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.
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
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 doutor a filha adoentada
Não come, nem estuda
Não dorme, não quer nada
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Mas o doutor nem examina
Chamando o pai do lado
Lhe diz logo em surdina
Que o mal é da idade
Que pra tal menina
Não tem 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 doutor a filha adoentada
Não come, nem estuda
Não dorme, não quer nada
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Mas o doutor nem examina
Chamando o pai do lado
Lhe diz logo em surdina
Que o mal é da idade
Que pra tal menina
Não tem um só remédio
Em toda medicina
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Ela só quer
Só pensa em namorar
Luiz Gonzaga's "Xote das Meninas" is a song that tells the story of a girl who has reached the age where she is ready for love. The lyrics describe the arrival of the rainy season, signaled by the flowering of the mandacaru cactus, which means that love has arrived in the sertão. The song is a perfect representation of the joy and enthusiasm of young love, with the young girl's dreams and aspirations taking center stage.
The song describes how the girl changes as she falls in love. She no longer wants to wear low shoes, but higher ones, and no longer wants to wear loose dresses, but tight ones. She spends her days dreaming about her possible love, and becomes sick and loses interest in eating, studying, and sleeping. Her concerned father takes her to the doctor, who tells him that his daughter's condition is a normal stage of development, a consequence of her age, and that there is no cure for her love.
The song deals with universal themes of adolescence and the colorful and tumultuous feelings associated with first love. It captures the nostalgic feeling of being young, in love, and carefree. The song also explores gender roles and expectations for young women by painting a picture of a young girl losing interest in dolls and instead focusing on her romantic life.
Overall, "Xote das Meninas" is a charming and upbeat song that is about the joy that comes from finding love for the first time. It is a song that is both thought-provoking and nostalgic, evoking memories of youth, first love, and the beauty of an era in Brazil's culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Mandacaru quando fulora na seca
When mandacaru blooms in the dry land, it's the sign that rain is coming to the backwoods.
É o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão
It's a sign that rain is arriving in the backwoods.
Toda menina que enjoa da boneca
Every girl who gets sick of dolls,
É sinal que o amor já chegou no coração
it's a sign that love has already reached her heart.
Meia comprida
Long socks,
Não quer mais sapato baixo
no longer want to wear low-cut shoes.
Vestido bem cintado
A well-fitted dress,
Não quer mais vestir timão
doesn't want to wear plain dresses anymore.
Ela só quer
She just wants
Só pensa em namorar
to think about dating.
De manhã cedo já 'tá pintada
Early in the morning, she is already made up.
Só vive suspirando, sonhando acordada
She only sighs and daydreams.
O pai leva ao doutor a filha adoentada
The father takes his sick daughter to the doctor.
Não come, nem estuda
She doesn't eat, nor study.
Não dorme, não quer nada
She doesn't sleep, and doesn't want anything.
Mas o doutor nem examina
But the doctor doesn't examine her.
Chamando o pai do lado
Calling her father aside,
Lhe diz logo em surdina
he whispers in his ear right away;
Que o mal é da idade
that this is just an age-related issue,
Que pra tal menina
That for such a girl,
Não tem um só remédio
there is not a single remedy
Em toda medicina
in all of medicine.
Ela só quer
She just wants
Só pensa em namorar
to think about dating.
Mandacaru quando fulora na seca
When mandacaru blooms in the dry land, it's the sign that rain is coming to the backwoods.
É o sinal que a chuva chega no sertão
It's a sign that rain is arriving in the backwoods.
Toda menina que enjoa da boneca
Every girl who gets sick of dolls,
É sinal que o amor já chegou no coração
it's a sign that love has already reached her heart.
Meia comprida
Long socks,
Não quer mais sapato baixo
no longer want to wear low-cut shoes.
Vestido bem cintado
A well-fitted dress,
Não quer mais vestir timão
doesn't want to wear plain dresses anymore.
Ela só quer
She just wants
Só pensa em namorar
to think about dating.
De manhã cedo já 'tá pintada
Early in the morning, she is already made up.
Só vive suspirando, sonhando acordada
She only sighs and daydreams.
O pai leva ao doutor a filha adoentada
The father takes his sick daughter to the doctor.
Não come, nem estuda
She doesn't eat, nor study.
Não dorme, não quer nada
She doesn't sleep, and doesn't want anything.
Ela só quer
She just wants
Só pensa em namorar
to think about dating.
Mas o doutor nem examina
But the doctor doesn't examine her.
Chamando o pai do lado
Calling her father aside,
Lhe diz logo em surdina
he whispers in his ear right away;
Que o mal é da idade
that this is just an age-related issue,
Que pra tal menina
That for such a girl,
Não tem um só remédio
there is not a single remedy
Em toda medicina
in all of medicine.
Ela só quer
She just wants
Só pensa em namorar
to think about dating.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Luiz Gonzaga, Jose De Souza Dantas Filho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind