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.
Tanto Amar
Ney Matogrosso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tem um olho sempre a boiar e outro que agita.
Tem um olho que não está, meus olhares evita.
E outro olho a me arregalar sua pepita.
A metade do seu olhar está chamando pra luta, aflita.
E metade quer madrugar na bodeguita.
Se os seus olhos eu for cantar, um seu olho me atura
E outro olho vai desmanchar toda a pintura.
A Paloma do seu mirar vira miúra.
É na soma do seu olhar que eu vou me conhecer inteiro.
Se nasci pra enfrentar o mar ou faroleiro.
Amo tanto e de tanto amar acho que ela acredita.
Tem um olho a pestanejar e outro me fita.
Suas pernas vão me enroscar num balé esquisito.
Seus dois olhos vão se encontrar no infinito.
Amo tanto e de tanto amar em Manágua temos um "chico".
Já pensamos em nos casar em "Puerto" Rico.
The lyrics of Ney Matogrosso's song "Tanto Amar" describe the complexity of love and attraction. The singer speaks of loving a woman so much that he finds her beautiful even though she has one eye that seems to wander and another that is full of intensity. He notes that one eye avoids his gaze while the other stares directly at him, inviting him to fight or to join her in a wild night out. The singer also mentions that her eyes have the power to strip away his defenses and reveal his true nature, whether he is meant to be a sailor or a lighthouse keeper. Despite the imperfections in her appearance, the singer continues to love her intensely and dreams of marrying her someday in Puerto Rico.
The song captures the idea that love is not always rational or straightforward. Sometimes we are drawn to someone despite their flaws or quirks, and sometimes their imperfections only make them more alluring. The singer's description of the woman's eyes is particularly powerful, as they seem to represent the conflicting emotions and desires that come with any relationship. One eye is cautious and avoids intimacy, while the other is open and inviting. This duality is reflected in the lyrics, as the singer acknowledges that his beloved can be both a delicate Paloma and a fierce miúra, depending on the situation.
Overall, "Tanto Amar" is a beautiful and poetic portrayal of the ups and downs of love. The singer's passion and vulnerability are palpable, and the imagery he uses to describe his feelings is both striking and memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Amo tanto e de tanto amar acho que ela é bonita.
I love her so much, and from loving her so much, I think she is beautiful.
Tem um olho sempre a boiar e outro que agita.
She has one eye always floating, and the other that is agitated.
Tem um olho que não está, meus olhares evita.
She has one eye that is absent, and it avoids my gaze.
E outro olho a me arregalar sua pepita.
The other eye is staring at me, showing off its charm.
A metade do seu olhar está chamando pra luta, aflita.
Half of her gaze is calling me to fight, nervous.
E metade quer madrugar na bodeguita.
And the other half wants to stay up late at the little bar.
Se os seus olhos eu for cantar, um seu olho me atura
If I sing to her eyes, one eye will accept me,
E outro olho vai desmanchar toda a pintura.
And the other eye will ruin everything.
Ela pode rodopiar e mudar de figura.
She can spin and change her figure.
A Paloma do seu mirar vira miúra.
The dove in her gaze becomes a bull.
É na soma do seu olhar que eu vou me conhecer inteiro.
It is in the sum of her gaze that I will know myself wholly.
Se nasci pra enfrentar o mar ou faroleiro.
Whether I was born to face the sea or be a lighthouse keeper.
Amo tanto e de tanto amar acho que ela acredita.
I love her so much, and from loving her so much, I think she believes it.
Tem um olho a pestanejar e outro me fita.
She has one eye blinking and the other staring at me.
Suas pernas vão me enroscar num balé esquisito.
Her legs will entwine me in a strange dance.
Seus dois olhos vão se encontrar no infinito.
Her two eyes will meet in the infinite.
Amo tanto e de tanto amar em Manágua temos um 'chico'.
I love her so much, and from loving her so much, we have a 'chico' in Managua.
Já pensamos em nos casar em 'Puerto' Rico.
We already thought of getting married in 'Puerto' Rico.
Contributed by Wyatt V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
D'Ângelo 12
Quem está ouvindo em 2021 essa raridade?! 🤗
Amanda Lisbôa
2022! 👆
Josi Mendonca
2022
Patrícia Yamada
2022
Gleide Oliveira Bastos
2022 presente
Dayse Gonsalves
Eu!Sempre!
Flávio Alves Pinto
Canção do Chico, na voz inigualável de Ney, que é o maior intérprete vivo da música brasileira!
John De costa
Bravo
Celso Alberto
Simplesmente estupenda de linda essa canção
Wagner R. Silva
Digo que é uma poesia com arranjo musical.