When she was twelve, her father gave her a guitar since he was worried about her being shy. Popular musician and composer Patricio Teixeira and classical guitarist Solon Ayala were her teachers. While still a teenager, she met a number of singers and composers who took part of Bossa Nova's musical revolution, in late 50s and early 60s, including Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli, João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sergio Mendes. In the mid-1960s, the institution of military dictatorship in Brazil led her to sing increasingly political lyrics. Her show "Opinião" reflected her political beliefs and she had largely switched to political music by this point. In 1964, she even spoke against bossa nova as a movement, calling it "alienating". In 1968, being part of the Tropicália movement, she appeared on the album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses, performing "Lindonéia."
She later left Brazil for Paris and in the 1970s abandoned music to focus on her family. She returned to music later and when she discovered, in 1979, that she had an inoperable brain tumor she increased her productivity as much as possible. She died in 1989, leaving a great legacy behind her succesful years of career.
Fez Bobagem
Nara Leão Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maltratou meu pobre coração
Aproveitou a minha ausência
E botou mulher sambando no meu barracão
Quando eu penso que outra mulher
Requebrou pra meu moreno ver
Nem dá jeito de cantar
Dá vontade de chorar
Deixou que ela passeasse na favela com meu peignoir
Minha sandália de veludo deu à ela para sapatear
E eu bem longe me acabando
Trabalhando pra viver
Por causa dele dancei rumba e fox-trote
Para um inglês
In Nara Leão's song "Fez Bobagem," the singer is lamenting a betrayal by her lover. The lyrics describe how her lover cheated on her while she was away and brought another woman to her home, where she was dancing and wearing the singer's clothing. The singer becomes overwhelmed with emotion at the thought of another woman dancing for her lover, and she is heartbroken by his actions. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has sacrificed a great deal for her lover, including working hard to support herself while he enjoys himself with other women.
The song is a poignant representation of heartache and betrayal, and it speaks to the pain of being cheated on and betrayed by someone you love. The singer's emotions are raw and honest, and the lyrics touch on themes of love, loss, and resilience. Despite the pain she feels, the singer is determined to carry on and make the most of her life, even if it means dancing for a foreigner to earn a living.
Line by Line Meaning
Meu moreno fez bobagem
My darling did something foolish
Maltratou meu pobre coração
He mistreated my poor heart
Aproveitou a minha ausência
He took advantage of my absence
E botou mulher sambando no meu barracão
And had a woman dancing in my shack
Quando eu penso que outra mulher
When I think of another woman
Requebrou pra meu moreno ver
Who danced provocatively for my darling to see
Nem dá jeito de cantar
I can't even sing
Dá vontade de chorar
It makes me want to cry
E de morrer
And die
Deixou que ela passeasse na favela com meu peignoir
He let her stroll around the slum wearing my peignoir
Minha sandália de veludo deu à ela para sapatear
He gave her my velvet sandals to tap dance in
E eu bem longe me acabando
While I'm far away, struggling to survive
Trabalhando pra viver
Working hard to make ends meet
Por causa dele dancei rumba e fox-trote
Because of him, I danced rumba and foxtrot
Para um inglês
For an Englishman
Contributed by Joseph B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Beso Cerqueira
Linda interpretação de Nara. Piano, violão, arranjo: Oscar Castro Neves (1940/2013).