Elza Gomes da Conceição, known professionally as Elza Soares (June 23, 1930… Read Full Bio ↴Elza Gomes da Conceição, known professionally as Elza Soares (June 23, 1930, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – January 20, 2022, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), was a Brazilian singer and songwriter, regarded as one of the biggest names of samba music and MPB.

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

Todo Dia
Elza Soares Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Todo dia eu subo a ladeira
Encontro amigos à beira da tristeza
Seguiram por caminhos e vão fora de lei
Seguiram por caminhos que e são fora da lei
Porque morar no morro é a maior felicidade
Não se olha a cor pra ser amado de verdade
A sociedade vai ter que aturar
A lua é branca o céu é negro

E eles sempre vão se amar
(Eles sempre vão se amar)

Todo dia
Todo dia eu subo a ladeira
Encontro amigos à beira da tristeza
Seguiram por caminhos e vão fora de lei
Seguiram por caminhos que e são fora da lei
Porque morar no morro é a maior felicidade
Não se olha a cor pra ser amado de verdade
A sociedade vai ter que aturar
A lua é branca o céu é negro
E eles sempre vão se amar

Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira
Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira

Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira
Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira

Por tanto tempo a raça negra foi humilhada
Isso não era pra existir as consequências a gente paga

Todo ser humano nasce para ser feliz
Sem discriminação eu canto, eu canto sim
(Pode acretidar)
Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira
Pode crer, pode crer

Pode crer, pode crer
Durumdarum dêra
(Essa é a vez!)
Todo dia eu subo a ladeira e-
Du-rum, dá, rum-dêra, dá, rum-dêra
Eu subo a ladeira

Du-rum, dá, rum-dêra segura essa-
Pode crer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Todo Dia É Dia" by Elza Soares and Miltinho convey a message of resilience and defiance in the face of societal oppression. The singer talks about climbing a hill every day and meeting friends who are at the brink of sadness. Despite the struggles that they face as residents of the favela or slum, they take pride in their community and refuse to be held down by discrimination. In fact, they declare that living in the hill is the greatest happiness they could ever imagine. They also assert that love knows no color and that society will have to accept their relationship regardless. The song ends with a chant that further emphasizes their unity and strength in fighting for their rights.

The lyrics reflect the realities of life for many people living in favelas in Brazil. The favelas are often marginalized and underserved communities that lack basic government services and are subject to crime and violence. Additionally, residents frequently face discrimination based on their skin color, social class or place of origin. Despite these challenges, many residents continue to show resilience and pride in their culture and heritage, and fight for their rights to be recognized.

The song is also a representation of music's role in bringing people together and instilling hope in times of struggle. The lyrics celebrate the power of music to elevate people's spirits, bring people together, and inspire them to work towards a better future.

Line by Line Meaning

Todo dia eu subo a ladeira
Every day, I climb up the hill

Encontro amigos à beira da tristeza
I meet friends who are close to sadness

Seguiram por caminhos e vão fora de lei
They took paths that are outside the law

Porque morar no morro é a maior felicidade
Living in the hill is the greatest happiness

Não se olha a cor pra ser amado de verdade
Color is not a factor to be truly loved

A sociedade vai ter que aturar
Society will have to deal with it

A lua é branca o céu é negro
The moon is white, the sky is black

E eles sempre vão se amar
And they will always love each other

Durumdarum dêra descendo a ladeira
Drumbeat descending the hill

Durumdarum dêra segura esta bandeira
Hold this flag tight

Por tanto tempo a raça negra foi humilhada
For so long, the black race was humiliated