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
Look Around
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look around, just look around
Full of silver and surprise
If you look around, just look around
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you sing
When you look around, just look around
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you sing
When you look around, just look around
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
...
The lyrics to Sergio Mendes's song "Look Around" urge the listener to take notice of the beauty and wonder that surrounds us every day, if only we stop and pay attention. The imagery of nature is used to emphasize this message: "All the secrets of the skies in a drop of rain... All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand... All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass." The song encourages us to let our inner child out, to experience the world with a sense of wonder and joy. Even the mundane things in life, like a cloud or a leaf, can be seen as magical if we just take a moment to look at them with fresh eyes.
The song's repetition of the phrase "look around" is a powerful directive, urging us to stop and pay attention to the world outside ourselves. It's a reminder that beauty and wonder exist beyond our own individual experiences, and that we are all connected to the natural world in profound ways. "Look around" becomes a call to mindfulness, a reminder to stay present and to appreciate the richness of life in all its forms.
Overall, Sergio Mendes's "Look Around" is a powerful reminder of the beauty and wonder that surround us every day, and an encouragement to experience life with a sense of joy and childlike wonder. It's a call to mindfulness and to connecting with the natural world around us, even in the smallest and most seemingly insignificant of moments.
Line by Line Meaning
All the secrets of the skies in a drop of rain
The mysteries and wonders of the universe can be found in the smallest things.
Look around, just look around
Take a moment to observe and appreciate the beauty of the world.
Full of silver and surprise
The world is full of unexpected and wonderful things.
If you look around, just look around
There is so much to see and discover if you take the time to look.
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Even the tiniest things can hold great knowledge and understanding.
Set the child within you free
Let go of your worries and responsibilities, and allow yourself to experience the world with a childlike sense of wonder.
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
Use your imagination and see the world in a new and creative way.
That happy leaf's going to the fair
Even the simplest things can bring joy and happiness.
It's all there, it's all there
Everything you need to find happiness and contentment is already present in the world around you.
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Just like the new growth of spring, there is always hope and renewal in the world.
Let the child within you sing
Embrace your inner child and find joy and wonder in the world.
Stop and look around
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and appreciate the beauty around you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Sergio Mendes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Davis
I love the simple but profound joy of this song.
texgal516
I still have this album from the '60's!! LOOK AROUND was my favorite song on this album! "Just look around"!!!
Christine Gruenberg
I also have this album. Love it.
S0larXstorm
Love this music as my mom always cleaned to it.
Jorge Mario Rodas
Una linda canción que lo invita a uno a abrir bien los ojos y contemplar las bellezas de muchas cosas que ni miramos muchas veces por andar ensimismados o preocupados-
¡No todo es feo ni malo como nos parece a veces! La próxima vez que salgamos veamos bien a nuestro alrededor y veremos tantas cosas bellas que nos levantarán el ánimo.
Raim Rising
My dad had this album when I was nine years old and my sisters and I played it on Saturdays when my parents were at work. We pretended to be Lani and Karen. We didn't know the lyrics so we made up our own. We wanted those crochet dresses so bad!!!
Jorge Mario Rodas
A very nice song which is simple but makes one think and reflect. There are so many wonderful things around us worth seeing but we seldom notice them. So lets take our time and look around and a different world shall appear before our own eyes!
Debbie Brett
I still have my 'Brazil ''66 Greatest Hits'LP. Took my partner, Simon, out for a surprise birthday treat last Sunday. It was to see Sergio Mendes and his group performing at London's Festival Hall WOW!
Jorge Mario Rodas
This is a very nice samba song so well played and sung. But the greatest thing it the message its lyrics have: They invite us to look around us to see those things we normally do not see despite being among them most of the time. There are wonderful things around us to see if we only open our eyes and pay attention!
Jorge Mario Rodas
Nice old song I used to hear in the sixties, but that is still very good to hear and enjoy. The message is simple but so true. Open your eyes and look the beauty and marvels around you! Maybe one feels downhearted at times but just looking at the flowers, the trees and the beauty of a sunrise or sunset makes one glad of being alive again.