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)
Look Around
Sergio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look around, just look around
Full of silver and surprise
If you look around, just look around
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you sing
When you look around, just look around
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you sing
When you look around, just look around
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
...
The lyrics to Sergio Mendes's song "Look Around" urge the listener to take notice of the beauty and wonder that surrounds us every day, if only we stop and pay attention. The imagery of nature is used to emphasize this message: "All the secrets of the skies in a drop of rain... All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand... All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass." The song encourages us to let our inner child out, to experience the world with a sense of wonder and joy. Even the mundane things in life, like a cloud or a leaf, can be seen as magical if we just take a moment to look at them with fresh eyes.
The song's repetition of the phrase "look around" is a powerful directive, urging us to stop and pay attention to the world outside ourselves. It's a reminder that beauty and wonder exist beyond our own individual experiences, and that we are all connected to the natural world in profound ways. "Look around" becomes a call to mindfulness, a reminder to stay present and to appreciate the richness of life in all its forms.
Overall, Sergio Mendes's "Look Around" is a powerful reminder of the beauty and wonder that surround us every day, and an encouragement to experience life with a sense of joy and childlike wonder. It's a call to mindfulness and to connecting with the natural world around us, even in the smallest and most seemingly insignificant of moments.
Line by Line Meaning
All the secrets of the skies in a drop of rain
The mysteries and wonders of the universe can be found in the smallest things.
Look around, just look around
Take a moment to observe and appreciate the beauty of the world.
Full of silver and surprise
The world is full of unexpected and wonderful things.
If you look around, just look around
There is so much to see and discover if you take the time to look.
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Even the tiniest things can hold great knowledge and understanding.
Set the child within you free
Let go of your worries and responsibilities, and allow yourself to experience the world with a childlike sense of wonder.
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
Use your imagination and see the world in a new and creative way.
That happy leaf's going to the fair
Even the simplest things can bring joy and happiness.
It's all there, it's all there
Everything you need to find happiness and contentment is already present in the world around you.
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocence of spring in a blade of grass
Just like the new growth of spring, there is always hope and renewal in the world.
Let the child within you sing
Embrace your inner child and find joy and wonder in the world.
Stop and look around
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and appreciate the beauty around you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Sergio Mendes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@periwinkleblue2
@venetiakelley
Lyrics:
Look around, just look around
Full of silver and surprise
If you look around, just look around
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
When you look around, just look around
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocense of Spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you see
When you look around, just look around
(Just look around)
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
When you look around, just look around
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocense of Spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you see
When you look around, just look around
Oh, look around
(Stop)
Just look around
(Stop)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
@catrinaciccone6945
Loved them when my sister brought this home in 1968! First, the incredible lyrics! Grazie mille!
@henrystowe6217
This is just about the sweetest song I've heard. Love the lyrics, the beat, melody, the vocals. Damn they don't make happy music like this today
@ednaaballe8283
Sergio Mendes never fades 🥰
@master-kq3nw
🏖️🌊🌊 excellent
@danielcruz8347
Charging Wide Eyed Euphoria!! "Look Around " one of four songs played at Mr Bruce Lee's Seattle Funeral 73. Along with My Way Frank Sinatra The Impossible Dream Tom Jones When I Die Blood Sweat and Tears thank you for sharing. Peace
@nkushner2393
Awesome groovy thanks
@jmrodas9
Beautiful song which invites to look around one, and see the beauty of life, instead of just thinking of our problems or woes. There is so much beauty out there if we just look around to see it as the song says.
@luisa.7734
❤👌🏻
@venetiakelley
Where can I see the word’s to these songs?
@periwinkleblue2
@venetiakelley
Lyrics:
Look around, just look around
Full of silver and surprise
If you look around, just look around
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
When you look around, just look around
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocense of Spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you see
When you look around, just look around
(Just look around)
All the wisdom of the sea in a grain of sand
Look around, just look around
Set the child within you free
When you look around, just look around
That cloud's a bird flying through the air
That happy leaf's going to the fair
It's all there, it's all there
(It's all there, it's all there)
All the innocense of Spring in a blade of grass
Look around, just look around
Let the child within you see
When you look around, just look around
Oh, look around
(Stop)
Just look around
(Stop)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around
(Stop and look around)
Just look around