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
The Dock Of The Bay
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be sitting when
The evening come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch em
Roll away again, yeah
I'm sitting on
Watching the tide roll away
Ooh, I'm just sitting on
The dock of the bay
Wasting time
I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the Frisco bay
Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothing's
Gonna come my way
So, I'm just gonna sit
On the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooh, I'm sitting on
The dock of the bay
Wasting time
Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes
Sitting here resting my bones
And this loneliness
Won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home
Now, I'm just gonna sit
At the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Owee, sitting on
The dock of the bay
Wasting time
The Dock of the Bay is a song about a man who has left his home in Georgia and is now idling away his time, watching the ships come and go from the San Francisco Bay. The song's melancholic tone suggests that the man is feeling lost and aimless. He has left everything behind and has no direction.
The song's opening lines set the scene for the rest of the song. The man is sitting on the dock, waiting for something to happen. He is watching the ships rolling in and out of the bay, but nothing seems to change. The lyrics suggest that the man is searching for something, but he does not know what that something is.
The line "I can't do what ten people tell me to do, so I guess I'll remain the same" suggests that the man feels trapped and unable to move forward in his life. He has no direction or purpose, and he is resigned to his fate of sitting on the dock and watching the world go by.
Overall, The Dock of the Bay is a melancholic song that captures the feeling of being lost and unsure. The man in the song has left his home and has nothing to show for it. He is sitting on the dock, watching the world go by, and waiting for something to happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I am currently sitting on the dock during the morning hours when the sun is just beginning to rise.
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
I plan to stay here and continue sitting until the evening arrives.
Watching the ships roll in
I am observing as ships come into the bay.
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah
I am also watching the ships as they leave the bay.
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
I am currently sitting on a dock that overlooks the bay.
Watching the tide roll away
I am observing the movement of the tide as it rolls in and out of the bay.
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
I am enjoying my peaceful surroundings and am content with just sitting here.
Wastin' time
I have nothing else to do at the moment and am simply passing the time.
I left my home in Georgia
I left my hometown in Georgia to come to this location.
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
I came here specifically to visit the San Francisco Bay area.
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
I came to this location because I felt like I had nothing to live for back in Georgia.
And look like nothin's gonna come my way
I feel like there is no hope for my future and that nothing good will come my way.
So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Given my circumstances and my lack of purpose, I have decided to simply sit here and enjoy the scenery.
Look like nothing's gonna change
My perception is that things will remain the same and that my situation will not improve.
Everything still remains the same
I am observing that everything around me has not changed since I arrived at this location.
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
I have my own ideas and my own way of doing things and will not conform to the expectations of others.
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes
Given that I am not willing to change who I am or how I live, I will likely remain in the same situation as before.
Sittin' here resting my bones
I am enjoying the peace and relaxation of being able to sit and rest without any demands or expectations placed on me.
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
Despite my beautiful surroundings, I am still feeling lonely and isolated.
It's two thousand miles I roamed
I have traveled a great distance to get to this location.
Just to make this dock my home
I consider this dock and its beautiful view to be my new home.
Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
I have come to the decision that this is where I belong and I plan to stay here for a while.
Watching the tide roll away
I will continue to watch the tide roll in and out of the bay as an ongoing form of entertainment.
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
I am truly enjoying my time spent sitting on this beautiful dock and enjoying the view.
Wastin' time
I continue to pass the time in a leisurely manner, without any pressing demands or expectations.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Steve Cropper, Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
maria de lourdes falcon huante
la buena musica nunca pasa de moda!!
Steve Ember
Memories of summer, top down driving in my then three year old '63 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible, her big Thunderbird 390 cid V8 purring and Sergio's singers doin' the same. Ahhh. Thanks so much for posting!
Lazlo Vandor
Second best... after the original of Otis Redding
Hugh Phillips
Actually Sergio did an awesome job, Vocal Arrangement, a Masterpiece. Made it his own😎
goodwell
This is the best version of this song.
brakgeluid
Let's say, for certain moods it most definitively is! That is to say; same goes for the Otis version. I'd rather listen to that one when I'm blue. But in summer happytime, Sergio Mendes it is!
Moulaythami
thank you very much to have waste some time for posting this !!
Georg Ernst
No wasting time!
James Ross
Jacksonville fl 1969 1460 wmbr
Froggy Legs
🐸