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 Look of Love
Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is in your eyes
A look that time can't disguise
The look of love
Is saying so much more than just words could every say
And what my heart has heard
Well, it takes my breath away
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
Now that I have found you
You've got the look of love
It's on your face
A look that time can't erase
Be mine, tonight
Let this be just the start of so many nights like this
Let's take a lovers vow
And seal it with a kiss
I can hardly wait to hold you
Feel my arms around you
How long I have waited
Waited just to love you
Now that I have found you
Don't ever go (don't ever go)
Don't ever go (don't ever go)
(Don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go)
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66's song, The Look of Love, is a romantic ballad about the deep affection shared between two people in love. The opening lines "The look of love is in your eyes, a look that time can't disguise" speaks to the idea that no matter how much time passes, the love shared by the couple remains unchanged. The lyrics encapsulate the emotions felt by the singer - that the look of love on his partner's face makes his heart skip a beat and takes his breath away.
The next few lines "Is saying so much more than just words could every say, and what my heart has heard well, it takes my breath away" expresses that the look of love goes beyond spoken language and communicates a depth of emotion otherwise difficult to articulate. The singer goes on to express excitement about finally having the opportunity to hold his partner after a long wait, and how being with her is just the beginning of many wonderful nights. The plea to "don't ever go" at the end serves as a testament to the commitment and sincerity of the singer's feelings towards his partner.
Overall, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of a passionate and deeply emotional love that transcends words and time. It speaks to the universality of love and the human desire to find a deep connection with another person.
Line by Line Meaning
The look of love
The expression of love
Is in your eyes
It can be seen in your eyes
A look that time can't disguise
This love is genuine and can't be hidden with time
The look of love
The expression of love
Is saying so much more than just words could ever say
The expression is saying more than spoken words ever could
And what my heart has heard
The heart hears and understands
Well, it takes my breath away
The beauty of the expression is breathtaking
I can hardly wait to hold you
I'm eager to embrace you
Feel my arms around you
To hold and comfort you
How long I have waited
I have been waiting for this moment
Waited just to love you
The entire wait was just to love you
Now that I have found you
I have finally found you
You've got the look of love
You express love beautifully
It's on your face
I can see it on your face
A look that time can't erase
This expression of love cannot be forgotten with time
Be mine, tonight
Be with me tonight
Let this be just the start of so many nights like this
May this be the beginning of many beautiful moments together
Let's take a lovers vow
Let us make a vow of love
And seal it with a kiss
Let us finalize our love with a kiss
Don't ever go (don't ever go)
Please don't ever leave me
Don't ever go (don't ever go)
Please don't ever leave me
(Don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go, don't ever go)
(Repeat of 'please don't ever leave me')
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maxsugar6394
Sergio is one of the musicians from the 60' who played world hits. To this day they are played on the radio. Think about it, that's more than 50 years. Sergio you are the best.
@cocoaorange1
Timeless tunes!
@jamesdenecochea5709
Lani Hall's incredible voice simply 'ties my guts in a knot!' every time I hear her...and Janice Hansen was 'drop-dead gorgeous!' Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66 was beyond any comparison. I can listen to it every minute, of every day. Their music wraps around you, and penetrates all of your senses...not 'just music', it's pure 'emotion'.
@Matt_Traum
This is Janis Hansen on lead on this track!
@oldbeatpete
ez there, Jim...
@juliettehughes2851
true
@juliettehughes2851
true
@garycyganek1228
Janis is leading the vocals
@timothydavies7223
Good Lord how I miss the sounds from this era.
@eddie12454
Yes, so do I Tim. It was a great time for music.