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.
O Xote das Meninas
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
É o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão
Toda menina que enjoa da boneca
É sinal que o amor já chegou no coração
Meia comprida não quer mais sapato baixo
Vestido bem cintado não quer mais vestir timão
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
De manhã cedo já 'tá pintada
Só vive suspirando sonhando acordada
O pai leva ao dotô a filha adoentada
Não come, nem estuda
Não dorme, e nem quer nada
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Mas o doutor nem examina
Chamando o pai de lado lhe diz logo em surdina
Que o mal é da idade e que pra tal menina
Não há um só remédio em toda medicina
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Mandacaru quando fulora na seca
É o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão
Toda menina que enjoa da boneca
É sinal que o amor já chegou no coração
Meia comprida não quer mais sapato baixo
Vestido bem cintado não quer mais vestir timão
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
De manhã cedo já 'tá pintada
Só vive suspirando sonhando acordada
O pai leva ao dotô a filha adoentada
Não come, nem estuda
Não dorme, e nem quer nada
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Mas o doutor nem examina
Chamando o pai de lado lhe diz logo em surdina
Que o mal é da idade e que pra tal menina
Não há um só remédio em toda medicina
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Luiz Gonzaga's song "O Xote das Meninas" tells the story of a young girl who is experiencing her first love. The lyrics employ the use of symbolism to depict the arrival of love and the changes it brings. The opening lines, "Mandacaru quando fulora na seca, é o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão" (When the mandacaru flower blooms in drought, it's a sign that rain is coming to the backlands) suggests that just as the flower blooms in the midst of aridity, love can emerge unexpectedly. The song then goes on to describe the various physical and emotional changes the girl experiences, such as wearing long socks instead of low shoes, and a more form-fitting dress instead of a loose-fitting one.
The song discusses the girl's obsession with love, to the point where she is not eating, sleeping, or studying. Her father takes her to a doctor, but the doctor assures him that there is no cure for what the girl is feeling. The song finishes by repeating the chorus, emphasizing the girl's singular focus on love.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted and playful depiction of first love and the joy and excitement it can bring. It also highlights the universal experience of young people growing up and discovering new emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Mandacaru quando fulora na seca
When the Mandacaru plant blooms during the dry season, it's a sign that rain is coming to the countryside.
É o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão
This is an indicator that rain is about to arrive in the region.
Toda menina que enjoa da boneca
When a girl gets tired of playing with dolls,
É sinal que o amor já chegou no coração
it's a sign that she has fallen in love.
Meia comprida não quer mais sapato baixo
She doesn't want to wear low shoes with her knee-high socks anymore.
Vestido bem cintado não quer mais vestir timão
She doesn't want to wear plain dresses cinched at the waist anymore.
Ela só quer
All she wants
Só pensa em namorar
is to think about dating.
De manhã cedo já 'tá pintada
She's already wearing makeup early in the morning.
Só vive suspirando sonhando acordada
She always daydreams, sighing all the time.
O pai leva ao dotô a filha adoentada
Her father takes her to the doctor when she's feeling down.
Não come, nem estuda
She doesn't eat or study.
Não dorme, e nem quer nada
She doesn't sleep or want anything else.
Mas o doutor nem examina
But the doctor doesn't even examine her.
Chamando o pai de lado lhe diz logo em surdina
He pulls her father aside and tells him secretly,
Que o mal é da idade e que pra tal menina
that this is just a phase of adolescence for the girl.
Não há um só remédio em toda medicina
There isn't a single medicine in the world that can cure this.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Luiz Gonzaga, Jose De Souza Dantas Filho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind