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
Dança
Elza Soares Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A quem me desse o tempo
Soprava nesse vento a minha despedida
Debaixo dessa terra não me interessa o movimento
Debaixo do cimento não tenho pressa
Não há quem queira dançar
Mas se eu me levantar
E o que me fez morrer
Vai me fazer voltar
Melhor ficar aqui pra que mentir tem diferença
Mais cedo do que penso vou desistir
Não há quem queira dançar
Deixa a chuva que derruba o céu (lavar)
Lava
Lava a carne que ainda tem (no osso)
Sinto o osso antes dele se (quebrar)
Abro a tampa e deixo a dança entrar (no corpo)
Daria a minha vida
A quem me desse o tempo
Soprava nesse vento a minha despedida
Debaixo dessa terra não me interessa o movimento
Debaixo do cimento não tenho pressa
Não há quem queira dançar
Mas se eu me levantar
Ninguém irá saber
E o que me fez morrer
Vai me fazer voltar
Melhor ficar aqui pra que mentir tem diferença
Mais cedo do que penso vou desistir
Não há quem queira dançar
Deixa a chuva que derruba o céu (lavar)
Lava a carne que ainda tem (no osso)
Sinto o osso antes dele se (quebrar)
Abro a tampa e deixo a dança entrar (no)
The lyrics of Elza Soares's song "Dança" convey a sense of resignation and a yearning for release from the burdens of life. The singer expresses a willingness to give their life to someone who could offer them time and would witness their farewell. They feel disconnected from the world, indifferent to movement and progress. The line "Não há quem queira dançar" translates to "There's no one who wants to dance." It suggests a feeling of loneliness and a lack of connection or joy in life.
The song touches on themes of mortality and the desire for escape. The singer contemplates giving up, knowing that if they were to rise again, no one would know why they died in the first place. They mention the difference between lying and truth, hinting at a desire for honesty and authenticity. The repetition of the line "Melhor ficar aqui pra que mentir tem diferença" translates to "It's better to stay here, for lying makes a difference."
The chorus of the song, "Deixa a chuva que derruba o céu (lavar) / Lava a carne que ainda tem (no osso) / Sinto o osso antes dele se (quebrar) / Abro a tampa e deixo a dança entrar (no corpo)," speaks to a cleansing process. The rain symbolizes purification, washing away the weight of the sky. The reference to feeling the bone before it breaks suggests a heightened awareness of vulnerability. Opening the lid and allowing dance to enter the body conveys a desire for liberation and expression.
Overall, "Dança" presents a poignant reflection on life's struggles, the longing for connection, and the search for freedom through dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Daria a minha vida
I would give my life
A quem me desse o tempo
To whoever gave me time
Soprava nesse vento a minha despedida
I would blow my farewell in this wind
Debaixo dessa terra não me interessa o movimento
Under this earth, movement doesn't matter to me
Debaixo do cimento não tenho pressa
Under the cement, I have no hurry
Não há quem queira dançar
There's no one who wants to dance
Mas se eu me levantar
But if I get up
Ninguém irá saber
No one will know
E o que me fez morrer
And what made me die
Vai me fazer voltar
Will make me come back
Melhor ficar aqui pra que mentir tem diferença
Better stay here, as lying makes a difference
Mais cedo do que penso vou desistir
Sooner than I think, I will give up
Deixa a chuva que derruba o céu (lavar)
Let the rain that brings the sky down (clean)
Lava a carne que ainda tem (no osso)
Clean the meat that still remains (on the bone)
Sinto o osso antes dele se (quebrar)
I feel the bone before it (breaks)
Abro a tampa e deixo a dança entrar (no corpo)
I open the lid and let the dance enter (the body)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Carlos Goncalves Machado Neto
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rogerio Cavalcanti
Elza entra para eternidade das nossas memórias, a mulher do fim do mundo que lutou dignamente sem nunca baixar a cabeça contra opressão coletiva e individual!🌹💞🙏👏Descanse em paz minha Diva, descanse o descanso merecido de quem combateu o bom combate!
Marina Moreira
daria a minha vida a quem me desse o tempo
Pedro Negreiros
pra mim é uma das melhores do disco
convívio Verde
Sim
LugarDeAmorComoJesusAmou
Quero interpretar está música 😍❤️🙌🏿🙏🏾maravilhosaaaaa
Croá do Leste
Walmir Marins Momentos um defunto romântico Ou um solitário que não se importa com a morte desde que encontre um amor ( sofrencia )
Cleofas Caldas
Multifacetada, Atemporal, Fantástica!!!
Salve salve a Diva Elza Soares.
alice alice
adoro!
convívio Verde
E o que me fez morrer vai me fazer voltar
Vitor Ozan
tudo pra mim