Born in Rio de Janeiro to a family deeply rooted in the samba tradition, Paulinho met and befriended much of Rio's samba elite as a child. His father was a guitar player and musicians like Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim would often come to his house for rehearsals, which Paulinho watched for hours on end. After the rehearsals, Paulinho would pick up his father's guitar and strum the few chords he knew. Later, as a teenager, he was frequently seen at jams at Jacob do Bandolim's house, quietly and attentively observing the older, more experienced musicians. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, but never considered a career as a professional musician until he met poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho in 1964. By then, Paulinho was working as a teller at a bank in Rio de Janeiro, and recognised Hermínio from the jam sessions at Jacob do Bandolim's house. The two became close friends and soon began writing music together. The first song they wrote together was Duvide-o-dó, recorded by singer Isaurinha Garcia. He then began performing his own songs at a restaurant in Rio, owned by samba legend Cartola and his wife.
He got his famous nickname in 1965, when he was a member of the samba group A Voz do Morro (the voice of the hills), alongside Zé Keti and Oscar Bigode. After their first recording session, a publicist from the record label reportedly told him "'Paulo César' is not a samba name!". Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral eventually came up with the nickname "Paulinho da Viola" (something to the lines of "Guitar Paul").
By the 1970s, Paulinho was at the most prolific stage of his career, releasing an average of one album per year. He was already a household name in samba, choro and MPB circles and broadened his audience by touring all over Brazil and also playing at festivals in Europe and the USA. His productivity and popularity had waned by the mid-80s, when he decided to focus more on his songwriting. In 1996 he regained notoriety after releasing the much-acclaimed album Bebadosamba, in which he once again joined forces with Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and Elton Medeiros, his early songwriting partners. He still lives in Rio de Janeiro and performs around Brazil.
Bêbadosamba/Coleção de Passarinhos/O Que Será de Mim/Pam-Pam-Pam/A Fonte Secou/A Primeira Vez/Sei Qu
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics
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karna langit masih seperti yang dulu ...
anggun dan biru seperti biru nya cintaku padamu...
ho o ho o o o ohooo sayang...
meskipun sekian lama...
tlah terpendam rasa cinta...
aku takkan merubah birunya cinta kita.
percayalah kasih...
kusimpqn jadi nyanyian ku ukirkan mesra an di dalam impianku tanda kasih...
birunya cinta kita berdua semoga abadi seperti birunya langit hatiku pasti hatinu jua.
biarlah bersama di dalam suka di dalam duka berdua ki bahagia...
The lyrics to Paulinho da Viola's song Bêbadosamba/Coleção de Passarinhos/O Que Será de Mim/Pam-Pam-Pam/A Fonte Secou/A Primeira Vez/Sei Qu are in Portuguese but the above lyrics seem to be from a completely different song. Therefore, I cannot provide a valid interpretation of the given lyrics for Paulinho da Viola's song. Please provide the correct lyrics and I would gladly interpret them for you.
Line by Line Meaning
jangan jangan kau simpan cinta mu di balik awan yang hitam...
Don't hide your love behind dark clouds...
karna langit masih seperti yang dulu ...
Because the sky is still the same as before...
anggun dan biru seperti biru nya cintaku padamu...
Graceful and blue, like the blue of my love for you...
ho o ho o o o ohooo sayang...
Hoo hoo hoo, my dear...
meskipun sekian lama...
Even after such a long time...
tlah terpendam rasa cinta...
The feeling of love has been buried...
aku takkan merubah birunya cinta kita.
I will not change the blueness of our love.
percayalah kasih...
Believe me, my love...
ku puisi kan namamu...
I will write your name in my poetry...
kusimpqn jadi nyanyian ku ukirkan mesra an di dalam impianku tanda kasih...
I will make it into a song, and carve a tender symbol of love in my dreams...
birunya cinta kita berdua semoga abadi seperti birunya langit hatiku pasti hatinu jua.
May our love be eternal, like the blueness of the sky. My heart belongs to you too.
biarlah bersama di dalam suka di dalam duka berdua ki bahagia...
Let's be together, through joy and sorrow, and be happy together...
Contributed by Addison H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.