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
Lonely Woman
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look around but there's not asoul in sight
(Where's the lover's knockin' at your door)
Don't you know that he's the one you'r waitin' for?
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
Turn him on, just turn him on and see
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
Just turn him on and see
Tender kisses ease your mind
Stay with him and leave that lonely life behind
Love him lady, hold him tight
Let him show you how you reach that mornin' light
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
Turn him on, just turn him on and see
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
Just turn him on and see
Lonely woman found her man
And she is givin' all the lovin' that she can
Fire's burnin', burnin' bright
There is one less lonely woman here tonight
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
Let him love you lonely woman
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
Turn him on, just turn him on and see
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
(Lonely woman, you don't have to be lonely anymore)
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
Turn him on, just turn him on and see
The lyrics of “Lonely Woman” by Sergio Mendes tell the story of a woman who is feeling lonely and yearning for love. The song starts with the woman coming home at night, looking around and realizing she is all alone. Mendes sings about the sound of lovers knocking at the door, and suggests that the woman is waiting for her own lover to appear. He encourages her to let him love her and turn her on, and promises that from that moment on, she won’t be alone anymore.
The lyrics also describe the transformative power of love. Mendes sings about how tender kisses can ease her mind, and how holding her man tight and letting him show her how to reach the morning light can bring her happiness. Finally, the song ends on a hopeful note, as the lonely woman finds her man and they enjoy each other's love.
Overall, “Lonely Woman” is a romantic and uplifting song about the power of love to transform and heal. Set to a catchy bossa nova beat, the song invites us to join the woman on her journey from loneliness to happiness, and reminds us that we all have the capacity to find love and joy in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonely woman comes at night
A woman feeling lonely comes out at night, seeking companionship.
Look around but there's not a soul in sight
However, she soon realizes there's nobody around her.
(Where's the lover's knockin' at your door)
She wonders why her lover hasn't come yet.
Don't you know that he's the one you're waitin' for?
Little did she know, the lover she was waiting for was already there.
Let him love you lonely woman
The song suggests that the woman should allow herself to be loved by her man.
From now on, that's how it's gonna be
The song encourages the woman to start a new chapter in her life filled with love.
Turn him on, just turn him on and see
The song implies that the woman should open up to the idea of love and see how it unfolds.
Tender kisses ease your mind
The song suggests that the tender kisses from her man will comfort her.
Stay with him and leave that lonely life behind
She is encouraged to stay with her man to put her loneliness behind her.
Love him lady, hold him tight
She is encouraged to love her man and hold him tight.
Let him show you how you reach that morning light
The man will show her how to experience true happiness, leading her to brighter days.
Lonely woman found her man
Finally, the lonely woman found the love of her life.
And she is givin' all the lovin' that she can
Now that she has found love, she is giving it her all.
Fire's burnin', burnin' bright
Their love continues to burn brightly.
There is one less lonely woman here tonight
She is no longer lonely with her man by her side.
(Lonely woman, you don't have to be lonely anymore)
The song emphasizes that the woman has found her soulmate and no longer has to be lonely.
Contributed by Jack N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Garyf
My favourite all time track and has been my ring tone for many years
Karim Gateau
Beautiful....🖒...super belle voix de Carol Rogers et tres belle melodie.... ❤❤❤