Initially playing in colleges, Toquinho's professional career took off in the 1960s at shows promoted by radio personality Walter Silva at the famous Paramount theater in São Paulo. He composed his first recorded song with Chico Buarque entitled "Lua Cheia" (Full Moon). His first big hit was composed in 1970 with Jorge Benjor, "Que Maravilha" (What a Wonder). That same year he was invited by Vinícius de Moraes, co-writer of the worldwide hit song "Garota de Ipanema" (The Girl from Ipanema), to participate in a series of shows in Buenos Aires, forming a solid partnership that would continue for 11 years and produce 120 songs, 25 records and over a thousand shows.
After the death of Vinícius de Moraes in 1980, he went on to pursue a solo career, often performing with other talented musicians like Paulinho da Viola, Danilo Caymmi, Paulinho Nogueira and Chico Buarque. He continues to record and play.
Zana
Toquinho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ver uma Escola desfilar?
Você já teve boas notícias
A um amigo pra contar?
Você já teve um grande amor
Em noite calma pra passar?
Zana, ô, Zana. Zana, ô, Zana.
Pouco tempo pra pensar.
Zana, ô, Zana. Zana, ô, Zana.
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
Tanto tempo pra salvar.
Ai quem me dera um fevereiro
Com vontade de cantar.
Ai quem me dera a um amigo
Boas notícias ter pra dar.
Ai quem me dera o meu amor
Com noite calma pra passar.
Zana, ô, Zana.
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
Pouco tempo pra pensar.
Zana, ô, Zana.
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
Tanto tempo pra salvar.
The lyrics of Toquinho's song Zana express nostalgia for the past and a longing to recapture its joys. The first stanza creates a contrast between the exciting experiences the singer has had ("Have you ever gone to see a school parade in February?") and the intimate moments of love and friendship ("Have you ever had good news to share with a friend? Have you ever spent a peaceful night with a great love?"). These experiences are all framed within the context of youth: "We're in our twenties, with little time to think...so much time to save."
In the second stanza, the singer expresses a wishful desire for the circumstances that would allow them to experience these joys again: "Oh, how I wish for a February where I want to sing. Oh, how I wish I had good news to share with a friend. Oh, how I wish for a peaceful night with my love." The repetition of "Zana, oh Zana" throughout the song creates a dreamlike quality, reinforcing the sense of yearning and nostalgia.
Overall, the song portrays a wistful longing for the past and a desire to recapture the simple pleasures of youth, before the pressures of adulthood set in. The lyrics are elegantly simple, expressing complex feelings with a poetic economy of words.
Line by Line Meaning
Você já foi em fevereiro
Have you ever been in February to see a school parade?
Ver uma Escola desfilar?
Have you witnessed a school's parade?
Você já teve boas notícias
Have you ever had good news that you wanted to share with a friend?
A um amigo pra contar?
To tell your friend?
Você já teve um grande amor
Have you ever experienced a profound love?
Em noite calma pra passar?
To spend a tranquil night together?
Zana, ô, Zana. Zana, ô, Zana.
Zana, oh, Zana. Zana, oh, Zana
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
We're in our twenties
Pouco tempo pra pensar.
We don't have much time to think
Zana, ô, Zana. Zana, ô, Zana.
Zana, oh, Zana. Zana, oh, Zana
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
We're in our twenties
Tanto tempo pra salvar.
So much time to save
Ai quem me dera um fevereiro
Oh, how I wish for a February
Com vontade de cantar.
Full of the desire to sing
Ai quem me dera a um amigo
Oh, how I wish for a friend
Boas notícias ter pra dar.
To have good news to share with them
Ai quem me dera o meu amor
Oh, how I wish for my love
Com noite calma pra passar.
To spend a calm night with them
Zana, ô, Zana.
Zana, oh, Zana
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
We're in our twenties
Pouco tempo pra pensar.
We don't have much time to think
Zana, ô, Zana.
Zana, oh, Zana
Temos vinte e poucos anos,
We're in our twenties
Tanto tempo pra salvar.
So much time to save
Contributed by Charlie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Luciano Antônio Moraes Zanelli
A Zana que eu conheço já tem mais de 20 anos, felizmente! (Rio, 1/10/20).
Leonardo Guimarães
Então é daqui que os irmãos Piologos pegaram esse nome tão famoso kkkkk ZanA... Oh Za......nA ....Nazaaaa
Gabriel Rocha
Porque irmãos piologo é cultura carai
telegal TV
Vim pelos Irmãos Piologo... Ô zaaaaaaaa... Zaaaaaaaa... Zannnna... Zaaaaaaanaaaa...
black ops WAR
Vim pelo irmaos piologos
Leonardo Rodrigues
Também kkk
Canal do Vozão
Zana (Jorge Ben/Toquinho/Gianfrancesco Guarnieri)
MisaWeasel
They had the rest of it somewhere here on you tube =( I used to listen to it when I went to sleep.
jessica farias
Vim pelos irmaos piologo Kkkkkk e minha irma o apelido dela e zana (Rosana)
Canal do Che
Aculturados quem veio pelos irmãos piolho.