The son of a peasant and accordion player, he was attracted to the 8-bass accordion at an early age, although he started out by accompanying his father by playing the zabumba (a type of bass drum) and singing at parties and religious celebrations. He left home in 1930 to join the army, and toured Brazil with an army band until 1939. Gonzaga decided to remain in Rio de Janeiro with a recently purchased accordion. He performed in the streets and in bars, playing boleros, waltzes and tangos.
After noticing that the Northeastern immigrants missed the music from their hometowns, he started to give listeners the sort of music they craved to hear: xaxados, baiões, chamegos and cocos. At Ary Barroso’s talent show, Luiz Gonzaga played his chamego "Vira e Mexe" and was acclaimed by the audience and by the dreaded host, who gave him the highest score.
In 1943, he dressed up in typical Northeastern costumes for the first time to perform live, and got hyped. Later on, as well as playing popular tunes on the accordion, he began to sing his own material, and his skills as a songwriter were revealed.
Gonzaga's son, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento Júnior, known as Gonzaguinha, born 1945, was also a noted Brazilian singer and composer.
His greatest hit ever, "Asa Branca" (written with Humberto Teixeira), was recorded in 1947 and was covered countless times by many different artists. He worked on the radio until 1954, enjoying huge popularity. He is widely recognized for singlehandedly taking the baião style and the accordion to a wide audience. For a time RCA (now BMG), his recording label, was almost exclusively dedicated to printing his singles and albums. During the 60's, as the public taste shifted to bossa nova and iê-iê-iê, he found himself increasingly stranded from big city stages, so he toured the countryside, where his popularity never abated.
In the 70s and 80s, he slowly re-emerged, partly due to covers of his songs by famous artists like Geraldo Vandré, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, his son Gonzaguinha and Milton Nascimento. Some of his greatest hits are "Vozes da Seca" ("Voices From Drought"), "Algodão" ("Cotton"), "A Dança da Moda" ("The Dance In Fashion"), "ABC do Sertão" ("The ABC of Sertão"), "Derramaro o Gai" ("They Spilt the Gas"), "A Letra I" ("The 'i' letter"), "Imbalança" ("Shake It"), "A Volta da Asa-Branca" ("The Return Of The Picazuro Pigeon"), "Cintura Fina" ("Slender Waist"), "O Xote das Meninas" ("The Girls' Schottische", written with Zé Dantas, and "Juazeiro", "Paraíba", "Mangaratiba", "Baião-de-Dois", "No Meu Pé de Serra" ("There In My Homeland"), "Assum Preto" ("Blue-back Grassquit"), "Légua Tirana" ("Tyrannical league"), "Qui Nem Jiló" ("Like Solanum gilo", written with Humberto Teixeira. Other successful collaborations resulted in "Tá Bom Demais" ("It's Very Good") (with Onildo de Almeida), "Danado de Bom" ("Very Good") (with João Silva), "Dezessete e Setecentos" ("Seventeen And Seven hundred") and "Cortando o Pano" ("Cutting Cloth") (both with Miguel Lima).
Gonzaga died of natural causes at the age of 76.
Adeus Iracema
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Jangada nesse mar
Enfeitado de coqueiros
E coberto de luar
Navega
No Nordeste pela praia
Quero ver Itapoã
Quero ver minha Atalaia
Boa viagem
Gogó da Ema
Areia preta
Pontal, Tambaú
Adeus Iracema, adeus
Navega..
The lyrics of Luiz Gonzaga's song "Adeus Iracema" speak of a journey through the Northeastern coast of Brazil, aboard a typical fishing boat called Jangada. The singer invites the Jangadeiro, the person in charge of sailing the Jangada, to navigate and witness the beauty of the region. The coast is filled with coconut trees and illuminated by the moonlight, creating a dreamy atmosphere for the journey. The singer mentions specific places along the trip, such as Itapoã and Atalaia, which are known for their natural beauty and tourist attractions.
The lyrics also include a farewell to Iracema, a common name in Brazil, which represents a person or a place of great significance to the singer. The use of the word "Adeus" (goodbye) reinforces the idea of a final farewell to this important person or place. The singer bids farewell to Iracema as the Jangada departs on its journey, leaving behind memories and emotions that will endure.
Line by Line Meaning
Navega
Embark on a journey
Oh! Jangada nesse mar
Oh! Raft on this sea
Enfeitado de coqueiros
Adorned with coconut trees
E coberto de luar
And covered in moonlight
No Nordeste pela praia
Along the Northeast beach
Quero ver Itapoã
I want to see Itapoã
Quero ver minha Atalaia
I want to see my Atalaia
Boa viagem
Have a good trip
Gogó da Ema
Gogó Da Ema
Areia preta
Black sand
Pontal, Tambaú
Pontal, Tambaú
Adeus Iracema, adeus
Goodbye Iracema, goodbye
Navega..
Embark on a journey
Contributed by Luke R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
pedro seixas
Essa música a letra e melodia são obras primas , isso já não se faz mais hoje .
Ubirajara Durval
muito lindo mesmo, um grande abraço de Ribeirão Preto SP a todos meus irmãos do Nordeste
Narciso felix
esse é o meu nordeste
Anobelino Martins
A voz de Luiz Gonzaga é sentimento puro. Jamais pode ser esquecida!
edson630
Eu adorava a simplicidade das pessoas ,o convívio com os animais,a interação do homem com os animais, hoje só tem moto e carro pra cima e pra baixo.etc
silas michael
Essa canção é muito linda
Rosália Cristina
Lindíssima música!!!
Literatura Divina
Lindaaaaaaaaaaaa amoooooooooooooooooooooooooo Essa toada!
Luiz Ferreira Araujo
Literatura
Catarino José Mendonça das Neves
Literatura Divina
Muito forte essa letra,não me canço de ouvir.