From a musical family, Vinicius began writing poetry early in life. At the age of 14, he became friends with the brothers Paulo and Haroldo Tapajós and, with the latter, composed "Loura ou Morena", his first song. In 1929, Vinicius enrolled in law school in Rio de Janeiro. Then, starting in 1932, he wrote lyrics for ten songs that were recorded by the Tapajós brothers. Upon completing his studies, he published his first two collections of poetry Caminho Para a Distância (1933) and Forma e Exegese. Later, in 1935, he became a cinema censor for the Ministry of Health and Education. During this time, he wrote his third book Ariana, a Mulher (1936).
Vinicius then headed to England (1938) with an English government scholarship to study literature at Oxford University and while there he wrote Novos Poemas. At that time he was married by proxy. In 1941, during World War II, Vinicius returned to Rio and began to write film reviews and other pieces for newspapers and magazines. Two years later, he joined Brazil's diplomatic service and released his book Cinco Elegias. In 1946, he was sent to Los Angeles as vice-consul on his first diplomatic assignment and released Poemas, Sonetos e Baladas.
In 1950 Vinicius returned to Brazil upon his father's death. His first samba (composed with musician Antônio Maria), was Quando Tu Passas por Mim, released in 1953, which was the same year in which he moved to France as second secretary to Brazil's embassy.
The next year he wrote lyrics for some of Cláudio Santoro's chamber music pieces and also staged his play Orfeu da Conceição, which was later adapted to cinema as Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro, Marcel Camus, 1959. The play won the IV São Paulo Centennial Contest in 1954. During production he was introduced to a relatively unknown pianist, Antônio Carlos Jobim, who was commissioned to write the music for the play. Jobim composed the music for Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Você, Um Nome de Mulher, and several other songs included in the production.
Following a return to his diplomatic duties in France and Uruguay, Vinicius released his books Livro de Sonetos and Novos Poemas II.
In 1958, the singer Elizeth Cardoso released her album Canção do Amor Demais, marking the beginning of bossa nova. This record consists wholly of compositions by the either Jobim or Vinicius, or both. The recording also featured a relatively unknown João Gilberto on two tracks. With the release of this record Vinicius's--and his collaborators--can be said to have truly begun.
The songs of Jobim and Vinicius were recorded by numerous Brazilian singers and performers of that time. Renditions of many Jobim-Vinicius numbers on João Gilberto's first three albums would firmly establish the sound and the core repertory of the bossa nova and would influence a new generation of singers and songwriters, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Among these songs are all time hits such as Garota de Ipanema, Insensatez and Chega de Saudade.
Meanwhile, Black Orpheus won an Academy Award for best foreign film in 1960, and also was awarded with the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival, and the 1960 British Academy Award.
Vinicius' songs Para uma Menina com uma Flor and Samba da Bênção (music by Baden Powell) were included on the soundtrack of A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et une Femme, Claude Lelouch, 1966), another Cannes film festival winner.
In the '60s and '70s, Vinicius continued collaborating with many renowned Brazilian singers and musicians, particularly Baden Powell, with whom he penned a series of songs with a heavy Afro-Brazilian influence and which came to be known collectively as the Afro-Sambas. His last steady music partner was Antonio Pecci Filho, better known as Toquinho. With Toquinho he released a series of very popular and influential albums.
Hundreds of international performers have recorded more than 400 of Vinicius' songs.
Vinicius de Moraes died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 9, 1980 at the age of 66. He is buried in Rio's São João Batista Cemetery.
Mulher Carioca
Vinícius de Moraes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que ninguém tem
A gaúcha tem a fibra
A mineira o encanto tem
A baiana quando vibra
Tem tudo isso e o céu também
É de dar água na boca
E a linda pernambucana
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa louca!
A mulher amazonense
Quando é boa é demais
Mas a bela cearense
Não fica nada para trás
A paulista tem a "erva"
Além das graças que tem
A nordestina conserva
Toda a vida e o querer-bem
A mulher carioca
O que é que ela tem?
Ela tem tanta coisa
Que nem sabe que tem
Ela tem o bem que tem
Tem o bem que tem o bem
Tem o bem que ela tem
Que ninguém tem, que tem
Ela tem um pouquinho que ninguém tem
Ela faz um carinho como ninguém
Ela tem um passinho que vai e que vem
Ela tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
A carioca tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
Tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
Tem um carinho também
A carioca faz um passinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
The lyrics of Vinicius de Moraes's song Mulher Caríoca celebrate the unique qualities and characteristics of women from different regions of Brazil, ultimately highlighting the particular charms of the carioca woman. The lyrics begin by praising the distinctiveness of the carioca woman and her special way of being that no one else possesses. The song then goes on to describe the different qualities that women from other regions of Brazil possess, such as the gaúcha's strength, the mineira's enchantment, and the baiana's vibrancy. However, the song ultimately concludes that the carioca woman possesses an indefinable quality that cannot be replicated, as she has a little something that nobody else has.
Throughout the song, Vinicius de Moraes uses descriptive language to portray each woman in a positive light, setting them apart from one another while celebrating their unique qualities. However, it is the carioca woman who remains the most alluring and mysterious, with her je ne sais quoi capturing the imagination of the listener.
Overall, Mulher Caríoca is a tribute to the diverse and captivating women of Brazil, with the carioca woman standing out as a singularly captivating figure.
Line by Line Meaning
Ela tem um jeitinho como ninguém
She has a way about her that nobody else has
Que ninguém tem
That nobody else has
A gaúcha tem a fibra
The woman from Rio Grande do Sul has strength
A mineira o encanto tem
The woman from Minas Gerais has charm
A baiana quando vibra
The woman from Bahia, when she gets excited
Tem tudo isso e o céu também
Has all of that, plus the sky as well
A capixaba bonita
The beautiful woman from Espírito Santo
É de dar água na boca
Is mouth-watering
E a linda pernambucana
And the lovely woman from Pernambuco
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa louca!
Oh, my God, she’s crazy
A mulher amazonense
The woman from Amazonas
Quando é boa é demais
When she’s good, she’s too much
Mas a bela cearense
But the beautiful woman from Ceará
Não fica nada para trás
Doesn’t fall behind
A paulista tem a 'erva'
The woman from São Paulo has 'erva' (a type of tea)
Além das graças que tem
In addition to the virtues she has
A nordestina conserva
The woman from Northeast Brazil retains
Toda a vida e o querer-bem
All of life and the desire to do good
A mulher carioca
The woman from Rio de Janeiro
O que é que ela tem?
What does she have?
Ela tem tanta coisa
She has so many things
Que nem sabe que tem
That she doesn’t even know she has
Ela tem o bem que tem
She has the good that she has
Tem o bem que tem o bem
Has the good that others have
Tem o bem que ela tem
Has the good that’s uniquely hers
Que ninguém tem, que tem
That nobody else has, that she has
Ela tem um pouquinho que ninguém tem
She has a little something that nobody else has
Ela faz um carinho como ninguém
She gives caresses like nobody else can
Ela tem um passinho que vai e que vem
She has a little dance step that goes back and forth
Ela tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
She has a little way about her that’s hard to explain
A carioca tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
The woman from Rio de Janeiro has a little way about her that’s hard to explain
Tem um jeitinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
Has a little way about her that’s hard to explain
Tem um carinho também
Has a caress as well
A carioca faz um passinho de nhem-nhem-nhem
The woman from Rio de Janeiro does a little dance step that’s hard to explain
Writer(s): Baden Powell de Aquino, Vinicius de Moraes
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.