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
Lugar Comum
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vado matto per te
Vado matto
Per tutta la vita che c'è
Per tutta la vita che c'è
Sulla riva del mare
La riva del mare
Oh, la riva del mare
(Beira do mar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Lugar comum)
Um luogo comune dove arrivare
(Começo do caminhar)
Dove tutto comincia a girare
(Pra beira de outro lugar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Beira do mar)
Sono matto per te
Sono matto per te
(Todo mar é um)
Sono matto per tutta la vita che c'è
(Começo do caminhar)
E la riva del mare
(Pra dentro do fundo azul)
Dove tutto comincia a girare, girare
(A água bateu)
L’ondas sbattem, il vento sofia
(O vento soprou)
Il fuoco del sole ci sacalda
(O fogo do sol)
La tua pelle sapore di sale
(O sal do Senhor)
È acqua santa, acqua di mare
(Tudo isso vem)
Tutto viene, tutto va
(Tudo isso vai)
Di su, di giù, di qua, di la
(Pro mesmo lugar)
Tutto viene, tutto va
(De onde tudo sai)
Dallo stesso luogo,
Dove arriverà, dove arriverà
(Beira do mar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Lugar comum)
Un luogo comune dove arrivare
(Começo do caminhar)
Dove tutto
Comincia a girare, girare
(Pra beira de outro lugar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Beira do mar)
Sono matto per te
Sono matto per te
(Todo mar é um)
Sono matto
Per tutta la vita che c'è
(Começo do caminhar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Pra dentro do fundo azul)
La tua pelle . . ., wowww
Nel profondo blu del mio cuore
C'è più caldo che all'equatore
La gente balla, la gente si bacia
La gente non è indifferente alla vita
E quanto mi sembra strano
Sentire il tuo corpo
Che dentro all mano si scioglie
Come ghiaccio si scioglie, come un fiore
Mi coglie e mi porti vicino alle labbra
Paradiso di sale e di sabbia cancella la rabbia
E si fonde con il mare
Un luogo comune dove lasciarsi andare
Lontano dal cuore resisto soltanto un secondo
Lontano dal mondo con te posso starci una vita
In orbita sopra il pianeta
(Sergio Mendes, yes, that's funky! Wowww . . .)
Sono matto per te
Sono matto per te
Sono matto per tutta la vita che c'è
(Tudo isso vem)
Tutto viene, tutto va
(Tudo isso vai)
Di su, di giù, di qua, di la
(Pro mesmo lugar)
Tutto viene, tutto va
(De onde tudo sai)
Dallo stesso luogo dove arriverà,
Dove arriverà, dove arriverà
(Beira do mar)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
(Todo mar é um)
Dove tutto comincia a girare, girage, girare
(Começo do caminhar)
È un luongo comune dove arrivare
(Pra dentro do fundo azul)
E la riva del mare
E la riva del mare
Vado matto per te
Vado matto per te
Vado matto per tutta la vita che c'è
Sulla riva del mare, la riva del mare
Nel profondo blu del mio cuore
Sergio Mendes mischia le note
L'universo gira le sue ruote
Tutti sanno com'è bello lasciarsi andare
Quando è il momento di lasciarsi andare
Volare cantare, oh, oh
La gente lo sa quand'è il cuore
Che prende il comando
Questa musica di contrabbando
In un mondo
Di regole senza emozioni
Vado matto per te
Vado matto per te
Vado matto per tutta la vita che c'è
In ogni passo di danza che muovi
Come un'onda, la vita rinnovi
The lyrics to "Lugar Comum" by Sérgio Mendes feat. Jovanotti describe a deep love for someone that makes the singer crazy. The phrase "vado matto" (Italian for "go crazy") is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the passion and intensity of the feeling. The setting is a common place - the beach - but the singers revel in its beauty and the way it makes them feel alive. The waves, wind, and sun all work together to create a sensory experience that is heightened by the presence of the beloved. The chorus repeats the phrase "tutto viene, tutto va" (everything comes and goes), acknowledging the transience of life but also asserting the importance of living in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Vado matto per te
