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.
Passado De Glória
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics
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Que nem posso me lembrar
Teus livros têm tantas páginas belas
Se for falar da Portela, hoje não vou terminar
A Mangueira de Cartola, velhos tempos do apogeu
O Estácio de Ismael, dizendo que o samba era seu
Em Oswaldo Cruz, bem perto de Madureira
Todos só falavam Paulo Benjamin de Oliveira
Na roda de samba abafavam
Todos corriam para ver
Pra ver, se não me falha a memória
No livro da nossa história tem conquistas a valer
Juro que não posso me lembrar
Se for falar da Portela, hoje eu não vou terminar
The lyrics of Paulinho Da Viola's Passado De Glória (Glory Days) takes listeners on a journey through the history of various samba schools in Rio de Janeiro, particularly Portela, Mangueira, Estácio de Ismael, and Oswaldo Cruz. The song begins with the artist contemplating and almost crying at the memories of Portela. He remarks that the history of Portela is so extensive and beautiful that he cannot possibly recount it all in one conversation.
The song then moves on to mention Mangueira, another popular samba school in Rio de Janeiro, during its apogee, which means the highest point of a particular event or of someone's career. In its prime, Mangueira was led by Cartola, a phenomenal musician, and composer. Next, the song touches on Estácio de Ismael, a samba school in Rio de Janeiro that claims to have invented the samba genre. The school's founder, Ismael, is referenced, highlighting the pride he had in his samba school, as if it were his own child.
Finally, the lyrics mention the proximity of Oswaldo Cruz, where everyone spoke of Paulo Benjamin de Oliveira, a prominent musician and composer, and his partner Claudionor Cruz. When Paulo and Claudionor showed up at the samba circles, they silenced everyone with the high quality of their music. There were always achievements to be happy about in the books of history. The artist once again reiterates his inability to exhaustively recount the history of Portela, implying that it is too majestic and unparalleled to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
Portela, eu às vezes meditando, quase acabo até chorando
I often reflect on Portela and it makes me emotional to the point of tears
Que nem posso me lembrar
I can't even remember how much Portela means to me
Teus livros têm tantas páginas belas
Your books have so many beautiful pages detailing Portela's history
Se for falar da Portela, hoje não vou terminar
If I start talking about Portela, I won't stop today
A Mangueira de Cartola, velhos tempos do apogeu
Mangueira with Cartola brings back memories of its glorious past
O Estácio de Ismael, dizendo que o samba era seu
Estácio with Ismael, claiming ownership of samba
Em Oswaldo Cruz, bem perto de Madureira
In Oswaldo Cruz, near Madureira
Todos só falavam Paulo Benjamin de Oliveira
Everyone talked about Paulo Benjamin de Oliveira
Paulo e Claudionor quando chegavam
When Paulo and Claudionor arrived
Na roda de samba abafavam
They silenced the conversation with their samba performance
Todos corriam para ver
Everyone rushed to see them perform
Pra ver, se não me falha a memória
To see if my memory serves me correctly
No livro da nossa história tem conquistas a valer
Our history book is filled with valuable achievements
Juro que não posso me lembrar
I swear I can't remember everything about Portela
Se for falar da Portela, hoje eu não vou terminar
If I start talking about Portela, I won't stop today
Contributed by Ethan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maisqpoesia 9999
Viva Paulinho da Viola!!!!!! Luciano, muito obrigado por mais esta sensacional postagem!!!
Maga Lee Craveiro
Luciano, aqui friozim de arrepiar!! Tõ no vinhozim Cabernet Sauvigonon, ouvindo Paulinho cantar a Portela, sem esquecer a Mangueira. Vai me convidar pra jantar Chef? Esse cardápio da água na boca, risoto de camarão, com cogumelo, tõ dentro!! Lindo samba, bom jantar! Dedim em riste up rsrs ❤ℳѦḠÅ ℒ€€ ~_*
Rogerio Carvalho
Se for falar de Paulinho, hoje eu não vou terminar.
luciano hortencio
Paulinho da Viola - Portela, PASSADO DE GLÓRIA - Monarco
rogerio amorim
a verdadeira escola de samba;o verdadeiro samba e na portela;as outras são apenas marketing;da rede globo e adjacências.