It's to Monte's credit that she avoids the overcooked production that detracted slightly from her recent fine album Universo Ao Meu Redor. Instead, she favours a simple stripped down sound for the understated but effervescent acoustic arrangements. These feature the ukulele-like trill of cavaquinho, mellow 7-string guitar, the occasional woozy trombone and samba’s trademark percussive battery of booming surdo drum, the cheeky-sounding cuíca (friction drum), tambourine, pandeiro and so on. Monte is a great singer, but only allows herself two honeyed vocals, the best of which appears on the delightful Volta Meu Amor. The other guest stars include samba smoothie Paulinho da Viola (A Noite Que Tudo Esconde), Cristina Buarque (somewhat lost in the chorus of Monha Vontade) and Moreno Veloso, who sounds much like his father Caetano on Vou Me Embora.
But it's the Velha Guarda ('old guard') who take centrestage. Some of their singers such as Casemiro da Cuíca and Jair Do Cavaquinho (both taking their stage names from the instruments they also play) seem a little wobbly on their feet, even if they can still swing. But thankfully, Monarco still sounds in rude health and takes the lion's share of the lead vocals. All are usually accompanied by a wonderfully rousing chorus of backing/call and response singers – typified by Você Me Abandonu – underlining the communal nature of this music.
Vai saudade
VELHA GUARDA DA PORTELA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vai dizer àquela ingrata
Que a saudade quando é demais mata
Vai saudadevai depressa
Não me interessa mais viver assim
Fiu tão castigado e confesso que chorei
Me arependi do mail que lhe causei
The song "Vai Saudade" by Velha Guarda da Portela is a profound and emotional plea to an ungrateful lover who has caused immense pain and suffering to the singer. The lyrics express the overwhelming feeling of saudade, a Portuguese word that cannot be translated into English directly but refers to a deep longing and nostalgia for something or someone that is absent or no longer exists. The message behind the song is clear: the singer has reached their limit and can no longer bear the agony of being apart from their lover. They implore the feeling of saudade to go and tell the ungrateful woman that her absence has brought nothing but pain and suffering, and that they can no longer live this way.
The lyrics are full of raw and powerful emotions and reveal the depths of the singer's pain and anguish. They confess to being punished and humbled by their love for the ungrateful woman, and they cry tears of regret for the mistakes they have made in the past. The words are simple yet poetic, filled with vivid imagery and a strong sense of longing and longing.
Overall, "Vai Saudade" is a beautiful and heartfelt song that speaks to the universal experience of love and loss. It is a moving tribute to the power of saudade and the many ways in which it can shape our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Vai saudade vai dizer àquela ingrata
Oh longing, go and tell that ungrateful person
Vai dizer àquela ingrata
Go and tell that ungrateful person
Que a saudade quando é demais mata
That excessive longing can kill
Vai saudadevai depressa
Go, longing, go quickly
Não me interessa mais viver assim
I am no longer interested in living like this
Fiu tão castigado e confesso que chorei
I was punished so much and I confess that I cried
Me arependi do mail que lhe causei
I regret the harm I caused to you
Contributed by Juliana K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.