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)
Harley
Sergio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All around you and
You're waiting for your dream to come alive
In these days it seems so hard to survive
And the way that you tell me
To never let go
So I hold on, I hold on
'Cause Harley, you'll be a star
Harley, there's a feeling that I get inside
When your'e singing
And I know it's more than just asong I hear
And your melody has cured me of my fear
And on the way that you tell me
Don't ever let go
So I hold on, I hold on
'Cause Harley, you'll be a star
And the world will put their arms around you
Sérgio Mendes's song "Harley" is a tribute to Harley Davidson, the iconic American motorcycle brand. However, the song's lyrics have a deeper meaning that extends beyond the motorcycle. The song opens with a message of hope - Harley is living in a world of love and waiting for his dream to come alive. In a world that seems so hard to survive, the lyrics suggest that Harley's love for life will help him overcome any obstacle.
The song's tone shifts in the second verse, where Sérgio Mendes sings about the feeling he gets when Harley sings. The melody has cured him of his fear, and the way that Harley tells him to never let go inspires him to hold on. The lyrics suggest that Harley has a special talent, one that will make him a star, and that the world will embrace him when he achieves his dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Harley, you are living in a world of love
Harley, your life is full of love, and you are surrounded by it.
All around you and
Everywhere you go, there is love surrounding you.
You're waiting for your dream to come alive
You have a dream that you want to see come true.
In these days it seems so hard to survive
In today's world, it can be difficult to make it through each day.
And the way that you tell me to never let go
You encourage me to hold on and not give up.
So I hold on, I hold on
I take your advice and cling to hope.
'Cause Harley, you'll be a star
I believe that you will achieve greatness and be successful.
And the world will put their arms around you
Everyone will be there to support and embrace you.
Harley, there's a feeling that I get inside
I feel something special when I'm around you.
When you're singing
Especially when you're sharing your music with the world.
And I know it's more than just a song I hear
Your music has a deeper meaning that touches my soul.
And your melody has cured me of my fear
Your music has brought peace and comfort to my life.
And on the way that you tell me don't ever let go
Your advice to hold on and persevere has resonated with me.
So I hold on, I hold on
I keep moving forward and not giving up.
'Cause Harley, you'll be a star
I am confident that you will achieve greatness.
And the world will put their arms around you
Everyone will be there to embrace and celebrate your success.
Contributed by Matthew T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@javiermartinez623
Bellísimo tema...
@diegotessa5908
Absoluta joya!!
@xell5252
ABSO FUKIN LUTELY Beautiful
I own the original vinyl lp and the CD
@javiermartinez623
Y gracias por compartirlo.
@user-oi6zw1fp9b
Good!