Mendes is married to the singer Gracinha Leporace who regularly performs vocals alongside Mendes and can 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 1961. 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 Brasil '65 group name 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 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
Daytripper
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were taking the easy way out
Gotta good reason
Were taking the easy way out
She was a daytripper, one way to go, yeah
Took me so long to find out, I found out
She only played when I can
Tried to please her
She only played when I can
She was a daytripper, one way to go, yeah
Took me so long to find out, I found out
She was a teaser
She took me half the way there
She was a teaser
She took me half the way there
She was a daytripper, some days rather, yeah
Took me so long to find out, I found out
Daytripper, one day for you, yeah
It took me so long to find, I found out
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
Datripper, yeah
The lyrics to Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66's song "Daytripper" are about a man who is desperate to please his lover, but ultimately realizes that she is only interested in a casual, one-time fling. The chorus "Gotta good reason, were taking the easy way out" suggests that the couple is not interested in pursuing a long-term relationship and would rather take the simple route of a one-day trip. The lyrics further allude to the woman being a "daytripper," someone who is only interested in a brief and temporary fling, rather than a committed relationship.
The man in the lyrics feels frustrated and played by the woman's teasing behavior, as she only engages with him when it suits her. The repetition of the phrases "Tried to please her; She was a teaser" highlights the man's desperation and the woman's non-committal attitude. Ultimately, the man realizes that the woman is only interested in a short-term fling, and the lyrics "Took me so long to find out, I found out" suggests a sense of regret and disappointment.
Overall, the lyrics to "Daytripper" explore themes of love, lust, and relationships, with an emphasis on the transience and impermanence of romantic connections.
Line by Line Meaning
Gotta good reason
We have a valid excuse
Were taking the easy way out
We are opting for a simple solution.
She was a daytripper, one way to go, yeah
The girl in question had a fleeting attitude to relationships.
Took me so long to find out, I found out
It took me a while, but eventually, I realized the truth.
Tried to please her
I made an effort to satisfy her.
She only played when I can
She only showed interest when it suited her.
She was a teaser
She led me on without any intentions of commitment.
She took me half the way there
She pushed me only part of the way towards a relationship.
She was a daytripper, some days rather, yeah
She wasn't always honest about her intentions.
Daytripper, one day for you, yeah
She only committed to a relationship for a short while.
It took me so long to find, I found out
It took me a while, but eventually, I learned the truth.
Datripper, yeah
A reference to the girl's non-committal, temporary attitude to relationships.
Datripper, yeah
A repeated reference to the girl's temporary, fleeting attitude to relationships.
Datripper, yeah
Another reference to the girl's non-commitment to long-term relationships.
Datripper, yeah
A repeating acknowledgement of the girl's lack of commitment.
Datripper, yeah
A repetitive, non-committal reference to the girl's fleeting nature.
Datripper, yeah
A continued reference to the girl's unattached, non-committal nature.
Datripper, yeah
A repetitive, almost resigned recognition of the girl's transitory relationships.
Datripper, yeah
A repeated acknowledgement of the girl's lack of commitment.
Datripper, yeah
A final admission of the girl's transience in relationships.
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yameruss
I love how the drums and percussion are so prominent in the mix. Lani Hall's cool vocal and Sergio's jazzy piano are truly sublime. Production by Herb Alpert.
@nandocury441
Uma deliciosa versão de Day Tripper.
@nicomeier8098
This version is much more musical then the original, love the voices and the Bossa style, never gets dull!
@JoyHarrison
I just discovered this version and I'm loving it.
@blitzkrieg6872
It's all about those drums!!!! The drums are what really make this song.
@quickworks9720
This album started my life long love of Portuguese snd Brazilian music - way back when.
@orenico96
Fantastic version, such a groove, and also the vocal harmonies are great!
@TheVinylRestorationProject
Awesome and glad you enjoyed it. I believe I put out a revitalized version a few months back that you might enjoy as well. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr_e42jBVW8. Enjoy! And thanks for listening.
@stevesmith6685
I was 13 or 14 when this came out. I liked their versions of Beatles songs back then (I know, heresy). I was more jazz, blues oriented then and now... or maybe I just liked the way Lani Hall and Janis Hansen sang... and looked.
@jmrodas9
Nice song made by the Beatles originally but I like this bossa nova version which is very nice to hear over half a century later.