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.
Samba Da Legalidade
Nara Leão Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dentro da honestidade
Ninguém tira meu direito
Quando querem anarquia
Elimino a teimosia
Mostrando todo o defeito
Se o samba está errado
Não posso ficar calado
Se a letra o tratamento
Não estiver no português
Com toda diplomacia
Peço desculpas ao fregues
Conserto tudo outra vez
Eu não sou politiqueiro
Meu negócio é um pandeiro
Dentro da legalidade
Sou poeta popular
Dentro da honestidade
Ninguém pode me calar
In Nara Leão's song "Samba Da Legalidade", the singer declares her commitment to staying within the bounds of legality and honesty in her artistic expression. She asserts that no one can take away her right to create music within these parameters. The lyrics suggest that when faced with anarchy or stubbornness, she scrutinizes the flaws and corrects them. This includes fixing the melody if it is wrong, or the language if it is not in proper Portuguese. The artist also maintains that she is not a politician, but rather a poet who expresses herself through her pandeiro (a Brazilian percussion instrument). She sees herself as a popular artist whose authenticity and commitment to ethical principles are unshakable.
The song "Samba Da Legalidade" was released in 1964, at a time when Brazil was going through political turmoil. The country was facing a crisis of leadership following the resignation of President Joao Goulart, who was seen by some as a leftist threat to democracy. The military eventually took over the government in a coup, and the song was banned from the airwaves for a time. Despite this setback, the song went on to become a part of Brazil's cultural heritage and a testament to the importance of artistic freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Dentro da legalidade
I follow the rules
Dentro da honestidade
I am honest and fair
Ninguém tira meu direito
No one can take away my rights
Quando querem anarquia
When people want chaos
Elimino a teimosia
I eliminate stubbornness
Mostrando todo o defeito
By showing all the flaws
Se o samba está errado
If the samba is wrong
Não posso ficar calado
I cannot stay silent
Consertando a melodia
And fixing the melody
Se a letra o tratamento
If the lyrics or tone
Não estiver no português
Are not in Portuguese
Com toda diplomacia
With all diplomacy
Peço desculpas ao fregues
I apologize to the customer
Conserto tudo outra vez
And fix everything again
Eu não sou politiqueiro
I am not a politician
Meu negócio é um pandeiro
My business is this pandeiro
Sou poeta popular
I am a popular poet
Ninguém pode me calar
No one can silence me
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.