The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Piment… Read Full Bio ↴The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Pimentel, writing for Brazil´s top selling daily paper O Globo, made a reference in one of his articles to the group of musicians that played with Teresa Cristina every Saturday night at the bar Semente, placed in one of Rio´s most bohemian neighborhoods, Lapa. It was in 1998 that Bernardo, João, Pedrinho, Ricardo Cotrim (no longer a member of Semente) and other friends, got together for the first time. Back then, Teresa was selecting repertoire for a tribute show she intended to put together in honor of Brazilian music virtuoso Candeia, and handpicking the musicians. Bernardo, at the time a member of group Acorda Bamba, invited band mate Alexandre Bittencourt (who, in turn, invited other musician pals, including Pedrinho, João and Ricardo) to Teresa´s 30th birthday party. That was when the invitation was formalized and well accepted, prompting a routine of meetings between Teresa and the guys to rehearse Candeia´s repertoire, though, in the end, the show never made it to the stage. Still in that year, Teresa and the boys played together for the first time at a show celebrating the International Women´s Day at the Planetário da Gávea theatre. Their premiere on the pulsating night of Lapa, one of Rio de Janeiro´s musical cribs, took place right after this, when Teresa and the group were invited by a certain well known character "Seu Guaracy", of Portela Samba School, to launch the new night music program at local bar Semente, known as a health food place, up until then. It worked out so well that soon Teresa Cristina and Grupo Semente were being called the "rescuers of Lapa´s night life", that had been going down since the eighties. After becoming a hit band playing at Semente, Teresa and the guys went on to perform at other venues in Lapa, such as carioca da Gema and Centro Cultural Carioca, for an ever growing audience. Media recognition came with the release of the first album, a double tribute to Brazilian idol Paulinho da Viola´s 60th birthday, which won Teresa a couple of awards - "Prêmio Rival BR" and "Prêmio Tim"- as "Best New Artist", and a "Best Samba Album" nomination at the 2003 Latin Grammy´s. After that, many were the invitations that took Teresa and Semente all over Brasil and even to Japan, showing the world all the beauty of the good genuine Brazilian music. In 2004, Teresa, Bernardo, Pedrinho and João welcomed Mestre Trambique, coming to replace Ricardo Cotrim, who was leaving the band, and they went in the studio once again to record the band´s second album "A Vida Me Fez Assim" ("Life has Made Me This Way"), which featured Teresa´s premiere as a songwriter. They gathered an excess of overwhelming reviews, and sold-out theatres on which they performed. On that same year, the band hit the road with the "Projeto Pixininguinha" tour, performing at the main cities of the Northeast of Brazil. In 2005, they performed at the "Brazilian Year" Celebrations in Paris, while recording their fist live CD and DVD, suitably titled: "O Mundo é Meu Lugar" ("The World is My Place").

Moema Morenou
Teresa Cristina Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Moema morenou
A água do mar quem molhou
O Sol da Bahia te queimou
Teu corpo morena morenou

No samba de roda
Morena faceira
Mexeu a cadeiras

Foi um desacato
Tirou o sapato
Dançou miudinho
E quase que mata
Um pobre mulato

Moema morenou
A água do mar quem molhou
O Sol da Bahia te queimou
Teu corpo morena morenou

Eu fui à Bahia
Paguei a promessa
Estava com pressa
Queria voltar
Mais uma morena
Num samba de roda
Me deu uma volta
Que me fez ficar

Moema morenou
A água do mar quem molhou

O Sol da Bahia te queimou
Teu corpo morena morenou

Overall Meaning

The song "Moema Morenou" by Teresa Cristina is a tribute to the beauty and sensuality of a woman named Moema. The lyrics describe how Moema's body became darker after being exposed to the sun and the sea in Bahia, Brazil. The song also tells the story of how the singer met Moema while dancing the samba de roda - a traditional Brazilian dance - and was entranced by her moves.

Through the lyrics, the song captures the essence of Bahian culture, which is known for its vibrant music, dance, and Afro-Brazilian traditions. The samba de roda is a perfect example of this culture, and the lyrics suggest that Moema was a skilled and captivating dancer. The use of the word "desacato" (meaning disrespect) to describe her dance moves implies that her performance was bold and passionate, and perhaps even a little taboo.

Overall, "Moema Morenou" is a celebration of the beauty and allure of Afro-Brazilian women, and their powerful presence in the cultural landscape of Brazil.

Line by Line Meaning

Moema morenou
Moema tanned

A água do mar quem molhou
The sea water tanned Moema's skin

O Sol da Bahia te queimou
The Bahia sun burned Moema's skin

Teu corpo morena morenou
Moema's body became even more tan/brown

No samba de roda
In a circle samba

Morena faceira
Proud beautiful brown woman

Mexeu a cadeiras
Moved her hips

Foi um desacato
It was a scandalous act

Tirou o sapato
Took off her shoe

Dançou miudinho
Danced in a small and rhythmic way

E quase que mata
And almost killed