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
Look Who's Mine
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just take a look who's mine
See who's in love with me
Gentle wind his smile will make your day
He'll take your breath away
And he's in love with me
Weeping willow you can dry your tears now
You won't believe your eyes
What a sweet surprise
Oh just look who's mine
Can you believe who's mine
That he's in love with me
He's in love with me
Listen sun
I know you're leaving soon
Be sure to warn the moon
He's got a treat in store
In my arms are all my wildest dreams
And crazy as it seems
He's here in love with me
Oh look who's mine
Can you believe who's mine
Look who's mine
I can't believe he's mine
Look who's mine
Can you believe he's mine
Look who's mine
I can't believe he's mine . . .
The song "Look Who's Mine" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 is a sweet love song full of whimsical metaphors and imagery. The song starts with the line "Sleepy sun it's time to rise and shine" which hints towards a new beginning or a fresh start. The next line, "Just take a look who's mine", implies that the person singing has found someone special, and they want the world to take notice. The chorus, "Look who's mine, can you believe he's mine, that he's in love with me" confirms that the person singing has found someone to love and is happy to have them.
The song continues to use metaphors like "gentle wind" and "weeping willow" to create an imaginary world where the person singing is surrounded by beauty and love. The line "In my arms are all my wildest dreams, and crazy as it seems, he's here in love with me" reinforces the idea that the person singing has found someone who fulfills their desires and makes their dreams come true.
Overall, "Look Who's Mine" is a joyful love song that celebrates finding love and being happy in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleepy sun it's time to rise and shine
It's morning, time to wake up and get going
Just take a look who's mine
See who I am with
See who's in love with me
Notice that I am loved and cherished by someone
Gentle wind his smile will make your day
His gentle demeanor and smile will make your day better
He'll take your breath away
He is so attractive that you will be left breathless
And he's in love with me
This attractive person is in love with me
Weeping willow you can dry your tears now
The sadness represented by the weeping willow can now cease
When he passes by you wouldn't want to cry
The sight of him is so enjoyable you would not want to cry
You won't believe your eyes
The sight is completely astounding and unbelievable
What a sweet surprise
The sight is very pleasant and surprising
Can you believe who's mine
Can you believe that I am with this attractive person?
That he's in love with me
It's incredible that this attractive person loves me
Listen sun
Addressing the sun
I know you're leaving soon
The sun is setting soon
Be sure to warn the moon
Make sure to let the moon know that this amazing person is here and in love with me
He's got a treat in store
The moon will be surprised to see this attractive person and will enjoy the sight
In my arms are all my wildest dreams
Being with this attractive person fulfills all of my deepest desires
And crazy as it seems
It may seem unbelievable to be with someone so attractive
He's here in love with me
This attractive person loves me and is here with me
Contributed by David D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@annettespallino1371
That’s the incomparable Mrs Lani Hall-Alpert. What a voice. Then there’s Sergio!! That arrangement is so Bachrach !
@macmarcelomac
SENSACIONAL SÉRGIO NITERÓI MENDES!!!! Orgulho da cidade de Niterói, orgulho do bairro Ingá.👏👏👏👏
@BeeFlannel
Perfect music, perfect lyrics, perfect singer, Lani Hall!
@tinydancer62
Belissimo ❤❤❤ e minha cancao favorita
@AldinoFilho
Demais...
@annettespallino1371
Lani Hall, just the best. I hear Burt as well. Although it is a Bergman tune so that’s where the melody comes from
@5saxman7
I’m hearing a little Burt Bacharach in this arrangement.