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
Please Baby Don't
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't fall in love with me
Please baby don't (baby don't)
You know my history
See honey I'm (honey I'm)
I'm just trying to warn you (let me warn you)
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
I've been cruisin' down this road for a while now,
I should tell the truth...
Girl you've been so good to me but I know
I'm no good for you
You should run while you can
Find yourself a better man
'Cause I'm known for brief romance
And breakin' hearts across the land
Yes I've been known to have a few temptations
Out there on the road
And let's say hypothetically I've slipped and
Took a couple home
Girl I know that's not fair
You need someone who'll be there
So just get away before it's too late
And your pain's too much to bear
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
Please baby don't (baby don't)
You know my history
See honey I'm (honey I'm)
I'm just trying to warn you (let me warn you)
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
Please baby don't (baby don't)
You know my history
See honey I'm (honey I'm)
I'm just trying to warn you (let me warn you)
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
Now on second thought maybe we'll give
This love another try
'Cause I can't see you with no one else
I'm selfish I can't lie
So let's go, let's go slow
You know all you need to know
It could end one day but
Let's just say we'll see how far it goes
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
Please baby don't (baby don't)
You know my history
See honey I'm (honey I'm)
I'm just trying to warn you (let me warn you)
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Don't fall in love with me
In Sergio Mendes's song "Please Baby Don't," the singer warns his lover not to fall in love with him because of his notorious reputation for brief romances and breaking hearts across the country. He acknowledges that he has a history of temptation and let's just say hypothetically, he's slipped with a couple of them. Therefore, he advises his lover to run while she can and find a better man who'll be there for her because he's known for brief romance.
As the song proceeds, the singer goes on to say he cannot see his lover with anyone else but him; he's just being selfish. Thus, they should give this love another chance but take it slow because, although it might end one day, they should see how far it goes.
The lyrics depict a man who is honest and upfront about his imperfections and warns his lover to be careful to avoid getting hurt. It ultimately shows the dilemma of an individual who wants to fall in love but fears getting hurt again.
Line by Line Meaning
Please baby don't (baby don't)
Begging you not to fall in love with me
Don't fall in love with me
I am not the kind of man you want as your lover
You know my history
I have a reputation of leaving and hurting the people I date
See honey I'm (honey I'm)
Let me explain the situation to you
I'm just trying to warn you (let me warn you)
I want you to know upfront that I am not the right person for you
I've been cruisin' down this road for a while now,
I have been around for a long time
I should tell the truth...
I need to be honest with you
Girl you've been so good to me but I know
You are great, but we are not meant to be together
I'm no good for you
I am not the right person for you
You should run while you can
You should leave me before it's too late
Find yourself a better man
You deserve someone better than me
'Cause I'm known for brief romance
I have a track record of being with someone for a short period of time
And breakin' hearts across the land
I have hurt people's feelings in many places
Yes I've been known to have a few temptations
I have been tempted by other women
Out there on the road
When I am travelling
And let's say hypothetically I've slipped and
Suppose I have made a mistake
Took a couple home
I have had physical relationships with some women
Girl I know that's not fair
I admit this is not right
You need someone who'll be there
You deserve a committed partner
So just get away before it's too late
I suggest you leave me before you get hurt
And your pain's too much to bear
I don’t want to see you suffer
Now on second thought maybe we'll give
After thinking about it, maybe we can try again
This love another try
See if there is a chance for this relationship to work
'Cause I can't see you with no one else
I cannot stand seeing you with anyone else
I'm selfish I can't lie
I am admitting that I am self-centered
So let's go, let's go slow
Let's take it slow and see how it goes
You know all you need to know
You are aware of the risks of being with me
It could end one day but
This relationship may not last
Let's just say we'll see how far it goes
Let time decide the fate of our relationship
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHN STEPHENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
joe almeida
John Legend's voice is wonderful.
Maria Claudia Souza
Sérgio Mendes continues to be THE MAN! Such remarkable sound with unique lyrics in John Legend’s voice.
Andrés Hernandez
Amo esta cancion, ni idea porque no tiene mas vistas.
The Tee Tones
So in love with this song!
Frolie
I 💚 this song!!
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2222
이민수
i love it
Sergio Ramirez
Timeless music
Robson Silva
Esse álbum é lindo
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