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)
Loose Ends
Sergio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stressed out 'cause I'm gone, she acting all extra
We're happy 'cause she knows it's a girl
But we doubtful if we should bring another one in the world
An' the pic you sent with you, and the kids is da bomb
I'm keepin' all my photos in my 23rd Psalm
My best friend Armani lost her arm at the border
An' it's strange 'cause she reads the Koran
Torn between what side she needs to be on
Haven't slept for days, I squeeze Visine
'Cause no man's eyes should see what I've seen
Soldiers lost their mind, robbin', pillagin'
Tomahawk missiles into civilian villages
And they ease the pain with narcotics
I'm scared but I'm tryin' to remain patriotic
My father, forgive us
'Cause we know not what we doin'
And my brothers, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
And my mother, tryin' to use
Ev'rything you taught me to keep it movin'
And my brothers and sisters, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
New message from mom, at Bringbackthetroopsdot.com
At home they 'Nam, so sad you had to miss Shavonne's prom
Just some songs off the Marvin Gaye 'what's Going On' album
And her smile lit up the room
She asks me if at night when she stares at the moon
Is it possible at the same moment of time
You're starin' as well' 'Cause you two were in tune
Your dad's Purple Heart now hangs over his ashes
An' Trini's alive and wake up with hot flashes
They say the disease's gastric
Have yet to explain the migraines and rashes
And have you seen what the price of gas is'
We can't afford the property taxes
We just want you back at home
Where you belong with your family
You're the backbone
My father, forgive us
'Cause we know not what we doin'
And my brothers, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
And my mother, tryin' to use
Ev'rything you taught me to keep it movin'
And my brothers and sisters, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
Tell me how can we live this way
We've gone so far astray, no one knows what to say
We got young peoples lives at stake
What is it gonna take for us to find a way'
The world is changin', we in danger
'Cause we ain't changin our behavior
We behave like calm is nothing
Ain't concerned with repercussions, ain't that somethin'
Check 'em out now, pointin' fingers
When they know how we got to this point of terror
Precaution could have made the road clearer
But we stuck with mediocre leadership
So we'll just suffer
Who knows what the hell is going on
With conflicts they keep on growing
It's a fucked up situation
When you ain't got no education
On the problem or know what it's about
You gotta help me out
The lyrics of Sergio Mendes's song "Loose Ends" describe a soldier who is far from home and struggling to cope with the difficulties of being away from his family, while also grappling with the realities of war. The opening lines refer to his girlfriend being pregnant and stressed out while he is away, uncertain whether they should bring another child into such a chaotic world. He also receives messages from his family, which reveal their struggles with illness, financial difficulties, and the toll that his absence is taking on them. The song touches on themes such as patriotism, the cost of war, and the importance of family and community.
The chorus repeatedly asks how they will "tie up all these loose ends," representing the many unresolved problems and challenges faced by the soldier and his loved ones. The lyrics suggest that the difficulties they face are beyond their individual ability to handle, and that they need to work together in order to find solutions. Ultimately, the song paints a powerful picture of the emotional toll of war, both on those who serve and on those who love them.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear mom, Alana's in her second trimester
I am informing my mother that Alana is in her second trimester of pregnancy.
Stressed out 'cause I'm gone, she acting all extra
I am stressed because I am away and Alana is acting extra due to the pregnancy.
We're happy 'cause she knows it's a girl
We are happy because we know the gender of the baby and it is a girl.
But we doubtful if we should bring another one in the world
Although we are happy, we are doubtful whether it is wise to bring another life into the world.
An' the pic you sent with you, and the kids is da bomb
The photo you sent of you and the kids is amazing.
I'm keepin' all my photos in my 23rd Psalm
I am keeping all my photos in my Bible at Psalm 23.
My best friend Armani lost her arm at the border
My friend Armani lost her arm at the border.
Just tryin' to restore a little peace and order
She is trying to restore peace and order in a difficult situation.
An' it's strange 'cause she reads the Koran
It is strange that my friend reads the Koran.
Torn between what side she needs to be on
My friend is conflicted about which side she should take in a difficult situation.
Haven't slept for days, I squeeze Visine
I have not slept in days and I am using Visine to clear my eyes.
'Cause no man's eyes should see what I've seen
The things I have witnessed are too much for anyone to see.
Soldiers lost their mind, robbin', pillagin'
The soldiers have gone mad and are stealing and destroying things.
Tomahawk missiles into civilian villages
Missiles are being launched into villages where civilians live.
And they ease the pain with narcotics
The soldiers are using drugs to cope with their situation and pain.
I'm scared but I'm tryin' to remain patriotic
Although I am scared, I am trying to remain loyal to my country and patriotic.
My father, forgive us
I ask for forgiveness from my father.
'Cause we know not what we doin'
We do not know what we are doing.
And my brothers, how we gonna tie up
My brothers and I need to resolve our loose ends.
All these loose ends'
There are many things that need to be tied up and resolved.
And my mother, tryin' to use
My mother is trying to use the life lessons she taught me to keep going.
Ev'rything you taught me to keep it movin'
My mother taught me to keep moving forward and I am trying to do that.
And my brothers and sisters, how we gonna tie up
My siblings and I need to resolve our loose ends.
New message from mom, at Bringbackthetroopsdot.com
My mom sent me a message at Bringbackthetroops.com.
