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.

Giro
Elis Regina Lyrics

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Hoje a cidade inteira se enfeitou
Coberta de alegria a noite serenou
Da casa grande a praça e chafariz
Da rua principal à porta da matriz
Tem lua acesa clareando o chão
Tem moça pra dançar de saia de algodão
Tem violeiro violando o amor
Contando em verso a paz

Desponta um cantador
De ponta a ponta bandas e cordões
E lua tonta gira os corações
No giro dança quem quer se alegrar
Velho ou criança vem que tem lugar.
Sabe o foguete acarinhando o céu
E a rua floresceu bandeira de papel
E vida em festa no giro girou
Tristeza adormeceu e a noite serenou
Tristeza adormeceu e a noite serenou

Tristeza adormeceu...
E a noite serenou!

Overall Meaning

The song "Giro" by Elis Regina celebrates the joy and festivities of a city where everyone has come together to embrace the joyful and happy moments of life. The first lines of the song say "Today the entire city decorated themselves, covered with joy and serene night." The song talks about how everyone is out in the town, from the big houses to the streets and everyone is dressed up and ready to dance. The moonlight shines on the ground, young women in cotton skirts dance, minstrels sing about love, and singers come together to perform. From one end of the city to the other, there are bands playing and couples dancing.

The lyrics convey the idea that everyone is happy and has forgotten their worries and sorrows. The streets are decorated with paper flags, flowers, and lights. The song also speaks about how the fireworks make the sky more vibrant and alive, and everyone joins in the festivities to celebrate and forget their troubles. The last line of the song sums up the entire feeling where the music stops, and everyone is exhausted from the dance, and they all lie down to rest, and the sadness disappears, and the night becomes calm.

Line by Line Meaning

Hoje a cidade inteira se enfeitou
Today the whole city has decorated itself

Coberta de alegria a noite serenou
Covered with joy, the night became serene

Da casa grande a praça e chafariz
From the big house to the square and fountain

Da rua principal à porta da matriz
From the main street to the church door

Tem lua acesa clareando o chão
There's a bright moon shining light on the ground

Tem moça pra dançar de saia de algodão
There are girls dancing in cotton skirts

Tem violeiro violando o amor
There are guitar players expressing love

Contando em verso a paz, desponta um cantador
Telling in verse about peace, a singer emerges

De ponta a ponta bandas e cordões
From end to end, there are bands and groups

E lua tonta gira os corações
And the dizzy moon spins hearts around

No giro dança quem quer se alegrar
In this dance, everyone who wants to be happy dances