She has sold over 10 million albums and won numerous national and international awards, including five Latin Grammy Awards, seven Video Music Brasil, nine Multishow Brazilian Music Awards, five APCA and six TIM Music Awards. Marisa is considered by the American magazine Rolling Stone as the fourth greatest Brazilian singer, behind Elis Regina, Gal Costa and Maria Bethânia. She also has two albums on the list of the 100 best albums in Brazilian music.
In October 2021, Marisa was awarded at the 44th edition of the Tenco Award, for her work as a singer and songwriter, becoming the first Brazilian female artist to receive such an honor.
A alma e a matéria
Marisa Monte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Procuro nas coisas vagas ciência
Eu movo dezenas de músculos para sorrir
Nos poros a contrair, nas pétalas do jasmim
Com a brisa que vem roçar da outra margem do mar
Procuro na paisagem cadência
Na pele braile pra ler na superfície de mim
Milímetros de prazer, quilômetros de paixão
Vem pra esse mundo, Deus quer nascer
Há algo invisível e encantado entre eu e você
E a alma aproveita pra ser a matéria e viver
The lyrics to Marisa Monte's song A alma e a matéria reflect upon the duality of existence: the spiritual self and the physical being. The song's three writers, Carlinhos Brown, Marisa Monte, and Arnaldo Antunes, use rich imagery to explore the interplay between these two elements. In the opening verse, Monte sings about seeking "science" in "vague" things, suggesting a yearning for a greater understanding of the world around her. She then goes on to describe the physical manifestations of emotion: the contraction of pores, the movement of muscles that cause her to smile. She also notes the sensual pleasure she finds in the fragrant petals of a jasmine plant, which are moved by the gentle coastal breeze.
The second verse is similarly grounded in the physical world. Monte describes the "coreography" of atoms that make up the grass around her, and the sensory experience of reading braille on her own skin. She then makes an emotional leap, describing the profound pleasure and passion that can be found within the most minute and expansive experiences. The final verse sees Monte calling out to a higher power, inviting the listener to join her in experiencing the unexplainable magic and connection between souls. She suggests that by embracing both their spiritual and physical selves, they can truly "live".
Line by Line Meaning
Procuro nas coisas vagas ciência
I search for knowledge in vague things
Eu movo dezenas de músculos para sorrir
I move dozens of muscles to smile
Nos poros a contrair, nas pétalas do jasmim
In the contracting pores, in the petals of jasmine
Com a brisa que vem roçar da outra margem do mar
With the breeze that comes from brushing the other shore of the sea
Procuro na paisagem cadência
I search for rhythm in the landscape
Os átomos coreografam a grama do chão
Atoms choreograph the grass on the ground
Na pele braile pra ler na superfície de mim
In braille on my skin to read on the surface of me
Milímetros de prazer, quilômetros de paixão
Millimeters of pleasure, kilometers of passion
Vem pra esse mundo, Deus quer nascer
Come to this world, God wants to be born
Há algo invisível e encantado entre eu e você
There is something invisible and enchanted between you and me
E a alma aproveita pra ser a matéria e viver
And the soul takes advantage to be the matter and live
Contributed by Abigail V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.