See Sérgio Mendes.

Sérgio Santos Mendes (born Niteroi, 11 February 1… Read Full Bio ↴See Sérgio Mendes.

Sérgio Santos Mendes (born Niteroi, 11 February 1941) is a Brazilian musician. Born the son of a physician in Niteroi, 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 Antonio Carlos Jobim (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 Adderly 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. When sales were tepid, he replaced his Brazilian born vocalist Wanda Sa with the distinctive voice of Chicago native Lani Hall (who learned Mendes' Portuguese material phonetically) and switched to Herb Alpert's A&M label and released Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. (Hall would later marry Alpert). The album ultimately went platinum based largely upon the success of the single Mas Que Nada and the personal support of Alpert, with whom Mendes toured regularly. 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/Hal David song "The Look of Love" on the Academy Awards telecast in March 1968. Brasil '66's version of the song quickly shot into the top 10, eclipsing Dusty Springfield's version from the soundtrack of the movie, and 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." Though he continued to enjoy adult contemporary chart successes with Brasil '66 through 1971, he would not experience the mainstream chart hits he enjoyed in 1968 until his comeback album in 1983 generated the biggest single of his career, "Never Gonna Let You Go." However, 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 President Johnson and President Nixon.

Mendes' career in the U.S. stalled in the mid-70s, but he remained very popular in South America and Japan. (This disparity became a Seinfeld in-joke.) 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. 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. He has released over thirty-five albums, and still plays his bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. His newest album, Timeless released in 2006, featured Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas, Q-Tip, Justin Timberlake, and Pharoahe Monch.

(Text taken in whole from the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Mendes on March 30, 2006)

Balafon
Sergio Mendes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tenga patenga patenga
Patenga patenga
Patenga patenga patenga

Tenga patenga patenga
Patenga patenga
Patenga patenga patenga

Let me please introduce you
To a sound that will move you
They call it balafon
No one's sure where it comes from
Some old african kingdom
Somewhere like Cameroon

Here we call it marimba
Music made with your fingers
Rhythm becomes a song
Feels so good when they play it
Soon you'll learn how to say it
You'll call it balafon

Marim-bajé, iré-shiré
Balafonjá, orin-axé
Marim-bajé, iré-shiré
Balafonjá, orin-axé

Isso que toca bem, bem
Isso que toca bem, bem
Chama-se balafon
Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha
Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha

Tenga patenga patenga
Patenga patenga
Patenga patenga patenga

Tenga patenga patenga
Patenga patenga
Patenga patenga patenga

Let me please introduce you
To a sound that will move you
They call it balafon
No one's sure where it comes from
Some old african kingdom
Somewhere like Cameroon

Here we call it marimba
Music made with your fingers
Rhythm becomes a song
Feels so good when they play it
Soon you'll learn how to say it
You'll call it balafon

Marim-bajé, iré-shiré
Balafonjá, orin-axé
Marim-bajé, iré-shiré
Balafonjá, orin-axé

Isso que toca bem, bem
Isso que toca bem, bem
Chama-se balafon
Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha
Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha

Eu quero é muqueca
Com pimenta
Eu quero é muqueca
Com vatapa
Eu quero é muqueca

Com pimenta
Eu quero é muqueca!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sérgio Mendes's song Balafon introduce the listener to a new sound that they call balafon. The song highlights the origins of the sound, suggesting it comes from an old African kingdom, such as Cameroon. The song seems to indicate that the balafon is similar to the marimba, a variation of the balafon, and they both produce music with your fingers. The rhythm of the balafon becomes a song, and it creates a joyful experience when played.

The song's repetitive structure may indicate that the music is supposed to be easy and accessible to everyone. The lyrics can also be considered as an invitation to experience the balafon sound for the first time. The African influence in this song is evident not only through the content of the lyrics but also via the rhythm and melody of the song itself. The lyrics show appreciation for the African culture and musical tradition, and the balafon sound is a testament to this.

Line by Line Meaning

Tenga patenga patenga Patenga patenga Patenga patenga patenga
The repetition of 'tenga patenga patenga' and 'patenga patenga' is an introduction to the song's rhythm and melody, creating a sense of anticipation for the listener.

Let me please introduce you To a sound that will move you They call it balafon No one's sure where it comes from Some old african kingdom Somewhere like Cameroon
The singer is introducing the listener to a traditional African instrument called 'balafon' whose origins are vague but rooted in an old African kingdom, possibly from Cameroon. The music played with balafon is claimed to be moving.

Here we call it marimba Music made with your fingers Rhythm becomes a song Feels so good when they play it Soon you'll learn how to say it You'll call it balafon
In the singer's culture, 'balafon' is known as 'marimba' and it is played using your fingers. The connecting rhythm and tunes of balafon music create the melody of the song. The listener is invited to learn the name of the instrument and experience its charm.

Marim-bajé, iré-shiré Balafonjá, orin-axé Marim-bajé, iré-shiré Balafonjá, orin-axé Isso que toca bem, bem Isso que toca bem, bem Chama-se balafon Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha Nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha
These lines continue to praise the skillful music played on the balafon and prompt the listener to recognize this remarkable instrument. The song title, 'balafon,' is repeated along with other catchphrases like 'marim-baje' and 'nhen-nhen patapa nha-nha' which translate musically to 'throwdown.'

Eu quero é muqueca Com pimenta Eu quero é muqueca Com vatapa Eu quero é muqueca Com pimenta Eu quero é muqueca!
In conclusion, the lyrics of the song suddenly shift to a desire for a local dish called 'muqueca' with either 'pimenta' or 'vatapa' as preferred seasoning. This is unrelated to the Balafon, and serves as an expression of the artist's taste preference.

Contributed by Ella N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS