Rosa Passos is a contemporary singer in Brazil who is dedicated to a genuin… Read Full Bio ↴Rosa Passos is a contemporary singer in Brazil who is dedicated to a genuine evolution of Brazilian music, devoid of fashionable trends or commercialism. She has established herself firmly in the country's artistic scenery, acknowledged by such artists as João Gilberto, Maria Schneider, Clare Fisher, Paquito d'Rivera, Johnny Alf, Nana Caymmi (who recorded two of her compositions), and even the number one enemy of bossa nova, the music researcher J.R. Tinhorão.

Passos's father was very fond of music and he started all his six children on an instrument. Passos's perfect pitch capabilities led her to begin playing the piano at the age of 3.

When she was 11, she heard João Gilberto's Orfeu do Carnaval, which changed her life. Passos abandoned the study of piano and decided to be a singer. She began listening to Gilberto compulsively, and learned the violão from listening to Gilberto's records. Her other vocal influences were Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Shirley Horn (who has declared herself to be a fan), Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. However, Rosa's main influences remain João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi.

In 1968 Passos performed on Salvador-based TV show, Poder Joven. In 1969 she began to participate in music festivals. In 1972, she entered her song "Mutilados" in the Globo Network's Festival Universitário, under a pseudonym and won the first place.

Because she couldn't find any interest in the media for her delicate, swinging, truthful style, she continued to play and compose at home, attending college in the meantime.

In 1978, while living in Brasília, she recorded her debut album, Recriação. The album consisted of compositions that she wrote with the poet Fernando de Oliveira. Eight years later she recorded Amorosa, an explicit tribute to her idol João Gilberto's composition of the same name. In 1994 she recorded Curare, with hits by Antônio Carlos Jobim ("Fotografia," "Dindi," "A Felicidade," "Só Danço Samba," "O Nosso Amor"), Johnny Alf ("Ilusão à Toa"), Carlos Lyra/Vinicius de Moraes ("Coisa Mais Linda"), Ary Barroso, Djavan, and others.

In 1996 she recorded Pano pra Manga, for Velas, using mostly her own compositions, along with some classic hits by Jobim, Chico Buarque, and Ary Barroso.

For label Lumiar, she recorded an album dedicated to Ary Barroso, in the label series Letra e Música. In the next year, she recorded, again for Lumiar, the album, Rosa Passos Canta Antonio Carlos Jobim: 40 Anos de Bossa Nova with 14 Jobim classics.

In 1999 she was accompanied by Paquito d'Rivera on a European jazz tour. In 2000 she released Morada do Samba (Lumiar), resuming her writing work. The album brought eight of her compositions, together with "Beiral" (Djavan), "Lá Vem a Baiana" (Dorival Caymmi), "Calmaria" (Walmir Palma), "Saudade da Bahia" (Dorival Caymmi), and "Retiro" (Paulinho da Viola). For the year 2000, she booked a tour through ten European countries, one show in the U.S. and a tour through Japan.

Never resting, Passos continues to make records, including 2003's Entre Amigos/Among Friends with bassist Ron Carter, a 2004 re-release of her pivotal Amorosa on Sony Classical, and 2006's Rosa on Telarc.

E Luxo So
Rosa Passos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Olha, esta mulata quando dança
é luxo só

Quando todo o seu corpo se embalança,
é luxo só

Tem um nao sei qué
que faz a confusao

O que ela nao tem, meu Deus
é compaixao
Essa mulata quando...

Olha esta mulata quando dança
é luxo só

Quando todo o seu corpo se embalança,
é luxo só

Porém seu coração quando se agita
e palpita mais ligeiro
Nunca vi compasso táo Brasileiro

Éta samba cai pra lá,
cai pra cá, cai pra lá,

Mexe com as cadeiras, mulata
Seu requebrado me maltrata

Overall Meaning

The song "É Luxo Só" by Rosa Passos is about a beautiful and captivating mulata (a woman of mixed-race, often used to refer to Brazilian women) who dances with such a level of luxury and extravagance that it mesmerizes everyone around her. The song describes how her body moves to the rhythm, and the impact it has on people. The singer is taken by her dance, and they are spellbound by the way she sways her hips and moves her body to the Brazilian beat, which makes them feel like they are in a dream.

The lyrics suggest that the mulata has a charm that creates confusion among those who are watching, and despite not having any compassion, the singer is still enamoured by her. As the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the mulata's heart beats faster with the rhythm of the music - this is where the real "Brazilian compass" is at play. The song ends with the mulata moving her hips, which causes the singer to feel pain because of the teasing effect it has on them.

Line by Line Meaning

Olha, esta mulata quando dança
Observa a beleza desta mulher negra quando ela dança

é luxo só
É um luxo só, algo muito especial e admirável

Quando todo o seu corpo se embalança,
Quando todo o corpo dela se movimenta com ritmo,

é luxo só
É algo tão impressionante que é considerado um luxo

Tem um não sei qué
Ela tem algo especial e indescritível que a torna única

que faz a confusão
Que deixa tudo confuso e bagunçado

O que ela não tem, meu Deus
Apesar disso, ela não possui a qualidade de compaixão

é compaixão
Ela não é tão generosa em sentimentos como é em dança

Porém seu coração quando se agita
Quando ela fica animada e seu coração bate acelerado

e palpita mais ligeiro
Ela sente emoções mais fortes e vibrantes

Nunca vi compasso táo Brasileiro
O ritmo da música é tão típico do Brasil que nunca vi nada igual

Éta samba cai pra lá,
Este samba nos leva para todos os lados

cai pra cá, cai pra lá,
Ele balança para a direita e para a esquerda

Mexe com as cadeiras, mulata
O movimento do quadril é tão sensual que nos hipnotiza

Seu requebrado me maltrata
O jeito que ela se movimenta abala minhas emoções

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@straightawayproject

3y↑7

Olha, esta mulata quando dança
É luxo só

Quando todo o seu corpo se embalança
É luxo só

Tem um não sei que
Que faz a confusão

O que ela não tem, meu Deus
É compaixão, eita mulata bamba

Olha esta mulata quando dança
É luxo só

Quando todo o seu corpo se embalança
É luxo só

Porém seu coração quando se palpita
E agita se mais ligeiro
Nunca vi compasso tão Brasileiro

Eta samba cai pra lá
Cai pra cá, cai pra lá
Cai pra cá
Eta samba cai pra lá
Cai pra cá, cai pra lá
Cai pra cá

Mexe com as cadeiras, mulata
E o requebrado me maltrata
Ai ai

All comments from YouTube:

@Waddamattau

4y↑17

So beautiful, it makes me cry. I dont understand the language but I understand the feeling. Music and lyrics are so beautiful.

@magneticodedico8197

4y↑3

Me too! I’ve been playing this song for years with various bands, but Rosa’s version is the only version that moves me in such a way! I makes me feel like melting away....