As a teenager, Sangalo started to sing and play acoustic guitar at events, festivals and presentations of the school where she studied. Her debut show happened in the Ondina Neighborhood, Salvador, in August 1992. With that show she won the Dorival Caymmi trophy, the Grammy of Bahian music.
In 1993, Sony decided to reform the axé group Banda Eva and she was chosen as the lead singer. With her charismatic image, their first album soon topped the Brazilian album chart. Her live album with the band, Banda Eva Ao Vivo, was their best-selling album, selling over a million copies in 1997. In 1999, she decided to start a solo career and released her first self-titled album. With lots of upbeat Bahian rhythms and axé, the album received gold and platinum certification. The following year she released another album, Beat Beleza, which also achieved platinum status.
In 2001 she released the album Festa. The title teack was very popular and the album got platinum certification. "Festa" was her biggest hit single up to that point and the video also received huge airplay. "Festa" ended up being the most popular song of 2001 in Brazil. In 2002, she released the compilation album Se Eu Não Te Amasse Tanto Assim, titled after one of her biggest number-one hits. The album, which features a duet with American singer Brian McKnight, didn't sell as much , but was still a hit. Following Se Eu Não Te Amasse Tanto Assim, she released Clube Carnavalesco Inocentes Em Progresso in 2003. It was the lowest-selling solo album of her career but it still managed to receive gold certification.
Her first solo live album MTV Ao Vivo Ivete Sangalo released in 2004, included her biggest hits, lots of them never released on an album before, and some Banda Eva hits. The album received diamond certification and was the second best-selling album of 2004.
Her 2005 album, As Supernovas, received triple platinum certification shortly after it's release. The album was less upbeat than the others and included some songs with a 70's touch, with the big influence of Brazilian singer Ed Motta. She also included the hit "Soy Loco Por Ti America", a Gilberto Gil song. "Quando a Chuva Passar" recently reached number two on the Brazilian singles chart and was notable for being nominated at the Latin Grammy Awards, an uncommon feature for a non-Spanish speaking singer.
On December 16, 2006, she performed in the biggest stadium in the world, Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, where Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Kiss, The Police, and Madonna have also performed. She was the first Brazilian act to perform in this stadium since pop phenomenon Sandy & Junior in 2002.
Ivete has sold more than 7 million CD copies and more than 2.5 million DVD copies.
Me Levem Embora
Ivete Sangalo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quero um marido pra amar
Não quero pra respeitar
Quem seja ele que importa
Moço pobre, ou moço rico
Bonito, feio ou mulato
Me leve embora daqui
Escrava não quero ser
Acudam me levem embora
Quero um marido pra amar
Não quero pra respeitar
Quem seja ele que importa
Moço pobre, ou moço rico
Bonito, feio ou mulato
Me leve embora daqui
Escrava não quero ser
Acudam me levem embora
(raraie raraie)
Bonito, feio ou mulato
Me leve embora daqui
Escrava não quero ser
Acudam me levem embora
The lyrics in Ivete Sangalo's song "Me Levem Embora" express the desire for freedom from societal norms and expectations. The singer wants to be taken away from her current situation, where she feels like a slave or captive, and taken to a place where she can find a husband to love, rather than just one to respect. The social status, looks, or race of the potential partner are not important, as long as he is someone to love and cherish.
The repetition of the phrase "Acudam me levem embora" ("Help me, take me away") emphasizes the urgency and desperation of the singer's desire for change. The lyrics suggest that the singer is willing to leave behind her current life and start anew, regardless of where this new life may take her. The use of the words "bonito, feio ou mulato" ("handsome, ugly, or mulatto") also suggests a rejection of beauty standards and a celebration of diversity.
Overall, "Me Levem Embora" speaks to the universal desire for freedom and love, and shows the singer's willingness to reject traditional norms in order to achieve those desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Acudam me levem embora
I am in distress, I need help getting away from this place.
Quero um marido pra amar
I want a husband to love.
Não quero pra respeitar
I don't want someone solely for respect.
Quem seja ele que importa
Whoever he is, it doesn't matter.
Moço pobre, ou moço rico
Whether he's poor or rich.
Bonito, feio ou mulato
Whether he's beautiful, ugly, or mixed-race.
Me leve embora daqui
Take me away from here.
Escrava não quero ser
I don't want to be a slave.
Acudam me levem embora
I am in distress, I need help getting away from this place.
Lyrics © ABRAMUS
Written by: Dorival Caymmi, Jorge Amado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind