An uncommon artist with an uncommon sopranino voice, Ney Matogrosso fell in the Brazilian popular music scene like a bomb in the '70s aboard the Secos & Molhados. The end of the group marked the beginning of a fertile and successful solo career in which he began exploring his sensuous and charismatic persona through satiric and ironic repertories. As time passed, he substituted self-contained and deeply sensitive interpretations of classics for the popular and classical Brazilian music. Along with his representative and prolific solo discography, for which he received three platinum and three gold records, Matogrosso recorded in Itália with Astor Piazzola, performed in Argentina, Uruguay, participated in two Montreux Jazz Festivals (Switzerland), and toured Portugal several times. He also performed in Israel and the U.S., but always refused invitations to develop an international career. Matogrosso also worked as an actor in Sonho de Valsa (by Ana Carolina, the director, not the singer/composer) and Caramujo Flor (short subject by Joel Pizzini), and directed shows by RPM, Cazuza, and Simone.
Arriving in Rio de Janeiro in 1966, Matogrosso became a hippie leather artisan and divided his time between Rio, São Paulo, and Brasília, where he was a close friend of singer/composer Luli. Through her he met João Ricardo, who had a vision for a groundbreaking group and was searching for a high-pitched male voice. Invited by Ricardo, Matogrosso moved to São Paulo where he spent one year dedicating himself to exhaustive rehearsals, artisanship, and theater plays. With the explosive success of Secos e Molhados and the group's final dissolution, Matogrosso started his solo career exploring his unusual voice timbre, his mesmerizing scenic persona, and his androgynous visuals, enhanced by innovative and exotic costumes. A second solo album, Água do Céu - Pássaro, was supported by the show Homem de Neanderthal, in 1975, with which Matogrosso opened in Rio de Janeiro, drawing both raves and packed houses. "Barco Negro" and "Homem com H" appeared amongst considerable polemics aroused by the usual conservatives on duty. In that period, he worked with Astor Piazzola in Milan, Italy, where he recorded a double single with the Argentinean composer. A cleaner Matogrosso recorded Bandido in 1976, having his first national hit as a solo artist with "Bandido Corazón," written especially for him by Rita Lee.
Desfigurado
Ney Matogrosso Lyrics
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Estou cansado de pedir a deus
E aos céus enfim
Um amor , onde encontrarei, senhor!
Livrai-me desta nostalgia
Confiante ainda espero um dia
Dizem que estou desfigurado, com razão
E aos céus enfim
Um amor , onde encontrarei, senhor!
Livrai-me desta nostalgia
Confiante ainda espero um dia
Meu coração é pobre e magoado
É infeliz como um menor abandonado
Viveu sempre nesta ilusão
Procurando um outro coração
Dizem que estou desfigurado, com razão
Estou cansado de pedir a deus
E aos céus enfim
Um amor , onde encontrarei, senhor!
Livrai-me desta nostalgia
Confiante ainda coração
The song "Desfigurado" by Ney Matogrosso is a heartfelt plea for love and relief from the pain of loneliness. The lyrics suggest that the persona of the song is feeling disfigured, both physically and emotionally. The repetition of the line "dizem que estou desfigurado" (they say I am disfigured) emphasizes the weight of societal pressure and judgment on the persona's search for a companion. Despite the challenges, the persona is holding onto hope and confidence that one day they will find the love that they are longing for.
The second stanza of the song delves deeper into the persona's emotional state, describing their heart as "pobre e magoado" (poor and hurt) and feeling as unhappy as a "menor abandonado" (abandoned child). The use of these phrases demonstrates the depth of the persona's pain and how it has affected them both internally and externally. The repeated reference to seeking another heart highlights the desperation and longing that the persona feels.
Overall, "Desfigurado" is a raw and emotional ballad about the search for love and the human desire for companionship. The repeated phrases and themes emphasize the persistence and hope of the persona despite the societal pressures and emotional pain they face.
Contributed by Mia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.