In 1999, she was elected by BBC Radio London as the Brazilian singer of the millennium. The choice originated from the British radio project The Millennium Concerts, created to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000. In addition, Soares appears on the list of the 100 greatest voices of Brazilian music prepared by Rolling Stone Brazil magazine.
Soares lived in extreme poverty throughout her childhood and teen, getting married at 12 and having her first child at 13. Soares had her first audition in radio at Ary Barroso's novice show when she was 16, winning first place. She was then hired as a crooner by the Orquestra Garam de Bailes (led by conductor Joaquim Naegli). She worked in the orchestra until 1954, when she became pregnant. In 1955, she was invited to star together with Grande Otelo in the play Jour-Jou-Fru-Fru, which was a smash.
Three years later, Soares toured Argentina, returning in the next year when she was hired by Rádio Vera Cruz. Also in 1959, she recorded a 78 rpm with "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" (Lupício Rodrigues/Felisberto Martins), one of her biggest hits. In 1960, she went to São Paulo where she performed regularly in the show I Festival Nacional de Bossa Nova and recorded her first LP, Se Acaso Você Chegasse.
In 1962, she represented Brazil in Chile during the World Soccer Cup, where she met Garrincha, one of the most genial soccer players ever, and also a chronic alcoholic. With Garrincha, Soares had a very troubled marriage (and the untimely demise of their son Garrinchinha in 1986 in a car accident didn't help her in any way).
The peak of her career was in the '60s, with albums like O Máximo em Samba (1967), Elza Soares & Wilson das Neves (1968), Elza, Miltinho e Samba (a three-album series shared with Miltinho). In that decade she had several hits like "Boato," "Edmundo" (a version of "In the Mood"), "Beija-me," "Devagar Com a Louça," "Mulata Assanhada," "O Mundo Encantado de Monteiro Lobato," "Bahia de Todos os Deuses," "Palmas no Portão," and "Palhaçada."
Having recorded several albums with the hits "Só Danço Samba" (Tom Jobim/Vinícius de Moraes), "A Banca do Distinto" (Billy Blanco), "Pressentimento" (Elton Medeiros/Hermínio Bello de Carvalho), and "Princesa Isabel" (Sérgio Ricardo), she moved to Italy in 1969, where she performed at the Sistina theater (Rome), returning to Brazil in 1972. In the same year, she opened the show Elza Em Dia de Graça at the Opinião theater (Rio) and participated in the Brasil Export Show (Canecão).
In the '70s, she still had success with "Salve a Mocidade" (1974), and "Malandro" (1977, this song launched Jorge Aragão as a composer). But it wasn't enough to prevent her from facing huge economical adversities and at the same time, she was being systematically turned away by recording companies.
Trying unsuccessfully to develop a career abroad, she returned to Brazil in 1994, poor and depressed. Finally, she was rediscovered in the '80s by the younger generations of Brazilian rockers (Os Titãs, Lobão) and MPB artists like Caetano Veloso
Soares was awarded a Sharp Prize award as the Best Samba Singer of 1997. In November 1999, Soares participated in the show Desde Que o Samba é Samba (at Royal Albert Hall, London, England), together with Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Virgínia Rodrigues.
In 2000, her life was depicted in the musical Crioula, which had several songs written specially for her by Chico Buarque, Chico César, Nei Lopes, and others. In 2000, she was appointed Singer of the Millennium by London's BBC. Soares continues to challenge her destiny, performing shows in every venue available.
Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide
A Cigarra
Elza Soares Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vou pedir Santa Clara para me ajudar
Vou pedir Santa Clara para clarear
Vou pedir Santa Clara para me ajudar
Clara
Clara
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, teu cantar me encantou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me encantou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, clareou
Choveu, choveu, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, clareou
Choveu, choveu
The lyrics of Elza Soares's song "A Cigarra" tell a story of asking for help from Santa Clara, the patron saint of good weather, in hopes of clearing the skies and bringing rain. In the first stanza, the singer asks Santa Clara to "clarify" and help her. The repetition of these lines emphasizes the singer's desperation for assistance. In the second stanza, the singer notes that when the cicada, a symbol of sunny weather, sang, she was deceived and it did not clear up. However, when it did eventually rain, the singer describes the earth being blessed and the scent of the rain being refreshing. The final stanza repeats the phrases from the previous stanza, with the addition of the cicada's singing enchanting the singer.
The lyrics can be interpreted in a few ways. It can be seen as a prayer for relief from heat and drought, which is a common occurrence in Brazil where the song originates. It can also be an allegory for hope, perseverance, and the unpredictability of life. The cicada's song represents hope for better days, but it can also deceive and prolong the difficult times before relief arrives. Additionally, Santa Clara's role in bringing good weather represents the idea that sometimes things are outside of our control and we must rely on higher powers to create change.
Line by Line Meaning
Vou pedir Santa Clara para clarear
I will ask Saint Clare to bring clarity
Vou pedir Santa Clara para me ajudar
I will ask Saint Clare to help me
Clara
Clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, but it deceived me
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
It rained, it rained, the smell of wet soil
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Water that came from the blessed sky
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, teu cantar me encantou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, and your singing enchanted me
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it deceived me, deceived me
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, but it deceived me
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
It rained, it rained, the smell of wet soil
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Water that came from the blessed sky
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, but it deceived me
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me encantou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, and it enchanted me
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
It rained, it rained, the smell of wet soil
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Water that came from the blessed sky
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it deceived me, deceived me
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, but it deceived me
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, clear
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me encantou
When the cicada sang, it became clear, and it enchanted me
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
It rained, it rained, the smell of wet soil
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Water that came from the blessed sky
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
When the cicada sang, it deceived me, deceived me
Choveu, choveu, clareou
It rained, it rained, it became clear
Choveu, choveu, me enganou
It rained, it rained, it deceived me
Choveu, choveu, clareou
It rained, it rained, it became clear
Choveu, choveu
It rained, it rained
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Elza Da Conceicao Soares
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@neves7636
A letra da música para os surdos:
"Vou pedir Santa Clara para clarear
Vou pedir Santa Clara para me ajudar
Vou pedir Santa Clara para clarear
Vou pedir Santa Clara para me ajudar
Clara
Clara
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, teu cantar me encantou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me encantou
Choveu, choveu, cheiro de terra molhada
Água que veio do céu, abençoada
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou me enganou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, clareou
Quando a cigarra cantou clareou, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, clareou
Choveu, choveu, me enganou
Choveu, choveu, clareou
Choveu, choveu"
@saulo3889
A voz da Elza é uma coisa muito difícil de ser explicada. É mística. Conta história. Tem cor e textura. Cada vez que a escuto tenho a certeza que apesar de toda a dificuldade, eu sou muito grato por ter nascido nesse país. Obrigado por ser assim Elza. Obrigado por fazer a gente sentir a gente.
@roaironekrian7072
Voz Mística essa é a definição....
@lelebarbosa8272
Diva, nossa que voz aveludada
@Leanzinholel
Ss é vdd
@neivieira82
Que bom que estamos reconhecendo Elza em vida. Sinto não ter conhecido Clara Nunes e Elis Regina quando eram vivas. Elza é a melhor do mundo!!
@palomakeila5796
neivieira82 Faço das suas palavras as minhas!
@johncardoso3194
Apesar de MUITO tardio o reconhecimento chegou ainda em vida, elza é uma lenda viva.
@enedinafatimasantos1384
Eu conheci as duas mas foram muito cedo
@duarte6272
conheci ela no dia da sua morte 😔
@gloomysunday8242
@@enedinafatimasantos1384 Feliz que a Elza Soares não teve o mesmo destino