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.
O Navegante
MPB4 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E um motor de pano
Pra passear meu corpo
E adormecer meu som
Na esburacada estrada do oceano
Aportarei meu barco apenas de ano em ano
E onde houver silêncio
Pra não deixar morrer o gesto humano
Entenderei as águas e os peixes passando
E se me perguntarem pra onde vou e quando
Responderei
Apenas navegando
Apenas navegando
Embarcarei comigo o feminino encanto
Pra que não falte a vida quando for preciso
Uma razão mais forte que o espanto
Mais forte que o espanto
Semearei meu sangue,
Meu amor, meu rosto
Pra que depois de mim eu possa estar presente
Entre as canções que eu não houver composto
Naufragarei um dia
Em pleno mar sem dono
E submerso em lendas como um visitante
Entre os recifes dormirei meu sono
Quero um montão... do oceano
The lyrics of MPB4's song "O Navegante" convey the desire of the singer to embark on a journey of exploration and self-discovery. The singer wants a boat with a lot of wooden planks and a canvas motor to sail the ocean's rough and bumpy roads, feeling the wind on their face and the waves of the sea. They want to live in solitude, only stopping at ports once a year, where they can hear the silence and sing songs to keep the human spirit alive. They want to understand the mysteries of the sea, the fishes that swim by, and only answer with "just sailing" when asked where they are going and when they will return. The singer wants to carry with them the feminine charm to remind them of life's beauty and have a reason stronger than fear. The singer dreams of leaving a legacy, a piece of themselves in the songs they couldn't compose, and when they die, their soul will drift into the ocean's depths.
The song's lyrics reflect the human desire for exploration, freedom, and the quest for self-realization by escaping isolation's constraints. It is an ode to the longing for adventure without any specific destination, and the desire to leave behind a legacy. The song suggests that death is not the end, and even after one's demise, their spirit can live on in their art.
Line by Line Meaning
Quero um montão de tábuas
I desire a large number of planks for my boat.
E um motor de pano
I need a sail for my boat.
Pra passear meu corpo
To sail the seas and experience freedom.
E adormecer meu som
And to lull me to sleep.
Na esburacada estrada do oceano
On the bumpy road that is the ocean.
Aportarei meu barco apenas de ano em ano
I'll only come ashore once a year.
E onde houver silêncio
I'll stay where it's quiet.
Eu ficarei cantando
And I'll sing.
Pra não deixar morrer o gesto humano
So as not to let the gestures of humanity die out.
Entenderei as águas e os peixes passando
I'll understand the ebb and flow of the ocean and the fish that swim within it.
E se me perguntarem pra onde vou e quando
And if someone asks me where and when I'm going,
Responderei
I'll answer,
Apenas navegando
Simply sailing.
Embarcarei comigo o feminino encanto
I'll bring with me the enchanting female spirit.
Pra que não falte a vida quando for preciso
So that life will never be lacking when it's needed.
Uma razão mais forte que o espanto
A reason more powerful than fear.
Semearei meu sangue,
I'll sow my own blood,
Meu amor, meu rosto
My love, my face.
Pra que depois de mim eu possa estar presente
So that after I'm gone, my presence will still be felt.
Entre as canções que eu não houver composto
Among the songs I never wrote.
Naufragarei um dia
One day, I'll shipwreck.
Em pleno mar sem dono
In the vast, ownerless sea.
E submerso em lendas como um visitante
And submerged in legend like a visitor.
Entre os recifes dormirei meu sono
I'll sleep among the reefs.
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@edsonmuller-xq3rd
Linda canção, navegante vocal
@Lpompe
Interpretação e arranjo perfeitos!