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)
Masquerade
Sergio Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There are signs in life to comfort the love that wonders why
But there's no lines that come to me
And there's no signs that I can see
But where's the love that used to be in your eyes?
There’s a masquerade of feeling pretending that you care
Empty smile's upon your face when the light is in your hair
Providing love that isn't there
Perhaps a world alone and bare is what we are
You alone are in my thoughts, dear, stealing all this painfulness
Tears belong to those who cry, we’re prisoners of loneliness
Can you hide this kind of feeling flowing from your every move?
Please be kind if not revealing a broken heart will always lose.
There’s a masquerade of feeling pretending that you care
Empty smile's upon your face when the light is in your hair
But there's no feelings that we can share
Providing love that isn't there
Perhaps a world alone and bare is what we are
You alone are in my thoughts, dear, stealing all this painfulness
Tears belong to those who cry, we’re prisoners of loneliness
Can you hide this kind of feeling flowing from your every move?
Please be kind if not revealing a broken heart will always lose.
There are lines in life to show you the way to say goodbye
There are signs in life to comfort the love that wonders why
But there's no lines that come to me
And there's no signs that I can see
But where's the love that used to be in your eyes?
In your eyes
[Repeat & fade}
The lyrics of Sérgio Mendes's song Masquerade tell a story of lost love and heartbreak, yet also include a call to be compassionate and kind to those who are hurting. The opening lines suggest that while there are common phrases and cues that can guide us through difficult moments in life, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the hurtful void left behind when someone we care about no longer loves us. The subsequent lines address the idea that the person who has left may be pretending to still care, but that there is no substance or genuine emotion behind their actions. There is a sense of frustration and isolation in the lyrics that can resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain of unrequited love.
The chorus repeats the idea that the relationship is a masquerade or illusion, with the empty smile on the person's face acting as a mask for their lack of real feelings. The phrase "perhaps a world alone and bare is what we are" suggests a feeling of hopelessness or fatalism, as if the singer believes that their fate is to be alone. A sense of bitterness and sadness is present in these lyrics, as well as a plea for the person who has left to be honest and gentle with the singer's feelings. The closing lines repeat the theme of the opening, with a haunting question about where the love that used to exist between the two people has gone.
Line by Line Meaning
There are lines in life to show you the way to say goodbye
Life gives us guidance on how to properly end relationships.
There are signs in life to comfort the love that wonders why
If we're confused about love, life offers us hints to help calm our mind.
But there's no lines that come to me
Unfortunately, I don't seem to have access to the wisdom of life right now.
And there's no signs that I can see
I'm looking for reassurance, but I'm not finding any.
But where's the love that used to be in your eyes?
I'm wondering where the affection and kindness that you used to show me have gone.
There’s a masquerade of feeling pretending that you care
It appears as if you're faking concern for me by masking your emotions.
Empty smile's upon your face when the light is in your hair
When the light shines on you, I see only an insincere smile on your face.
But there's no feelings that we can share
Our emotional connection has vanished, and there's nothing left to bond over.
Providing love that isn't there
You may be offering love, but it's not genuine or heartfelt.
Perhaps a world alone and bare is what we are
Maybe we're destined to be alone, without the love we once had.
You alone are in my thoughts, dear, stealing all this painfulness
No matter what I do, I can't shake off the pain caused by thinking about you.
Tears belong to those who cry, we’re prisoners of loneliness
Being lonely is a painful experience that can make us feel trapped and hopeless.
Can you hide this kind of feeling flowing from your every move?
I can tell from the way you act that you have a complicated mix of emotions.
Please be kind if not revealing a broken heart will always lose.
Even if you can't be completely open, please don't be cruel or heartless, as it will only hurt both of us in the end.
In your eyes
The depth of emotion I felt when I looked into your eyes was substantial.
Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MANILABOY6631
Sergio Mendes is elegant and classy.
@corinnelaidli4293
Souvenir de maman ❤😢❤❤
@alvarodemellojr8365
That´s my favorite version of this song. Bonnie Bowden has such a beautiful voice.
@slaicerise5075
I agree!
@branco44444444
ooooh yeahhh, one of a kind, pure heaven on earth.❤❤❤
@danshorb7719
Before tonight I didn’t know this was a Jazz Standard. But after listening to this, The Carpenters, George Benson, and Leon Russell, it definitely is. I’m adding it to my list of great Jazz Standards.
@elizabethfeeney2678
THE BEST REDITION EVER LOVED IT! I am AN avid fan of Sergio every since... Loved and sung their songs..... thanks a lot!
@lalomlopez6878
Saudade ❤
@vickibailey3452
This song will be with me all my life. Thank you.
@guyherman5764
FnA Vicki..:) Love it.:)