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
Righteous Life
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Played cards with some of your gods
Kicked a long stone at sunset
Watched the ways you smile and nod
You smile and nod
It's a righteous life we're leading friends
Heavy dues, pay the fee
Destiny except the free, except the free
You can tell it in a smile sometimes
Arrogance, haughty, and cruel
Smiling at some stranger
Like a tarot deck card fool
It's a righteous life we're leading friends
Heavy dues, pay the fee
But no one else notices
Destiny except the free, except the free
Stories that they're weaving now
Are part fiction, sometimes ruse
You can tell where the real part ends
And it's time to ask for truth, to ask for truth
To ask for truth
It's a righteous life we're leading friends
Heavy dues, pay the fees
But no one else notices
Destiny except the free, except the free
The lyrics to Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66's song "Righteous Life" are about observation and reflection. The singer describes their encounters with people and places while traveling on highways and playing cards with powerful figures. They watch the sunset and observe people smiling and nodding in a way that suggests fake politeness rather than genuine connection. The singer notes how they can tell someone's character through their smile, and how some people carry themselves arrogantly, with a cruel streak. The phrase "tarot deck card fool" suggests that some people try to hide their true selves but ultimately, it will be revealed. The singer reflects upon how the world is full of stories, but only some are based on reality. They implore the listener to seek out the truth.
The chorus of the song speaks to the idea that life is difficult and sometimes unfair, but it is still a righteous one. The heavy dues that we pay are worth it if we are living a life free of the constraints of societal expectations. The singer suggests that those who are free to live as they wish will ultimately find their destiny.
Overall, the song seems to be about the importance of being true to oneself and living a life free of the expectations of others. It is a call to be aware of people who may not be who they seem, and to seek out the truth in all things.
Line by Line Meaning
I rode on your highways
Traveled through various paths in life
Played cards with some of your gods
Interacted with influential people
Kicked a long stone at sunset
Enjoyed leisure time outdoors
Watched the ways you smile and nod
Observed people's behavior
You smile and nod
People often fake their emotions
It's a righteous life we're leading friends
Striving for a moral life
Heavy dues, pay the fee
Sacrifices must be made
But no one else notices
Not everyone sees the value in a just life
Destiny except the free, except the free
Only those who choose their path will fulfill it
You can tell it in a smile sometimes
Facial expressions reveal a person's nature
Arrogance, haughty, and cruel
Some people display unpleasant attitudes
Smiling at some stranger
Some people pretend to be friendly
Like a tarot deck card fool
Acting foolish or misled
Stories that they're weaving now
People often tell lies
Are part fiction, sometimes ruse
Some lies are deceptive
You can tell where the real part ends
Truth lies between lies
And it's time to ask for truth, to ask for truth
People should seek the truth
To ask for truth
The only way to find truth is to question everything
Contributed by Ava P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Estevam Leonam
Amo essa música! Sempre que possível eu apresento ela a alguém especial...
Paula Stone
Obrigado
Marcio E. Cumplido
Show no Grand Theâtre de Genebra-CH, final dos anos 60...inesquecível.
Fabio Araujo
Maravilha 🤩
Janice A
And still relevant today. ✌️
Paula Stone
Thanks from lyricist Paula Stone
GTA YoungBoy
🖤🖤🖤