Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul… Read Full Bio ↴Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – January 19, 1982, São Paulo, Brazil), better known as Elis Regina, was a Brazilian singer and one of the biggest names of MPB. Known for her vocal competence, musicianship and stage presence, she was acclaimed both in Brazil and internationally.

In the '60s, Elis was a leader and a standard-bearer in defense of Brazilian popular music, heavily contributing to the formation of the MPB label, with commercial and ideological characteristics at the same time. She was the first major artist to emerge from music festivals in the 1960s and detached herself from the Bossa Nova aesthetic through the use of her vocal range and drama. Initially, her style was influenced by radio singers, especially Ângela Maria. After four unsuccessful studio albums — Viva a Brotolândia (1961), Poema de Amor (1962), Elis Regina (1963), O Bem do Amor (1963) — Elis was the biggest revelation of the TV Excelsior festival in 1965, when he sang "Arrastão" by Vinícius de Moraes and Edu Lobo. This feat would guarantee him the invitation to act on television and, shortly afterwards, the title of first star of Brazilian popular song, when he started to command, alongside Jair Rodrigues, one of the two most important Brazilian popular music programs, O Fino da bossa. In 1967, she married Ronaldo Bôscoli, then director of O Fino da Bossa. From 1972, Elis began a relationship with César Camargo Mariano, which would last until 1981, in one of the most successful partnerships in Brazilian Popular Music.

She sang many genres: MPB, bossa nova, samba, rock and jazz. Interpreting songs like "Madalena", "Águas de Março", "Atrás da Porta", "Como Nosso Pais", "O Bêbado e a Equilibrista" and "Querellas do Brasil", he recorded moments of happiness, love, sadness and patriotism. Throughout his career, he stood out for also singing songs by artists, still little known, such as Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, Belchior, Renato Teixeira, Aldir Blanc, João Bosco, helping to launch them and publicize their works. , boosting them in the Brazilian music scene. Among other partnerships, the duets she had with Jair Rodrigues, Tom Jobim and Rita Lee are famous. With her second husband, pianist César Camargo Mariano, she consecrated a long work of great creativity and musical consistency and, in technical terms, was considered the best brazilian singer. His most memorable artistic presence is perhaps registered on the albums Em Pleno Verão (1970), Elis (1972), Elis (1973), Elis & Tom (1974), Elis (1974), Falso Brilhante (1976), Transversal do Tempo (1978). ), Essa Mulher (1979), Saudade do Brasil (1980) and Elis (1980). She was the first person to inscribe her own voice as if it were an instrument, in the Order of Musicians of Brazil. In 2013, she was elected the best female voice in Brazilian music by Rolling Stone Magazine. Elis was also mentioned in the list of the greatest artists in Brazilian music, ranking 14th, being the best-placed woman. In November of the same year, a musical was premiered in honor of her Elis, the musical.

Elis Regina died prematurely at the age of 36, at the height of her career, causing strong commotion in the country and leaving a vast body of work in Brazilian popular music. Although there were controversies and disputes as to the cause of death, the tests showed that the cause was the consumption of cocaine associated with alcohol, which caused a cardiac arrest.

Cadeira Vazia
Elis Regina Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Entra, meu amor, fica à vontade

E diz com sinceridade o que desejas de mim
Entra, podes entrar, a casa é tua
Já te cansastes de viver na rua
E os teus sonhos chegaram ao fim
Eu sofri demais quando partiste
Passei tantas horas triste

Que nem quero lembrar esse dia
Mas de uma coisa podes ter certeza
O teu lugar aqui na minha mesa
Tua cadeira ainda está vazia
Tu és a filha pródiga que volta
Procurando em minha porta
O que o mundo não te deu
E faz de conta que sou teu paizinho
Que há tanto tempo aqui ficou sozinho
A esperar por um carinho teu
Voltaste, estás bem, fico contente
Mas me encontraste muito diferente
Vou te falar de todo coração
Eu não te darei carinho nem afeto

Mas pra te abrigar podes ocupar meu teto
Pra te alimentar podes comer meu pão

Overall Meaning

In Cadeira Vazia, Elis Regina sings about a person who has returned home after being away for a long time. The song starts with the invitation to the person to come in and feel at home. The singer asks the person to speak honestly about their desires and needs. The chorus refers to a chair that still remains empty, implying that the person has returned after a long time, but the pain and hurt caused by their absence still lingers. The singer seems to have suffered a lot when the person left and still has mixed feelings about their return.

The second verse continues with the theme of the prodigal son or daughter who has returned home to seek shelter and comfort. The singer understands that the world may not have been kind to the person and now they have come back to find what they couldn't elsewhere. The singer assumes the role of a father who has waited for a long time for their child's return. However, in the third verse, the tone of the singer changes. She states that although she is happy to see the person again, she cannot offer them love or affection. She can only offer them a roof over their head and food for their sustenance.

Overall, the song depicts a bittersweet reunion of a father figure and a prodigal child. It explores the complex emotions that come with long-term separation and mixed feelings of love and resentment.

Line by Line Meaning

Entra, meu amor, fica à vontade
Come in, my love, make yourself comfortable

E diz com sinceridade o que desejas de mim
And tell me honestly what you want from me

Entra, podes entrar, a casa é tua
Come in, you can come in, the house is yours

Já te cansastes de viver na rua
You're tired of living on the street

E os teus sonhos chegaram ao fim
And your dreams have come to an end

Eu sofri demais quando partiste
I suffered too much when you left

Passei tantas horas triste
I spent so many hours sad

Que nem quero lembrar esse dia
That I don't even want to remember that day

Mas de uma coisa podes ter certeza
But one thing you can be sure of

O teu lugar aqui na minha mesa
Your place here at my table

Tua cadeira ainda está vazia
Your chair is still empty