In 1963, a trio formed by Rui Alexandre Faria (Rui, the lead vocalist), Aquiles Rique Reis (Aquiles), and Milton Lima dos Santos (Miltinho) in Niterói (Rio de Janeiro) started to perform at the Popular Center of Culture (CPC) of the National Student League (UNE). The CPC of Niterói was founded in Aquiles' home. At the same time, Magro (Antônio José Waghabi Filho) had a bossa nova group with Miltinho and a flutist, bassist, and drummer, called MPB-5. With Magro (the group's lifelong musical director) invited to join the original vocal trio, the quartet became known as Quarteto do CPC. With the extinction of the CPC (and of the UNE) after the military coup in 1964, the group adopted the name of MPB-4, playing in local bars and doing a double single with the first recording of Zé Kéti/Elton Medeiros' "Mascarada" with "Samba Bem" (Luís José) and other songs.
With all of them as college students, they took a period of vacations in 1965 to go to São Paulo, where they did their professional debut at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica's Theater (Tuca). They met producer Chico de Assis and were invited by him for a season with Quarteto em Cy (which was already professional), on the condition that they abandon other aspirations to devote themselves full-time to their group. Deciding for the music, they opened with Quarteto em Cy at the show No Samba Que Eu Vou, when they met Chico Buarque, also introduced to them by de Assis. From 1969 to 1974, Buarque was almost the fifth member of MPB-4 as all of his shows were with the quartet. Together they toured several countries and were deeply influential on the Brazilian youth. de Assis also introduced them to Manoel Carlos, who was one of the directors of the O Fino da Bossa TV Record show hosted by Elis Regina. MPB-4 participated right on the first show singing together with Regina, which was their definitive consecration.
Back in Rio, they participated in the show Contraponto, together with Quarteto em Cy, Oscar Castro-Neves, and Rosinha de Valença. At the Opinião theater, MPB-4 participated in the historic show O Samba Pede Passagem with Aracy de Almeida, Baden Powell, Ismael Silva, and others. The show was recorded live and released in June 1966 as O Samba Pede Passagem. Also in 1966, they released their first LP, which had the first recording for Buarque's "Olê Olá." Having participated in Nara Leão's show Quem Tem Medo de Nara Leão?, in the same year they defended "Canção de Não Cantar" (Sérgio Bittencourt) at the II Festival de Música Popular Brasileira (Festival of Brazilian Popular Music, FMPB, TV Record of São Paulo), which won fourth place. In the next year's edition of the same festival, the group was consecrated definitively with "Gabriela" (Maranhão) and "Roda Viva" (Buarque), achieving, respectively, sixth and third places. Also in 1967, they participated in the II FIC (International Song Festival, TV Globo, Rio) with "O Sim Pelo Não" (Alcivando Luz/Carlos Coquejo) and "Cantiga" (Nelson Motta/Dori Caymmi), which reached sixth and ninth places. In 1968, they opened a show shared with Buarque at the Teatro Toneleros, and also had a season in São Paulo. Three years later, they did the historic show Construção at the Canecão with Buarque, Jacques Klein, and the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (Brazilian Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Isaac Karabtchevski. In the next year, MPB-4 toured Portugal and in 1973, Buenos Aires, Argentina, both with Buarque. In 1975, they participated, with Buarque, in the show República de Ugunga. In 1980, the group released, together with Quarteto em Cy, the children's LP Flicts/de Ziraldo e Sérgio Ricardo. Recording another children's LP in the next year with "O Pato" (Toquinho/Vinicius de Moraes), they had the song presented in the TV Globo musical A Arca de Noé. The LP Caminhos Livres (1983) had another of their hits with an Aldir Blanc song, "A Nível De..." (with João Bosco). In 1991, the quartet launched another of their themed albums, the CD Sambas da Minha Terra, dedicated to the works of Dorival Caymmi, Toquinho/Vinícius, Zé Kéti, and Ary Barroso, among others. Always doing shows and recording frequently, the group commemorated their 30-year career in 1995 with the show Arte de Cantar and the eponymous album. ~ Alvaro Neder, Rovi
Sites: MusicBrainz & Discogs.
Faz Tempo
MPB-4 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que eu não sei o que é um sorriso
Livre, espontâneo
Faz tempo
Muito tempo
Que eu preciso arrancar esse sorriso
Desse vão subterrâneo de dentro de mim
Que eu só sei ficar em casa
Triste, tão sozinho
Faz tempo
Que ela só vem de visita
Quando eu peço, ela me evita,
Depois segue o seu caminho e me deixa à mercê
Faz tempo
E quanto mais eu rememoro
Mais me calo, bebo e choro
E desespero por você
Faz muito tempo...
The song "Faz Tempo" by MPB-4 speaks of a person who has not been happy for a long time. The lines "Faz tempo que eu não sei o que é um sorriso/Livre, espontâneo" reveal that the person has not experienced genuine happiness, as there is no longer any free and spontaneous laughter. The lyric "Faz tempo que eu só sei ficar em casa/Triste, tão sozinho" also reveals that the person has become reclusive and lonely, having lost connection with others.
The lyrical content then shifts to a woman who only visits when the person asks her to, and quickly leaves afterward. The line "Quando eu peço, ela me evita" suggests that the relationship between them may not be healthy, and that the woman does not want to get too close to the person. The last lines "E quanto mais eu rememoro/Mais me calo, bebo e choro/E desespero por você" reveals that the person has been overwhelmed by thoughts of the woman, causing further sadness and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Faz tempo
It's been a long time
Que eu não sei o que é um sorriso Livre, espontâneo
Since I don't know what a smile means, the one that's free and spontaneous
Faz tempo Muito tempo Que eu preciso arrancar esse sorriso Desse vão subterrâneo de dentro de mim
It's been a long time, a lot of time, since I need to pull this smile off from this underground hole inside me
Faz tempo Que eu só sei ficar em casa Triste, tão sozinho
It's been a long time since I only know how to stay at home, sad, so alone
Faz tempo Que ela só vem de visita Quando eu peço, ela me evita, Depois segue o seu caminho e me deixa à mercê
It's been a long time since she only comes for a visit when I ask, avoids me, then follows her own path and leaves me at the mercy of it
Faz tempo E quanto mais eu rememoro Mais me calo, bebo e choro E desespero por você
It's been a long time, and the more I remember, the more I keep quiet, drink and cry, and despair for you
Faz muito tempo...
It's been a very long time
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.