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
Chelsea Morning
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the first thing that I heard
Was a song outside my window
And the traffic wrote the words
It came ringing up like christmas bells
And rapping up like pipes and drums
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning
And the first thing that I saw
Was the sun through yellow curtains
And a rainbow on the wall
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you
Crimson crystal beads to beckon
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day
There's a sun show every second.
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
And the streets are paved with passersby
And pigeons fly, and papers lie
Waiting to blow away
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning
And the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey
And a bowl of orangejuice too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch
And stuck to all my senses
Oh, wont you stay we'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses
When the cuntain closes
And the rainbow runs away
I will bring you incense owls by night
By candlelight, by two jewellight
If only you will stay
Pretty baby won't you
Wake up, it is a Chelsea morning
Sérgio Mendes’s song “Chelsea Morning” is a reflection on the beauty and energy of a new day in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The song opens with the line “Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning” and describes the sights and sounds that wake the singer up. He hears a song outside his window, which he imagines is written by the traffic noises. The song comes to him “ringing up like christmas bells / And rapping up like pipes and drums”. This imagery suggests that even mundane sounds can be uplifting and inspiring, and that the beauty of the day can be found in unexpected moments.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to describe the sensory experience of the morning. He sees a rainbow on the wall and colorful crystals that “beckon” him. He imagines the world as a “sun show every second,” where every passing moment offers something new and beautiful. The final verse shifts the focus to the singer’s own experience of the morning. He enjoys a breakfast of milk, toast, honey, and orange juice, while the sun pours in like butterscotch. He invites someone else to join him, saying “Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day / And we'll talk in present tenses”. This invitation captures the sense of connection and community that the singer feels on this particular morning.
Overall, “Chelsea Morning” is a celebration of the beauty and energy of a new day in a bustling city. The song invites listeners to appreciate the small moments of beauty that can be found all around us, and to connect with one another in a shared experience of wonder and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning
I woke up to a beautiful morning in the Chelsea neighborhood
And the first thing that I heard
The first sound that reached my ears was
Was a song outside my window
A melody was being played outside my window
And the traffic wrote the words
The sound of traffic created a rhythm that complemented the music
It came ringing up like christmas bells
The sound was reminiscent of Christmas bells ringing
And rapping up like pipes and drums
The rhythm was also like the beat of pipes and drums
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day
Let's make the most of this beautiful day and spend it together
And we'll wear it 'till the night comes
We'll enjoy the day to the fullest until night arrives
And the first thing that I saw
The first thing that came into view was
Was the sun through yellow curtains
The sun rays were filtering through yellow curtains
And a rainbow on the wall
A beautiful rainbow was visible on the wall
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you
The colors of the rainbow were casting a warm welcome
Crimson crystal beads to beckon
The sparkling beads in shades of red were inviting
There's a sun show every second.
The beauty of the sun is visible every second
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
The day is beginning afresh and presenting opportunities
And the streets are paved with passersby
The roads are full of people walking by
And pigeons fly, and papers lie
Pigeons are soaring overhead and papers are resting on the sidewalk
Waiting to blow away
The papers are light and ready to be carried off by a gust of wind
And the first thing that I knew
The first realization that came to me was
There was milk and toast and honey
Breakfast consisted of milk, toast, and honey
And a bowl of orangejuice too
There was also a bowl of fresh orange juice
And the sun poured in like butterscotch
The sun rays were warm and comforting like melted butterscotch
And stuck to all my senses
The sensory experience was memorable and delightful
And we'll talk in present tenses
Let's live in the moment and enjoy each other's company
When the curtain closes
At the end of the day
And the rainbow runs away
When the rainbow fades away
I will bring you incense owls by night
In the evening, I will bring you scents and candles in the shape of owls
By candlelight, by two jewellight
We will create a romantic atmosphere with candles and jewels
If only you will stay
If you can stay with me
Pretty baby won't you
Attractive person, please
Wake up, it is a Chelsea morning
Open your eyes and enjoy the beautiful morning in Chelsea
Contributed by Ian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@racketman2u
my favourite version of "Chelsea Morning", no contest.
@DonTornado
I love Sergio Mendes’s version of the song so much. I feel like it’s really underrated.
@serquesserques1340
Beaucoup belle!
@bibzthv7
Incrível!!!!
@lindacalberg9932
🙌🙌🙌
@lucaspujal7642
Joni mitchell
@fabioaraujo8379
Brasilian way