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
Feria Scarborough
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to the one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine
Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to the one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to the one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine
Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to the one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine
Scarborough Fair
Scarborough Fair
Scarborough Fair
(Are you goin'?)
Scarborough Fair
(Are you goin′?)
Scarborough Fair
The lyrics to Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66's song "Feria Scarborough" are a reference to the traditional English folk song, "Scarborough Fair". The repetition of the lyrics, "Are you goin' to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Remember me to the one who lives there. He once was a true love of mine," reflects the melancholic tone of the original song. The herbs mentioned in the song, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, add to the poetic imagery of the lyrics and represent the idea of love and remembrance.
The lyrics speak to the longing for an old love and the desire to be remembered. The use of Scarborough Fair as a reference adds to the romantic and nostalgic themes of the song. Scarborough Fair was originally held in England in the Middle Ages and is considered to be one of the largest and most popular fairs in medieval Europe. The fair was famous for its many attractions, including music, dancing, and games, and is still celebrated to this day.
In the context of the song, Scarborough Fair represents a lost love and a place of memories. The repetition of the lyrics reflects the sense of longing and the hope that the love once shared will be remembered. Overall, the lyrics of "Feria Scarborough" capture the essence of a longing for a lost love and the hope that it will be remembered.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you goin′ to Scarborough Fair?
Asking if you're planning on visiting Scarborough Fair
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Traditional herbs used in Scarborough Fair, possibly symbolic of different virtues
Remember me to the one who lives there
Asking the listener to convey a message to someone who still lives in Scarborough
He once was a true love of mine
Referring to a previous romantic relationship with someone from Scarborough
Scarborough Fair
Repeating the name of the fair, maybe emphasizing its importance
Are you goin'?
Repeating the question to emphasize it
Scarborough Fair
Repeating the name of the fair again
Are you goin′?
Repeating the question again
Scarborough Fair
Repeating the name of the fair one more time
Writer(s): Dave Grusin, Sergio Mendes
Contributed by Jeremiah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AlteredBates
Heavy Traffic is what made me fall head over heels for this one.
@JGordonAuthor
Me too
@RagingReality
Same.
@ericwilliams1575
Me as well
@cynthiaculiner9
You have no taste
@juanchavez8444
One of the best scenes ever
@mike44scv1
As a kid, I remember this song playing on the radio - on Thanksgiving morning 1968 as I was dressing to go out and play in the snow. Funny how music can bring back a snapshot in time.... when little else can.
@VoltVisionary
What a ultra beautiful experience
@consv
My favorite version of this song. Reminds me of summer in the 60's.
@conniee.
Yes, mine too, and that's the last time I think I heard it, was in the '60s on the radio.🤔😊 The title was always hard for me to remember later on through the years, but then a few days ago I remembered that Brazil 66 had made the version of this song that I had heard back in the '60s, I looked up Brazil 66 on YT, so when I saw the title, then I remembered, "yes, that's it" so here I Am.😄