At home they 'Nam, so sad you had to miss Shavonne's prom
Shavonne had a prom, but I missed it because I am away.
Just some songs off the Marvin Gaye 'what's Going On' album
My mother sent me some songs from the Marvin Gaye album "What's Going On".
And her smile lit up the room
Her smile made everyone happy.
She asks me if at night when she stares at the moon
My mother asks me if we are staring at the same moon at night.
Is it possible at the same moment of time
Could it be that we are looking at the same moon at the exact same time?
You're starin' as well'
Are you also admiring the moon?
'Cause you two were in tune
Could it be that we are in tune with the universe?
Your dad's Purple Heart now hangs over his ashes
My father's Purple Heart medal now hangs over his cremated remains.
An' Trini's alive and wake up with hot flashes
Trini is alive but wakes up with hot flashes.
They say the disease's gastric
The disease is related to the stomach.
Have yet to explain the migraines and rashes
They have yet to explain the cause of the migraines and rashes.
And have you seen what the price of gas is'
The price of gas is very high.
We can't afford the property taxes
We cannot afford to pay the property taxes.
We just want you back at home
We want you back home with us.
Where you belong with your family
You belong with your family at home.
You're the backbone
You are the backbone of our family and we need you.
Tell me how can we live this way
How can we continue to live like this?
We've gone so far astray, no one knows what to say
We have strayed so far from our original path and no one knows what to do about it.
We got young peoples lives at stake
The lives of young people are at risk.
What is it gonna take for us to find a way'
What do we need to do in order to find a solution?
The world is changin', we in danger
The world is changing and we are in danger.
'Cause we ain't changin our behavior
We are not changing our behavior to adapt to the changing world.
We behave like calm is nothing
We behave as if calm is not important.
Ain't concerned with repercussions, ain't that somethin'
We are not concerned with the consequences, which is surprising.
Check 'em out now, pointin' fingers
People are now pointing fingers at each other.
When they know how we got to this point of terror
They know how we got to this point of terror, yet they are still blaming each other.
Precaution could have made the road clearer
If precautions had been taken, we could have avoided these problems.
But we stuck with mediocre leadership
We are stuck with mediocre leadership.
So we'll just suffer
We will just continue to suffer.
Who knows what the hell is going on
No one knows what is actually going on.
With conflicts they keep on growing
Conflicts keep on growing, and we do not know what to do about it.
It's a fucked up situation
The situation is terrible.
When you ain't got no education
When you are uneducated about the problem.
On the problem or know what it's about
When you do not understand the problem or what it is about.
You gotta help me out
Please help me out of this situation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILL ADAMS, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, TROY JAMERSON, ALAN BERGMAN, MARILYN BERGMAN, SERGIO MENDES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nanalouis
Dear mom, Alana's in her second trimester
Stressed out 'cause I'm gone, she acting all extra
We're happy 'cause she knows it's a girl
But we doubtful if we should bring another one in the world
An' the pic you sent with you, and the kids is da bomb
I'm keepin' all my photos in my 23rd Psalm
My best friend Armani lost her arm at the border
Just tryin' to restore a little peace and order
An' it's strange 'cause she reads the Koran
Torn between what side she needs to be on
Haven't slept for days, I squeeze Visine
'Cause no man's eyes should see what I've seen
Soldiers lost their mind, robbin', pillagin'
Tomahawk missiles into civilian villages
And they ease the pain with narcotics
I'm scared but I'm tryin' to remain patriotic
My father, forgive us
'Cause we know not what we doin'
And my brothers, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
And my mother, tryin' to use
Ev'rything you taught me to keep it movin'
And my brothers and sisters, how we gonna tie up
All these loose ends'
New message from mom, at Bringbackthetroopsdot.com
At home they 'Nam, so sad you had to miss Shavonne's prom
Just some songs off the Marvin Gaye 'what's Going On' album
And her smile lit up the room
She asks me if at night when she stares at the moon
Is it possible at the same moment of time
You're starin' as well' 'Cause you two were in tune
Your dad's Purple Heart now hangs over his ashes
An' Trini's alive and wake up with hot flashes
They say the disease's gastric
Have yet to explain the migraines and rashes
And have you seen what the price of gas is'
We can't afford the property taxes
We just want you back at home
Where you belong with your family
You're the backbone
Tell me how can we live this way
We've gone so far astray, no one knows what to say
We got young peoples lives at stake
What is it gonna take for us to find a way'
The world is changin', we in danger
'Cause we ain't changin our behavior
We behave like calm is nothing
Ain't concerned with repercussions, ain't that somethin'
Check 'em out now, pointin' fingers
When they know how we got to this point of terror
Precaution could have made the road clearer
But we stuck with mediocre leadership
So we'll just suffer
Who knows what the hell is going on
With conflicts they keep on growing
It's a fucked up situation
When you ain't got no education
On the problem or know what it's about
You gotta help me out
@smvw4447
Powerful lyrics on this. Sad but true...
@byanymeansnecessary9329
MONCH always delivers quality
@nonaud14974
2023 ✌️
@gr33nmunk
Still 🔥 in 2k19
@aarontimberlake
Justin Timberlake on this song is critical! Thank you!
@aarontimberlake
Watch out for the bump!
@aarontimberlake
This song is very real.
@aarontimberlake
United States of America
@aarontimberlake
Congress will react and is reacting.
@aarontimberlake
Almost there