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
Dance Attack
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the feeling can't happen
It's a call for the wild tonight
Pick you up at eight
In the flash of the city lights
Master Dancer
Teach us how to move
Doctor of the groove
Can't hold it back
About to snap
It's just a dance attack
Take a shot
Your body's hot
You've had a dance attack
I don't want to run
Where the people aren't crazy
Just a nail to be driven in
I don't need the flack
Tired of being invaded
When the beat in the street begins
Master Dancer
Make me feel alive
Here's your answer
Jump into the fire
Can't hold it back
About to snap
It's just a dance attack
Your head's a spin
Your out is in
You've had a dance attack
Take a shot
Your body's hot
You've had a dance attack
You need to shake
Your heart awake
It's just a dance attack
Master Dancer
Teach us how to move
Master Dancer
Doctor of the groove
Can't hold it back
About to snap
It's just a dance attack
Your head's a spin
Your out is in
You've had a dance attack
Take a shot
Your body's hot
You've had a dance attack
You need to shake
Your heart awake
It's just a dance attack
The song "Dance Attack" by Sérgio Mendes delivers a powerful message about the electrifying force of dance. The lyrics "I don't want to go where the feeling can't happen" suggest that there is a certain kind of magic and energy that dance can create, which cannot be found in other places. The singer speaks of a "call for the wild tonight" and picking up someone "in the flash of the city lights," suggesting that the night is alive with a certain kind of electricity. The song encourages listeners to embrace their bodies and let the music take over, with lines like "Can't hold it back, about to snap, it's just a dance attack" and "you need to shake your heart awake."
The song features the repeated refrain "Master Dancer, teach us how to move, Master Dancer, doctor of the groove," which suggests that dancing is both an art and a healing force. The singer is asking the "Master Dancer" to lead them in this transformative experience. The song ends with the line "It's just a dance attack," reinforcing the idea that dancing is an uncontrollable force that can overtake and transform the body and the soul.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to go
I don't want to go to a place where I won't feel anything.
Where the feeling can't happen
Where there isn't a possibility to feel anything.
It's a call for the wild tonight
The night is filled with energy and excitement.
Pick you up at eight
I will come to take you at eight.
In the flash of the city lights
The city will give us an amazing view at night.
Master Dancer
A skilled dancer who can teach others.
Teach us how to move
Teaching us how to dance.
Doctor of the groove
An expert of the rhythms and music that make you groove.
Can't hold it back
I can't control myself anymore.
About to snap
I'm on the verge of losing control.
It's just a dance attack
It's a sudden urge to dance.
Take a shot
Take a chance.
Your body's hot
Your body is full of energy.
You've had a dance attack
The urge to dance has taken over.
I don't want to run
I don't want to be in a place where people aren't wild.
Where the people aren't crazy
Where there isn't anybody letting loose and being free.
Just a nail to be driven in
A place where people will try to restrain you.
I don't need the flack
I don't want any negativity or criticism.
Tired of being invaded
Tired of people trying to stop me from enjoying myself.
When the beat in the street begins
When the music starts, and people start dancing in the streets.
Make me feel alive
Making me feel passionate and energetic.
Here's your answer
Here's the solution to all my worries.
Jump into the fire
Take a risk, and get into the excitement of the moment.
Your head's a spin
You're feeling disoriented with all the energy around you.
Your out is in
The unfamiliarity of the energy around you makes you more engaged.
You need to shake
You need to let loose and dance your heart out.
Your heart awake
Feeling full of life and energy.
Contributed by Aaliyah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dfreeman120
Phil Perry on vocals
@dfreeman120
Co wrote and played keyboards on the track