Mendes is married to Gracinha Leporace who regularly performs vocals for her husband and can also be heard on his 2006 version of the song Mas Que Nada with the Black Eyed Peas.
Early career
The child of a physician in Niterói, Brazil, Mendes attended the local conservatory with hopes of becoming a classical pianist. As his interest in jazz grew, he started playing in nightclubs in the late-1950s just as bossa nova, a jazz-inflected derivative of samba, was taking off. Mendes played with Antônio Carlos Jobim (whom he regarded as a mentor) and many U.S. jazz musicians who toured Brazil.
Mendes formed the Sexteto Bossa Rio and recorded Dance Moderno in 196. Touring Europe and the United States, Mendes recorded albums with Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann and played Carnegie Hall. Mendes moved to the U.S. in 1964 and cut two albums under the name Sergio Mendes and Brasil '65 with Capitol Records and Atlantic Records.
Brasil '66
When sales were tepid, he replaced his Brazilian born vocalist Wanda de Sa with the distinctive voice of Chicago native Lani Hall (who learned Mendes' Portuguese material phonetically), switched to Herb Alpert's A&M label, and released Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, an album that went platinum based largely on the success of the single "Mas Que Nada" (a Jorge Ben cover) and the personal support of Alpert, with whom Mendes toured regularly.
The original lineup of Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 was Mendes (piano), vocalists Lani Hall and Janis Hansen, Bob Matthews (bass), Jose Soares (percussion), and Joao Palma (drums). John Pisano guested as guitarist. This lineup recorded three albums between 1966-1968 (including the best-selling Look Around LP), before there was a major personnel change for their fourth album Fool on the Hill.
Karen Philipp replaced Hansen as the second female vocalist, while veteran drummer Dom Um Romão teamed with Rubens Bassini to assume percussionist duties. Sebastiao Neto was the new bassist and Oscar Castro-Neves the guitarist. This lineup had a more orchestral and big band sound than their predecessors. Most significantly, in the early 1970s, lead singer Hall pursued a solo career and became Alpert's second wife. Some accounts claim that Mendes was upset with Alpert for years for "stealing" Hall away from his group.
Though his early singles with Brasil '66 (most notably "Mas Que Nada") met with some success, Mendes really burst into mainstream prominence when he performed the Oscar-nominated Burt Bacharach and Hal David song The Look of Love on the Academy Awards telecast in April 1968. Brasil '66's version of the song quickly shot into the top 10, peaking at #4, and eclipsing Dusty Springfield's version from the soundtrack of the movie, Casino Royale. Mendes spent the rest of 1968 enjoying consecutive top 10 and top 20 hits with his follow-up singles, "The Fool on the Hill" and "Scarborough Fair". From 1968 on, Mendes was arguably the biggest Brazilian star in the world, enjoying immense popularity worldwide and performing in venues as varied as stadium arenas and the White House, where he gave concerts for both Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.
Middle career
Mendes' career in the U.S. stalled in the mid-1970s, but he remained very popular in South America and Japan. His two albums with Bell Records in 1973 and 1974, followed by several for Elektra from 1975 on, found Mendes continuing to mine the best in American pop music and post-bossa writers of his native Brazil, while forging new directions in soul with collaborators like Stevie Wonder, who wrote Mendes' R&B-inflected minor hit, "The Real Thing".
In 1983, he rejoined Alpert's A&M records and enjoyed huge success with a self-titled album and several follow-up albums, all of which received considerable adult contemporary airplay with charting singles. "Never Gonna Let You Go", featuring vocals by Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller, equalled the success of his 1968 single "The Look of Love" by reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also spent four weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart. In 1984, Mendes worked with singer Lani Hall again.
By the time Mendes released his Grammy-winning Elektra album Brasileiro in 1992, he was the undisputed master of pop-inflected Brazilian jazz. The late-1990s lounge music revival brought retrospection and respect to Mendes' oeuvre, particularly the classic Brasil '66 albums. His stature in his native Brazil is reflected by "Cantor de Mambo", a song by fellow Brazilians Os Mutantes, which they regularly dedicate to Mendes in concert.
