which blends Russian and Brazilian music into a unique genre.
Elba Ramalho's version of the song adds an extra layer of cultural fusion by combining traditional Brazilian dance music with Russian-style dancing. The lyrics play on the idea of cultural exchange and the ability of music and dance to transcend national boundaries.
Overall, the song is a fun and lighthearted celebration of cultural diversity and the power of music to bring different people together.
Line by Line Meaning
Ontem eu sonhei que tava em Moscou
I had a dream that I was in Moscow
Dançando um pagode russo
Dancing to a Russian pagode
Na boate cossacou
At the cossacou nightclub
Parecia até um frevo
It seemed like a frevo
Naquele vai ou não vai
In that 'should I or should I not' rhythm
Parecia até um frevo
It seemed like a frevo
Naquele cai ou não cai
In that 'will I fall or not' rhythm
Vem cá cossaco
Come here cossaco
Cossaco, dança agora
Cossaco, dance now
Na dança do cossaco
In the cossaco dance
Não fica cossaco fora
Don't stay outside, cossaco
Ontem eu sonhei que tava em Moscou
I had a dream that I was in Moscow
Dançando um pagode russo
Dancing to a Russian pagode
Na boate cossacou
At the cossacou nightclub
Parecia até um frevo
It seemed like a frevo
Naquele cai ou não cai
In that 'will I fall or not' rhythm
Parecia até um frevo
It seemed like a frevo
Naquele vai ou não vai
In that 'should I or should I not' rhythm
Lyrics © UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING,
Written by: JOAO LEOCADIO DA SILVA, LUIZ GONZAGA DO NASCIMENTO, Luiz Bandeira
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind