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
Sometimes in Winter
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gaze into the streets
And walk through snow and city sleet
Behind your room
Sometimes in Winter
Forgotten memories
Remember you behind the trees
By the window once I waited for you
Laughing slightly you would run
Trees alone would shield us in the meadow
Makin′ love in the evening sun
Now you're gone girl
And the lamp posts call your name
I can hear them
In the spring of frozen rain
Now you′re gone girl
And the time's slowed down till dawn
It's a cold room
And the walls ask where you′ve gone
Sometimes In Winter
I love you when the good times
Seem like memories in the spring
That never came
Sometimes In Winter
I wish the empty streets
Would fill with laughter
From the tears that ease my pain
The song "Sometimes in Winter" by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 is a melancholic ballad about lost love and nostalgia. The first verse sets the scene with the singer walking through snow and sleet, reminiscent of a winter's day. He is standing behind his ex-lover's room, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of her. In the second verse, he remembers times spent with her and the trees that cried, evoking a sense of sorrow and regret. In the chorus, the singer reflects on his loneliness and longing for his lost love. He hears the lamp posts calling her name and reminisces about the times they spent together in the meadow, making love in the evening sun. The final verse expresses a desire for the good times to return, but sadly, the streets remain empty and his pain is still present.
Throughout the song, the lyrics are beautifully crafted to convey the singer's sense of loss and longing. The imagery of winter, trees, and meadows adds to the bittersweet tone of the song. The repetition of the phrase "sometimes in winter" emphasizes the cyclical nature of the singer's feelings and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes in Winter
Occasionally during the cold months
I gaze into the streets
I look out onto the empty roads
And walk through snow and city sleet
I stroll through the snowy and wet city
Behind your room
Behind where you live
Forgotten memories
Memories that have slipped away
Remember you behind the trees
Recall you standing behind the trees
With leaves that cried
Leaves that were outpouring water
By the window once I waited for you
I waited for you at the window previously
Laughing slightly you would run
You would chuckle as you ran
Trees alone would shield us in the meadow
Trees would protect us in the field
Makin' love in the evening sun
Making love under the setting sun
Now you're gone girl
Now you have departed
And the lamp posts call your name
The streetlights appear to address you
I can hear them
I perceive the streetlights calling your name
In the spring of frozen rain
During the time of sleet and snow
And the time's slowed down till dawn
The clock seemed to have slowed until morning
It's a cold room
The room is chilled
And the walls ask where you've gone
The walls appear to question where you have gone
Sometimes In Winter
Occasionally during the cold months
I love you when the good times
I adore you when times were good
Seem like memories in the spring
Feels like memories in the warm months
That never came
But never actually occurred
Sometimes In Winter
Occasionally during the cold months
I wish the empty streets
I long for the deserted roads
Would fill with laughter
To be filled with joyous sounds
From the tears that ease my pain
From the tears that relieve my suffering
Writer(s): Steve Katz
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
taino20
Sometimes in Winter
I gaze into the streets
and walk through snow and city sleet
behind your room
Sometimes in Winter
forgotten memories
remember you behind the trees
with leaves that cried
By the window once I waited for you
laughing slightly you would run
trees alone would shield us in the meadow
makin' love in the evening sun
And you're gone girl
and the lamp posts call your name
I can hear, them
in the spring of frozen rain
and you're gone girl
and the time's slowed down till dawn
It's a cold room and the walls ask
where you've gone
Sometimes In Winter
I love you when the good times
seem like mem'ries in the spring
that never came
Sometimes In Winter
I wish the empty streets
Would fill with laughter from your tears
to ease my pain
Alan Brown
A lovely and smooth song , it ebbs and flows like the tides of the sea
taino20
Sometimes in Winter
I gaze into the streets
and walk through snow and city sleet
behind your room
Sometimes in Winter
forgotten memories
remember you behind the trees
with leaves that cried
By the window once I waited for you
laughing slightly you would run
trees alone would shield us in the meadow
makin' love in the evening sun
And you're gone girl
and the lamp posts call your name
I can hear, them
in the spring of frozen rain
and you're gone girl
and the time's slowed down till dawn
It's a cold room and the walls ask
where you've gone
Sometimes In Winter
I love you when the good times
seem like mem'ries in the spring
that never came
Sometimes In Winter
I wish the empty streets
Would fill with laughter from your tears
to ease my pain
David Schadeberg
outstanding words!!!... (Cheryl...) ...
Daniel Herron
I never thought this song would get any better
I appreciate being proved wrong in this case
Mike Blakesley
This is one of many songs by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 that went sadly un-noticed. Just a terrific performance. Usually the "original version" of a song is the best, but not this time. (It was originally done by Blood, Sweat and Tears.)
Hugh Phillips
Mike Blakesley Awesome version, in 1970 Lani Hall left Sergio's Brasil'66 to marry Herb Alpert. From 1970, Sergio felt betrayed by both Herb&Lani. I believe to this day up until 1983 Herb failed to promote Sergio's album releases from Stillness to Primal Roots when Sergio's contract with A&M Records expired, he left. The singles from Stillness "Chelsea Morning" and "For What Its Worth" did fairly well especially on Adult Contemporary Charts😎. I was hoping this song would be released but never was.
Sheri Perl
Love it! Thank you for posting.
John timken
Brilliant. It's sad that they tried to become commercial and pop stars, but who can blame them? Stillness ended up as their greatest album.
David Schadeberg
Hear, hear!
Philip Beckett
Just wonderful isn't it? x