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
Roda
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Na roda que eu te fiz
Quero mostrar a quem vem
Aquilo que o povo diz
Posso falar, pois eu sei
Eu tiro os outros por mim
Quando almoço, não janto
Agora vou divertir
Agora vou começar
Quero ver quem vai sair
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Não é obrigado a me ouvir
Quem não quiser escutar
Quem tem dinheiro no mundo
Quanto mais tem, quer ganhar
E a gente que não tem nada
Fica pior do que está
Seu moço, tenha vergonha
Acabe a descaração
Deixe o dinheiro do pobre
E roube outro ladrão
Agora vou divertir
Agora vou prosseguir
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Quero ver quem vai sair
Não é obrigado a escutar
Quem não quiser me ouvir
Se morre o rico e o pobre
Enterre o rico e eu
Quero ver quem que separa
O pó do rico do meu
Se lá embaixo há igualdade
Aqui em cima há de haver
Quem quer ser mais do que é
Um dia há de sofrer
Agora vou divertir
Agora vou prosseguir
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Quero ver quem vai sair
Não é obrigado a escutar
Quem não quiser me ouvir
Agora vou terminar
Agora vou discorrer
Quem sabe tudo e diz logo
Fica sem nada a dizer
Quero ver quem vai voltar
Quero ver quem vai fugir
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Quero ver quem vai trair
Por isso eu fecho essa roda
A roda que eu te fiz
A roda que é do povo
Onde se diz o que diz
Onde se diz o que diz
Onde se diz o que diz
Onde se diz o que diz
Diz
The song "Roda" by Sergio Mendes is a lively samba that speaks to the power of community and the struggle for justice in the face of inequality. The lyrics are a call to attention for the people, espousing the importance of the "roda" (circle) that the singer has brought them to. This circle represents a space for people to speak their truth and for the singer to show what the people are saying. The opening lines set the tone of the song and the importance of paying attention to what is being said: "My people, pay attention / To the circle that I've made you."
The second verse speaks to the performer's ability to speak out and the importance of standing up for oneself. The lines "I can speak, because I know / I take care of myself first" assert the importance of self-preservation, and not relying on others for support. The following lines "When I eat lunch, I don't have dinner / And when I sing, it's like this," evoke the passion and intensity that comes with standing up for oneself and one's community.
The song continues to comment on wealth inequality and the power dynamics that exist in society. The lines "Those who have money in the world / The more they have, the more they want to gain / And we who have nothing / Are worse off than we already are" speak to the greed of the wealthy and the struggles of those who have little. The singer calls out for those in power to have shame and to recognize their role in contributing to inequality.
Overall, "Roda" is a lively and powerful song that speaks to the power of community and standing up for oneself and one's community in the face of inequality.
Line by Line Meaning
Meu povo, preste atenção
Hey, my people, pay attention
Na roda que eu te fiz
To the circle I made for you
Quero mostrar a quem vem
I want to show those who come
Aquilo que o povo diz
What the people say
Posso falar, pois eu sei
I can speak, because I know
Eu tiro os outros por mim
I criticize others for my own benefit
Quando almoço, não janto
When I have lunch, I don't have dinner
E quando canto é assim
And when I sing, it's like this
Agora vou divertir
Now I'm going to have fun
Agora vou começar
Now I'm going to start
Quero ver quem vai sair
Let's see who will leave
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Let's see who will stay
Não é obrigado a me ouvir
You're not obliged to listen to me
Quem não quiser escutar
Whoever doesn't want to listen
Quem tem dinheiro no mundo
Those who have money in the world
Quanto mais tem, quer ganhar
The more they have, the more they want to earn
E a gente que não tem nada
And we who have nothing
Fica pior do que está
Are worse off than we were
Seu moço, tenha vergonha
Sir, be ashamed
Acabe a descaração
Stop being shameless
Deixe o dinheiro do pobre
Leave the poor's money
E roube outro ladrão
And steal from another thief
Se morre o rico e o pobre
If the rich and the poor die
Enterre o rico e eu
Bury the rich and me
Quero ver quem que separa
Let's see who separates
O pó do rico do meu
The rich's dust from mine
Se lá embaixo há igualdade
If there's equality down there
Aqui em cima há de haver
There must be equality up here too
Quem quer ser mais do que é
Whoever wants to be more than they are
Um dia há de sofrer
Will suffer one day
Agora vou terminar
Now I'm going to finish
Agora vou discorrer
Now I'm going to talk
Quem sabe tudo e diz logo
Who knows everything and says it right away
Fica sem nada a dizer
Has nothing left to say
Quero ver quem vai voltar
Let's see who will come back
Quero ver quem vai fugir
Let's see who will run away
Quero ver quem vai ficar
Let's see who will stay
Quero ver quem vai trair
Let's see who will betray
Por isso eu fecho essa roda
That's why I'm closing this circle
A roda que eu te fiz
The circle I made for you
A roda que é do povo
The circle that belongs to the people
Onde se diz o que diz
Where one says what they want
Onde se diz o que diz
Where one says what they want
Onde se diz o que diz
Where one says what they want
Onde se diz o que diz
Where one says what they want
Diz
Say it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gilberto Gil, Joao Augusto Azevedo Filho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruno Stark
Superbad ❤
Nate Ward
Some of the greatest percussion ever. What a great song!
Wanderson
Esse vídeo tem mais comentários em inglês do que em português.
Plague Doctor James Painshe
Tocou na cena icônica dos penis em Superbad né
Junior Fake
Superbad🥰
Jadeloid
Amo, amo amo esta canción! TE AMO SERGIO MENDES!!!
J Eshun
Sweet Bossa Nova from Sergio Mendes, amazing to think that he has
released over 55 albums, spanning over 50 years, with a blend of
Brazillian influences of Samba, Bossa or latin Jazz
A Stapler
I read up somewhere that this song causes certain people to break down laughing. Only a small amount, something like 8 percent. It's rare.
macarthurp
Superbad did not bring me here, I've never seen it, but I've been a fan of this song and Sergio Mendes for many years. One of his best.
La Divina Raponi
I've never seen Superbad either,I've been a Sergio Mendes fan since I was a baby.