Today her value is recognized, not only in Portugal but also in many foreign countries, where her presence is regularly requested.
Mafalda Arnauth, her first album released in 1999, was immediately acclaimed by specialists and won the Prize for Best Upcoming Voice by the weekly magazine Blitz, a sign that new generations are back into fado.
After a year filled with concerts and important invitations, that took her to the most important concert halls in The Netherlands, the Louisiana Centre (Denmark) and to Italy, to perform in the festival Sete-Sois, Sete-Luas, an important Mediterranean folk event, she sang at Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), where she was warmly acclaimed by the press.
Mafalda's second album, Esta voz que me atravessa (This voice that goes through me) was reelased in 2001 and it was produced by Amélia Muge and José Martins. Her album Encantamento was self-produced. She feels it "leaves fatality, disgrace, and nostalgia behind. Hope is fed on sadness; inspiration on suffering; strength and courage on diffculties."
Há noite aqui
Mafalda Arnauth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Onde o que é fado acontece
Nas mil palavras, olhares
Nos mil desejos, esgares
De quem mil mágoas padece.
Escutem vestígios do medo
No riso inquieto e sozinho
"de noite é sempre tão cedo"
Aonde estás tu, carinho?
E cada copo é revolta
E cada trago é um grito
Súplica de alguém aflito
Num bar com um copo à solta
Vai-se bebendo o incerto
E tudo mais, tudo mais é deserto.
Escutem as pragas de quem
Vai mendigando atenção
Dorme nos bancos que moem
Por muito louco que o tomem
Loucura tem seu perdão.
Escutem os sons que balançam
Soam mais alto e tão forte
Mas já as horas avançam
E as poucas palavras se cansam
Já ninguém há que se importe.
The lyrics to Mafalda Arnauth's song "Há noite aqui" delve into the emotions and experiences that are characteristic of fado - the traditional Portuguese music genre that's known for its melancholic tone and mournful lyrics. The first stanza sets the scene of the night, where fado happens, and the myriad of emotions that are expressed through words, glances, and grimaces. It speaks of the suffering that one experiences, perhaps from past traumas or lost loves, and the pain that lingers on. The second stanza talks about the fears that haunt one in solitude, how the night comes too early, and how the comfort of a loved one is missed.
The third stanza portrays the desolation and emptiness that one feels while drinking alone in a bar, where each glass signifies a cry for help, and where everything else seems like a desert. The fourth and final stanza speaks of those who seek attention from others even in the most unconventional ways, sleeping on hurting benches that offer them some temporary solace. The sounds that emanate from these people and the environment they're in reflect their sense of abandonment and disconnection from society. The lyrics, therefore, highlight the complexities of the human experience that are always present but amplified during the night, where everything is quieter, darker, and more intense.
Line by Line Meaning
Escutem os ecos da noite
Listen to the echoes of the night
Onde o que é fado acontece
Where fado happens
Nas mil palavras, olhares
In the thousand words, looks
Nos mil desejos, esgares
In the thousand desires, grimaces
De quem mil mágoas padece.
Of who suffers a thousand sorrows.
Escutem vestígios do medo
Listen to traces of fear
No riso inquieto e sozinho
In the restless and lonely laugh
E que diz muito em segredo
And that says a lot in secret
"De noite é sempre tão cedo"
"At night it's always so early"
Aonde estás tu, carinho?
Where are you, my dear?
E cada copo é revolta
And every glass is rebellion
E cada trago é um grito
And every sip is a scream
Súplica de alguém aflito
The plea of someone distressed
Num bar com um copo à solta
In a bar with a loose glass
Vai-se bebendo o incerto
They keep drinking the uncertain
E tudo mais, tudo mais é deserto.
And everything else, everything else is a desert.
Escutem as pragas de quem
Listen to the curses of who
Vai mendigando atenção
Goes begging for attention
Dorme nos bancos que moem
Sleeps on uncomfortable benches
Por muito louco que o tomem
No matter how crazy they may seem
Loucura tem seu perdão.
Madness has its forgiveness.
Escutem os sons que balançam
Listen to the sounds that sway
Soam mais alto e tão forte
They sound louder and stronger
Mas já as horas avançam
But the hours are already advancing
E as poucas palavras se cansam
And the few words are tired
Já ninguém há que se importe.
There's no one left who cares.
Contributed by Ruby S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.