Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro, and grew up in Três Pontas, Minas Gerais. His mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento. When he was just a few months old, the boy was adopted by the family for whom his mother had previously worked: the couple Josino Brito Campos (a banker, mathematics teacher and electronic technician) and Lília Silva Campos (a music teacher). He lived in the boroughs of Laranjeiras and Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. When he was 18 months old, his biological mother died and he moved with his adoptive parents to the city of Três Pontas, in the State of Minas Gerais.
In the earlier stages of his career, Nascimento played in two samba groups, Evolussamba and Sambacana. In 1963 he moved to Belo Horizonte, and his friendship with the Borges brothers (Marilton, Márcio e Lô Borges) led to the Clube da Esquina ("corner club") movement. Other members included Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, and Flavio Venturini.
Nascimento is famous for his chime-clear falsetto and tonal range, as well for highly acclaimed songs such as "Canção da América" ("Song from America") and "Coração de Estudante" ("Student's Heart"). The lyrics of "Coração de Estudante" remembers the funeral of the student Edson Luís, killed by police officers in 1968. The song became the hymn for the diretas Já campaign in 1984 and it was also played in the funeral of the late president Tancredo Neves the next year, who died before assuming the presidency.
While his reputation within Brazil was firmly established with his Clube da Esquina works, Nascimento's international breakthrough came with his appearance on jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter's 1974 album "Native Dancer". This led to widespread acclaim, and collaborations with American stars such as Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Pat Metheny.
Through his friendship with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, Nascimento came to work with the pop-rock band Duran Duran in 1993. Nascimento co-wrote and performed (in the Portuguese language) the song "Breath After Breath", featured on the band's 1993 album "Duran Duran". He also performed with the band in concert when they toured in Brazil, in support of that album. Nascimento earned a Grammy award for "Best World Music Album" in 1998 for his album "Nascimento", and was also nominated in 1991 and 1995.
Certas Canções
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cabem tão dentro de mim
Que perguntar carece
Como não fui eu que fiz?
Certa emoção me alcança
Corta-me a alma sem dor
Certas canções me chegam
Contos da água e do fogo
Cacos de vidas no chão
Cartas do sonho do povo
E o coração pro cantor
Vida e mais vida ou ferida
Chuva, outono, ou mar
Carvão e giz, abrigo
Gesto molhado no olhar
Calor que invade, arde, queima, encoraja
Amor que invade, arde, carece de cantar
The song "Certas Canções" by Milton Nascimento is a heartfelt exploration into the power of music to deeply affect us. Nascimento expresses how certain songs have the ability to fit so perfectly inside us that we wonder how it could not have been us who created them. The emotions that these particular songs elicit are so strong that they feel like love itself, cutting into our souls without inflicting any pain.
The lyrics go on to describe the various kinds of stories that can be found in music - tales of water and fire, broken lives, dreams of the people, and the singer's heart. The images painted are varied and rich, evoking everything from life and more life to pain and the changing seasons. Nascimento uses artful contrast to describe the power of music, equating it with both coal and chalk, as well as with shelter and a wet glance. The final lines of the song declare that music, like love, has the ability to invade, burn, and encourage us, and that it longs to be sung.
Overall, this song is an ode to the transformative nature of music and how it has the ability to move us in profound ways. The lyrics are beautifully poetic, evocative, and conjure up vivid imagery of the power of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Certas canções que ouço
There are certain songs that I hear
Cabem tão dentro de mim
That fit so well inside me
Que perguntar carece
That one wonders how it wasn't me who made them
Como não fui eu que fiz?
How come I didn't make them?
Certa emoção me alcança
There's a certain emotion that reaches me
Corta-me a alma sem dor
That cuts through my soul without pain
Certas canções me chegam
Certain songs come to me
Como se fosse o amor
As if it were love itself
Contos da água e do fogo
Tales of water and fire
Cacos de vidas no chão
Shattered pieces of lives on the ground
Cartas do sonho do povo
Letters from the people's dreams
E o coração pro cantor
And the heart for the singer
Vida e mais vida ou ferida
Life, and more life or wounds
Chuva, outono, ou mar
Rain, autumn, or sea
Carvão e giz, abrigo
Charcoal and chalk, shelter
Gesto molhado no olhar
A wet gesture in the look
Calor que invade, arde, queima, encoraja
Heat that invades, burns, and encourages
Amor que invade, arde, carece de cantar
Love that invades, burns, and needs to be sung
Contributed by Micah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
lenis guedes
Essa musica deveria ser tocada 24 horas por algum satelite no espaço sideral, todos os seres do universo iriam se encantar para sempre.
Robson Sousa
Concordo plenamente!!!
Sidéco
Depois dessa fiquei imaginando os seres de outros mundos ouvindo o Milton e apreciando a musica kkkkkk
lenis guedes
@Sidéco 👽
Raquel Marques
Concordo, Lenis. Esta música acaba com as guerras e faz nascer o amor no coração da humanidade...
Edineide Santiago
Concordo plenamente com a ideia!Essa música toca fundo a alma!!
Jacilda
Musica de Tunai,imortalizada por Milton Nascimento!Quem gostar curte aí. Vamos fortalecer essas pérolas eternamente!
Denisson Ventura
Tunai fez a música e Milton , a letra. O arranjo é do Milton e do Wagner Tiso. A interpretação do Milton, como sempre, é insuperável.
Leandro Ferreira
@Denisson Ventura Saudoso Tunai!
Amanda Pankill
Eu me emociono na primeira nota que sai da boca desse homem. Me sinto privilegiada de viver na mesma época que esse gênio. O MAIOR!