Joyce has in her baggage an extensive discography and about 400 recordings of her songs by some of the biggest names in Brazilian popular music, such as Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, Elis Regina, Milton Nascimento, Ney Matogrosso, Edu Lobo, Emílio Santiago, Boca Livre, Mônica Salmaso, Leny Andrade, Nana Caymmi, Zizi Possi, Elizeth Cardoso, Simone and many others. Internationally, she has been recorded by big names like Annie Lennox, Wallace Roney, Omara Portuondo, Black Eyed Peas, David Sanchez, Jon Lucien, Claus Ogerman, Gerry Mulligan, Till Brönner, Flora Purim and others. Her compositions have been used in soundtracks for films (such as Robert Altman's "The Player" and "Legally Blonde"), animations (she participated in the soundtrack of the Japanese anime "Wolf's Rain" in partnership with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno), TV shows and theater performances.
She received 4 Latin Grammy nominations and has so far 34 individual CDs and 2 DVDs, besides compilations and participations. Currently, her work also follows an international path, with world tours every year and recordings of new albums in different countries, without ever losing her Brazilian-feminine identity. She performs annually on the Blue Note circuit in Japan, and in jazz festivals and tours in Europe, the United States, and Canada.
Quatro Elementos
Joyce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
É pó que turva a vidraça
É só cantar que ela passa
Nem deixa marca no chão
Saudade não é só mata
É corte que não se trata
De faca fina de prata
Cravada no coração
É furia de ventania
É sol que chega de dia
E a noite cruza o portão
Amor é mais é magia
É de fincar moradia
E eternizar companhia
Na casa do coração
In Joyce's song Quatro Elementos, the lyrics are a poetic exploration of four human emotions or experiences; tristeza (sadness), saudade (longing), paixão (passion), and amor (love). The first stanza describes sadness as a grey, smoky presence that clouds and darkens the glass of a window. However, it is also fleeting and can be dispelled through singing, leaving no permanent trace. In contrast, saudade is a persistent ache or a wound that cannot be healed. It is like a delicate silver knife that is embedded in the heart and cannot be removed.
The second stanza focuses on passion, which is described as a violent and destructive force, like a fierce wind or a deep wound that continues to bleed. In contrast, love is portrayed as a magical and transformative force that can create a home in the heart and be shared with another person. It is an enduring companionship that transcends physical space and time.
Overall, the song speaks to the complexities and depths of human emotion, exploring both the beauty and the pain that come with experiencing different types of feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Tristeza é cinza, é fumaça
Sadness is like the color grey, it's smoke that clouds the air
É pó que turva a vidraça
It's dust that blurs the window pane
É só cantar que ela passa
But if you sing, it will leave
Nem deixa marca no chão
And won't leave any trace on the ground
Saudade não é só mata
Longing is not just a dense forest
É corte que não se trata
It's a wound that can't be treated
De faca fina de prata
A wound of a silver blade
Cravada no coração
Pierced to the heart
Paixão é golpe, é sangria
Passion is a strike, it's bleeding
É furia de ventania
It's a fury of a strong wind
É sol que chega de dia
Like the sun that rises during the day
E a noite cruza o portão
And the night passes through the gate
Amor é mais é magia
Love is more than magic
É de fincar moradia
It's settling down and making a home
E eternizar companhia
And keeping company forever
Na casa do coração
In the house of the heart
Writer(s): Joyce Silveira Moreno, Paulo Cesar Pinheiro
Contributed by Callie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nicole Sams
Beautifulll.