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.
Imbalança
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quando o vento dá
Óia o tombo da jangada
Nas ondas do mar
Óia o tombo da jangada
Nas ondas do mar
Óia a paia do coqueiro
Quando o vento dá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Pra você aguentar meu rojão
É preciso saber requebrar
Ter molejo nos pés e nas mãos
Ter no corpo o balanço do mar
Ser que nem carrapeta no chão
E virar foia seca no ar
Para quando escutar meu baião
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Óia a paia do coqueiro
Quando o vento dá
Óia o tombo da jangada
Nas ondas do mar
Óia o tombo da jangada
Nas ondas do mar
Óia a paia do coqueiro
Quando o vento dá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Você tem que viver no sertão
Pra na rede aprender a embalar
Aprender a bater no pilão
Na peneira aprender peneirar
Ver relampo no mei' dos trovão
Fazer cobra de fogo no ar
Para quando escutar meu baião
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Pra você aguentar meu rojão
É preciso saber requebrar
Ter molejo nos pés e nas mãos
Ter no corpo o balanço do mar
Ser que nem carrapeta no chão
E virar foia seca no ar
Para quando escutar meu baião
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
The lyrics to Luiz Gonzaga's song "Imbalança" reflect the joyful and playful nature of the traditional Brazilian music genre known as Baião. The song opens with the imagery of the coconut tree's leaves swaying in the wind and the jangada (a type of traditional fishing boat) tumbling in the waves of the sea. These lines evoke a sense of movement and rhythm, setting the tone for the energetic and lively nature of the song.
The chorus, "Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá," serves as a repetition of the word "imbalançá," which can be interpreted as an invitation to let oneself go and embrace the music's sway and dance. It is a call for the listener to surrender to the joyful beats and lose themselves in the rhythm.
The verses express the requirements for truly enjoying and dancing to the Baião music of Luiz Gonzaga. It mentions the need to have flexibility and agility in both the feet and hands, resembling the movement of the sea. The mention of "carrapeta" (a small stone used in a traditional Brazilian game) symbolizes the ability to be quick and nimble, while the reference to turning into a "foia seca" (dry leaf) in the air depicts the freedom and lightness of movement.
The lyrics further emphasize the connection between the music and the natural world, suggesting that to fully appreciate and dance to Baião, one must have a deep understanding of life in the countryside, learn to cradle themselves in a hammock, pound the pilão (pestle) while preparing food, sift through a sieve, witness the electrifying lightning midst thunderstorms, and even make a fire snake. These elements highlight the cultural and rural traditions that have influenced Baião music.
The overall message of "Imbalança" is to let go of inhibitions, embrace the music, and immerse oneself in the rhythm and joy of dancing to Baião.
Line by Line Meaning
Óia a paia do coqueiro
Look at the palm tree leaves
Quando o vento dá
When the wind blows
Óia o tombo da jangada
Look at the canoe's fall
Nas ondas do mar
In the waves of the sea
Imbalança, imbalança, imbalançá
Unsteady, unsteady, sway
Pra você aguentar meu rojão
For you to handle my intense rhythm
É preciso saber requebrar
You need to know how to move your body
Ter molejo nos pés e nas mãos
Have agility in your feet and hands
Ter no corpo o balanço do mar
Have the rhythm of the sea in your body
Ser que nem carrapeta no chão
Be like a spinning top on the ground
E virar foia seca no ar
And become a dry leaf in the air
Para quando escutar meu baião
So when you hear my baião
Você tem que viver no sertão
You have to live in the hinterlands
Pra na rede aprender a embalar
To learn how to swing in a hammock
Aprender a bater no pilão
Learn how to pound in the mortar
Na peneira aprender peneirar
Learn how to sieve in the sieve
Ver relampo no mei' dos trovão
See lightning in the midst of thunder
Fazer cobra de fogo no ar
Make a fire snake in the air
Para quando escutar meu baião
So when you hear my baião
Lyrics © IRMAOS VITALE S.A. - INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO
Written by: Jose Dantas, Luiz Gonzaga
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Samuel Machado Filho
Quando Luiz Gonzaga estava no auge de sua carreira, a fábrica da RCA Victor, no bairro paulistano do Jaguaré, trabalhava dia e noite para dar conta dos pedidos de seus discos. É dessa época mais este baião clássico de sua parceria com Zé Dantas, gravado em 25 de março de 1952 e lançado em junho seguinte com sucesso absoluto, disco 80-0894-B, matriz S-093223. No lado A, saiu "São João do Carneirinho", de Gonzagão e Guio de Moraes.
E JR
UMA DAS MAIS GENIAIS DO VELHO LUA....PRA MIM A MELHOR PARCERIA....GRANDE ZÉ DANTAS!!!
Lenice Andrade
Isso que era musica pra ouvidos ,a gente dançava até o sol raiar
benedito Silva
Meu finado pai gostava dessa música. Eu era criança quando ouvi essa música pela primeira. Essa é uma das verdadeiras música raiz nordestina.
João
Esse baião me emociona muito, uma das minha músicas prediletas, a melodia, a pureza, sei lá
Alberto Silva
Esse é o mestre Luis Gonzaga, que conheceu o nordeste a fundo.
Joildo da silva leite
Parabéns Samuel Machado Filho por seu comentário apaixonado e cheio de riquezas. Imbalança gente.
Mônica Moura
Meu paizinho cantava para mim quando eu era criança e depois cantou para todos os netos ao longo do tempo. Que saudade do meu velho!
Akiraay
Dançei essa música na escola que nostalgia…
Fernanda Gonçalves
Obra Prima atemporaL ♡ 🎉❤ 😊
GRATIDÃO" Seu LUiz' ◇♧