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
Song Of No Regrets
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without you, without you
When will this time pass?
Maybe I should talk
Perhaps I should not
But it's gone, what is gone
Who can say?
Like leaves that drift away
So softly, they tell me
I'll walk without you
Your name inside me
No wind will hide me
Like a song, no regrets
When it's done
The lyrics of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66's Song Of No Regrets is a melancholic ode to a relationship that has come to an end. The singer expresses a desire to be with their partner again, but they find themselves alone and unsure of when this feeling will pass. They consider reaching out and talking to their partner but ultimately realize that what is gone cannot be regained.
The imagery in the lyrics is hauntingly beautiful as the singer compares their feelings to leaves drifting away softly. They accept that they will have to walk without their partner, but they carry their name inside them, and no wind can hide them like a song. The final line, “When it's done,” reflects a sense of finality and acceptance that the relationship has ended, and there are no regrets.
Overall, the lyrics of Song Of No Regrets capture the pain of heartbreak and the acceptance that ultimately comes with it. It is a poignant reminder that sometimes the best thing we can do is let go and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
To be alone again
Being alone again, for a period of time without any companion
Without you, without you
Being without someone, who was once present in one's life, twice mentioned to signify its significance
When will this time pass?
Asking when this phase of life, of being solitary, will come to an end
Maybe I should talk
Considering the option to express oneself to someone else
Perhaps I should not
Thinking about not speaking up and keeping to oneself
But it's gone, what is gone
What is lost is lost; lamenting over something that cannot be regained
Who can say?
Expressing uncertainty about the future
Like leaves that drift away
Metaphorically comparing the fleeting nature of life and its beauty to leaves that fall off trees and get carried by the wind
So softly, they tell me
Gentle whispers, reminiscent of the sound of falling leaves
I'll walk without you
Continuing on one's journey without the one who was once with them
Your name inside me
Their presence is still felt inside, even in their absence
No wind will hide me
No obstacle or situation will overpower them and their spirit
Like a song, no regrets
Compared to a melodious tune, with no feelings of remorse or guilt
When it's done
After everything is said and done
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LANI HALL, SERGIO MENDES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Piera Bergamaschi
Canzone stupenda, bellissima voce, e orchestra bravo mendes
María Rosa Gomez
Vaya cancion no la conocia una verdadera belleza gracias por compartirla, Lani Hall espectacular como siempre
Piera Bergamaschi
Bellissima, brava la solista.
LITTLEMAMAMEMA
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW After the end of my first true collage love affair, to try & heal, I played this song over & over again!!
Richard M
Lani your voice is mesmerizing!
RG Salvatella
Lani Hall in all her splendor! Ageless song! Keeps your soul asking for more!
Nanda Cênica
Essa música me faz chorar.... Linda e triste ao mesmo tempo...
Jose Montufar delgado
Precioso
Gxyz222
Subtle and beautiful.
Piera Bergamaschi
Stupenda, non smetterei mai di sentirla. Chi e' la cantante??