I am crazy for you
Vado matto
I am going crazy
Per tutta la vita che c'è
For all of the life there is
Sulla riva del mare
On the shore of the sea
La riva del mare
The shore of the sea
Oh, la riva del mare
Oh, the shore of the sea
(Beira do mar)
(On the shore of the sea)
E la riva del mare
And the shore of the sea
(Lugar comum)
(Common place)
Um luogo comune dove arrivare
A common place to arrive
(Começo do caminhar)
(Beginning of the walk)
Dove tutto comincia a girare
Where everything starts to spin
(Pra beira de outro lugar)
(To the edge of another place)
Sono matto per te
I am crazy about you
(Todo mar é um)
(Every sea is one)
E la riva del mare
And the shore of the sea
(Dentro do fundo azul)
(Deep in the blue)
Dove tutto comincia a girare, girare
Where everything starts to spin, spin
(A água bateu)
(The water hit)
L'ondas sbattem, il vento sofia
The waves crash, the wind blows
(O vento soprou)
(The wind blew)
Il fuoco del sole ci sacalda
The heat of the sun warms us
(O fogo do sol)
(The fire of the sun)
La tua pelle sapore di sale
Your skin tastes of salt
(O sal do Senhor)
(The salt of the Lord)
È acqua santa, acqua di mare
It's holy water, sea water
(Tutto isso vem)
(All of this comes)
Tutto viene, tutto va
Everything comes, everything goes
(Tutto isso vai)
(All of this goes)
Di su, di giù, di qua, di la
Up, down, here, there
(Pro mesmo lugar)
(To the same place)
Tutto viene, tutto va
Everything comes, everything goes
(De onde tudo sai)
(Where everything comes from)
Dallo stesso luogo,
From the same place,
Dove arriverà, dove arriverà
Where it will arrive, where it will arrive
(Lontano dal cuore resisto soltanto un secondo)
(Far from the heart I can resist only a second)
(Lontano dal mondo con te posso starci una vita)
(Far from the world with you, I can stay there for a lifetime)
(In orbita sopra il pianeta)
(In orbit above the planet)
(Sergio Mendes, yes, that's funky! Wowww . . .)
(Sergio Mendes, yes, that's funky! Wowww . . .)
(Nel profondo blu del mio cuore)
(In the deep blue of my heart)
C'è più caldo che all'equatore
It's hotter than the equator
La gente balla, la gente si bacia
People dance, people kiss
La gente non è indifferente alla vita
People are not indifferent to life
E quanto mi sembra strano
And it seems strange to me
Sentire il tuo corpo
To feel your body
Che dentro all mano si scioglie
That melts in my hand
Come ghiaccio si scioglie, come un fiore
Like ice melts, like a flower
Mi coglie e mi porti vicino alle labbra
It grabs me and brings me close to your lips
Paradiso di sale e di sabbia cancella la rabbia
Paradise of salt and sand cancels out anger
E si fonde con il mare
And it merges with the sea
Un luogo comune dove lasciarsi andare
A common place to let go
(Vado matto per te)
(I am crazy for you)
Nell'incesto passo di danza che muovi
In every dance step you take
Come un'onda, la vita rinnovi
Like a wave, you renew life
Contributed by Alaina I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jose Matias
Voz música e poema excelente excelente ❤️
Anthony Parisian
Hahaha
Esther Sosa
Maravilloso.!!!!
microzorro
This makes for a great playlist...
Gustavo Panesso
SUUUUPER!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊
samuel Lopes Baule
Wow, fantastico trabalho! De Maputo,Mozambico, 👍🏿👍🏿👌🏿👌🏿💪🏿💪🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿
micuchua70
❤️❤️❤️
yossy mit
beautiful❤❤
Hilda Ro
Es un sueño hecho realidad haber encontrado a dos grandes de la música en una misma canción!
VOZ CON VOS Grupo
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️