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.
San Vicente
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Acordei de um sonho estranho
Um gosto, vidro e corte
Um sabor de chocolate
No corpo e na cidade
Um sabor de vida e morte
Coração americano
Um sabor de vidro e corte
A espera na fila imensa
E o corpo negro se esqueceu
Estava em San Vicente
A cidade e suas luzes
Estava em San Vicente
As mulheres e os homens
Coração americano
Um sabor de vidro e corte
As horas não se contavam
E o que era negro anoiteceu
Enquanto se esperava
Eu estava em San Vicente
Enquanto acontecia
Eu estava em San Vicente
Coração americano
Um sabor de vidro e corte
The lyrics of Milton Nascimento's song San Vicente evoke a sense of confusion, displacement and disorientation. The opening lines "Coração americano/ Acordei de um sonho estranho" (American heart/ I woke up from a strange dream) allude to the experience of being an immigrant in the United States, where the singer's "American heart" feels out of place and homesick. The following lines describe a taste of glass, cut and chocolate in the body and in the city, suggesting a sense of ambiguity and fragmentation between the self and the surroundings. The repetition of "Um sabor de vida e morte" (A taste of life and death) adds to the complexity of the imagery, as life and death blend together in the singer's experience.
The next stanza refers to the singer waiting in a long queue, where they feel forgotten and disconnected from their own identity as a black person. However, as they wait, they transport in their imagination to San Vicente, a city with bright lights and people of all genders, suggesting a feeling of belonging and acceptance. The final stanza creates a juxtaposition between the passing of time - "As horas não se contavam" (The hours were not counted) - and the singer's experience of being in San Vicente while waiting, highlighting the unpredictability and fluidity of identity and experience.
Overall, the song San Vicente is a poignant reflection on displacement, identity, and the search for belonging. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the experience of being an immigrant in a foreign land, oscillating between alienation and moments of belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Coração americano
American heart
Acordei de um sonho estranho
I woke up from a strange dream
Um gosto, vidro e corte
A taste, glass and cut
Um sabor de chocolate
A taste of chocolate
No corpo e na cidade
In the body and in the city
Um sabor de vida e morte
A taste of life and death
A espera na fila imensa
The wait in the immense line
E o corpo negro se esqueceu
And the black body was forgotten
Estava em San Vicente
I was in San Vicente
A cidade e suas luzes
The city and its lights
As mulheres e os homens
The women and the men
As horas não se contavam
The hours were not counted
E o que era negro anoiteceu
And what was black turned into night
Enquanto se esperava
While waiting
Eu estava em San Vicente
I was in San Vicente
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fernando Brant, Milton Silva Campos Nascimento
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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