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
Summer Dream
Sérgio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the emerald sea
Where the sun is warm
And the wind is free
I'll show you an island in the stream
Where nobody else has been
We'll live in a shining summer dream
And summer will last forever
Live with me
By the emerald sea
In the wonder of
Our unending love
Two lovers together on the sand
Blue shadows forever hand in hand
Alone in a timeless wonderland
Come with me and share my summer dream
Live with me
By the emerald sea
I the wonder of
Our unending love
Two lovers together on the sand
Blue shadows forever hand in hand
Alone in a timeless wonderland
Come with me and share my summer dream
I'll show you hidden treasures
Secret and forbidden pleasures
While the seabirds flying high above
Tell a story of love
To the music of
The wind and the waves, come . . .
Come with me
Come with me
Come with me . . .
The lyrics of Sergio Mendes's "Summer Dream" invite the listener to escape to a paradise with the singer. "Come with me to the emerald sea / Where the sun is warm and the wind is free" he croons, offering a retreat from the monotony of everyday life. The island in the stream that Mendes describes is an idyllic haven that beckons to those who want to experience something new and exciting. The verse, "I'll show you hidden treasures / Secret and forbidden pleasures" implies that there are secrets and experiences on the island that can't be found anywhere else.
However, the real focus of the lyrics is the romantic relationship between the singer and his lover. In the chorus, Mendes sings "Live with me by the emerald sea / In the wonder of our unending love," suggesting that this is a place where their love can flourish without any obstacles. The imagery of "two lovers together on the sand / Blue shadows forever hand in hand" reinforces the idea that this is a timeless paradise where they can relax and be together. The final line "Come with me and share my summer dream" is an invitation to join him in the fantasy that he's painting, to make it a reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Come with me
Join me in a journey
To the emerald sea
I will take you to a tranquil sea with green-blue water
Where the sun is warm
The climate is hot and sunny
And the wind is free
The breeze moves effortlessly, unrestricted
I'll show you an island in the stream
I will reveal a distant tropical island
Where nobody else has been
It's secluded and isolated, untouched by others
We'll live in a shining summer dream
We will exist in a bright, happy, and idealistic state
And summer will last forever
We'll experience the pleasure of summer permanently
Live with me
Reside with me
By the emerald sea
Beside the serene ocean waters, having a green-blue hue
In the wonder of
In the marvel of
Our unending love
Our love for each other that will last forever
Two lovers together on the sand
We'll be together on the beach, united in our love
Blue shadows forever hand in hand
Our shadows will always be connected, symbolizing our love
Alone in a timeless wonderland
We'll be the only ones in this beautiful, eternal place
I'll show you hidden treasures
I'll reveal what's secret and buried
Secret and forbidden pleasures
Things that are pleasurable and prohibited
While the seabirds flying high above
The hovering seagulls high in the sky
Tell a story of love
Narrating a tale about love
To the music of
With the inspiring sounds of
The wind and the waves, come . . .
The soothing noises of the wind and the waves, come with me
Come with me and share my summer dream
Join me on this excursion, and let's experience this dream-like summer together
Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
𝘾𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙅-𝙋𝙊𝙋!!
Muy buena 👍🎶, me gusta también como la canta Yuko Asano 🎶
Петр Анапов
Какая потрясающая песня. Спасибо Сержио что написал это.
Matthew Fuller
Thanks for sharing!
Karim Gateau
👍….....From Paris ( France )