Later career
Timeless features a wide array of neo-soul and alternative hip hop guest artists, most prominently will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas. It was released February 14, 2006 by Concord Records.
The album features the Black Eyed Peas, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, India.Arie, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip, Stevie Wonder and Pharoahe Monch.
The 2006 re-recorded version of "Mas que Nada" with the Black Eyed Peas had additional vocals by Gracinha Leporace (Mendes' wife); a version that is included on his album Timeless. In Brazil, the song is pretty well-known for being the theme song for the local television channel Globo's Estrelas.
The Black Eyed Peas' version also contains a sample of their 2004 hit "Hey Mama". The re-recorded song became popular on many European charts. On the UK Singles Chart, the song entered at #29 and rose to and peaked at #6 on its second week on the chart.
Official website of Sérgio Mendes: http://www.sergiomendesmusic.com
Anos Dourados
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Te amo, Maria
Na fotografia estamos felizes
Te ligo afobado
E deixo confissões no gravador
Vai ser engraçado
Se tens um novo amor
Te amo? Não lembro
Parece Dezembro de um ano dourado
Parece bolero
Te quero, te quero
Dizer que não quero
Teus beijos nunca mais
Teus beijos nunca mais
Não sei se eu ainda
Te esqueço de fato
No nosso retrato pareço tão linda
Te ligo ofegante
E digo confusões no gravador
É desconcertante
Rever o grande amor
Meus olhos molhados
Insanos, Dezembros
Mas quando eu me lembro
São anos dourados
Ainda te quero
Bolero, nossos versos são banais
Mas como eu te espero
Teus beijos nunca mais
Teus beijos nunca mais
The lyrics of Sérgio Mendes's song "Anos Dourados" (Golden Years) speak of a love that was once strong, but has now faded away. The singer seems to be reminiscing about a past relationship with Maria, as he remembers their happy times together in a photograph. He calls her urgently and leaves confessions on her answering machine, wondering if she has moved on with someone new. The singer reflects on whether he has truly forgotten about Maria or if he still longs for her. He expresses his desperate desire to be with her, but acknowledging that their love is banal and that he must move on from her kisses.
The use of the word "dourados" (golden) in the title and throughout the lyrics is significant as it represents a time when everything was perfect and the future was full of possibilities. This nostalgia for a bygone era is a common feeling that people can relate to. The lyrics are also a reminder that we cannot always hold onto the past, even if it was once beautiful.
Overall, Sérgio Mendes's song "Anos Dourados" is a poignant portrayal of lost love and nostalgia for a time when everything seemed perfect.
Line by Line Meaning
Parece que dizes
It seems like you're saying
Te amo, Maria
I love you, Maria
Na fotografia estamos felizes
In the photograph we are happy
Te ligo afobado
I call you hastily
E deixo confissões no gravador
And leave confessions on the answering machine
Vai ser engraçado
It will be funny
Se tens um novo amor
If you have a new love
Me vejo ao teu lado
I see myself by your side
Te amo? Não lembro
I love you? I don't remember
Parece Dezembro de um ano dourado
It feels like December of a golden year
Parece bolero
It sounds like a bolero
Te quero, te quero
I want you, I want you
Dizer que não quero
To say that I don't want
Teus beijos nunca mais
Your kisses never again
Não sei se eu ainda
I don't know if I still
Te esqueço de fato
Forget about you in fact
No nosso retrato pareço tão linda
In our picture I look so beautiful
Te ligo ofegante
I call you breathless
E digo confusões no gravador
And say confusion on the answering machine
É desconcertante
It's unsettling
Rever o grande amor
To revisit the great love
Meus olhos molhados
My eyes wet
Insanos, Dezembros
Insane, Decembers
Mas quando eu me lembro
But when I remember
São anos dourados
They are golden years
Ainda te quero
I still want you
Bolero, nossos versos são banais
Bolero, our verses are ordinary
Mas como eu te espero
But how I wait for you
Teus beijos nunca mais
Your kisses never again
Teus beijos nunca mais
Your kisses never again
Contributed by Eva T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Austin
A wonderful version of a beautiful lovely song.
Hector jose Valderrabano romero
Sensacional