When at 13 she enrolled at Roberto Menescal's guitar academy, Wanda Sá (als… Read Full Bio ↴When at 13 she enrolled at Roberto Menescal's guitar academy, Wanda Sá (also known as Wanda de Sah - Wanda Maria Ferreira de Sá - Jul 11,1944 São Paulo), a successful bossa nova artist, was spotted by Ronaldo Bôscoli and invited to appear on the programs Dois no Balanço (TV Excelsior) and O Fino da Bossa (TV Record). Starting her professional career at 19 with Wanda Vagamente (1964), one of the earliest arranging assignments by Eumir Deodato, Sá launched "Inútil Paisagem" (Tom Jobim/Aloysio de Oliveira) and the earliest compositions by Edú Lobo, Francis Hime, and Marcos Valle. The album, launched at the Fino da Bossa show (at the Paramount Theater in São Paulo), was a success (having been reissued in Japan in the decade of the 2000s) and had a hit with "Vagamente" (Roberto Menescal/Ronaldo Bôscoli). By the end of the same year, she joined Sérgio Mendes' Brasil '65 (with Rosinha de Valença and Jorge Ben Jor), realizing successful shows in Brazil and the U.S., where Brasil '65 was recorded (with the participation of Bud Shank and the Sérgio Mendes Trio). She also recorded in the U.S. the solo Softly and performed both in Brazil and the U.S. with the Sérgio Mendes Trio. In 1966, she returned to Brazil where she did shows with Baden Powell, Vinícius de Moraes, Mièle, Luís Carlos Vinhas, and the Bossa 3. In 1969, Sá participated in Paul Desmond's Hot Summer. Married to Edú Lobo from 1969 to 1982, a period in which she left the scene, Sá returned in the late '80s, performing shows with Roberto Menescal and Mièle, recording Brasileiras in 1994 with Célia Vaz. In 2000, she recorded with Luís Carlos Vinhas, Tião Neto, and João Cortez the CD Wanda Sá & Bossa Três with bossa nova classics and new compositions. Four successful seasons at the Sabbata Tokyo turned the CD Wanda Vagamente into a hit, having reached second place on the top charts. In 2001, she participated with Roberto Menescal, Marcos Valle, and Danilo Caymmi in the Fare Festival (Pavia, Italy).

Telefone
Wanda Sá Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tuém tuém, ocupado pela décima vez
Tuém, telefono e não consigo falar
Tuém tuém, tô ouvindo há mais de um mês
Tuém, já começa quando eu penso em discar
Eu já estou desconfiado
Que ela deu meu telefone pra mim
Tuém tuém, e dizer que a vida inteira esperei
Tuém, que dei duro e me matei pra encontrar

Tuém tuém, toda lista quase que eu decorei
Tuém, dia e noite não parei de discar
E só vendo com que jeito
Pedia pra eu ligar
Tuém tuém, não entendo mais nada
Pra que que eu fui topar?
Trim trim, não me diga que agora atendeu
Será que eu, eu consegui agora encontrar

A moça atendeu
"Alô"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Wanda Sà's song Telefone tell a story of a man who repeatedly tries to call a woman on the phone but cannot get through. Every time he tries to call, the line is busy, and he is forced to continue listening to a constant ringing tone. The man becomes suspicious that the woman has given him the wrong number or has given the number to other people as well. He becomes obsessed with trying to reach her and spends all his time dialing her number. When he finally does get through, he is relieved to hear her voice on the other end of the line.

The lyrics highlight the theme of longing, obsession, and desperation. The man is so desperate to reach the woman that he becomes completely consumed by the desire to contact her. The lyrics also offer insight into the importance of communication and the frustration that can arise when it is disrupted.

Line by Line Meaning

Tuém tuém, ocupado pela décima vez
The line is busy for the tenth time.

Tuém, telefono e não consigo falar
I dial, but I can't speak.

Tuém tuém, tô ouvindo há mais de um mês
I've been listening for over a month.

Tuém, já começa quando eu penso em discar
It starts as soon as I plan to call.

Eu já estou desconfiado
I'm already suspicious.

Que ela deu meu telefone pra mim
That she gave me my own phone number.

Tuém tuém, e dizer que a vida inteira esperei
I can't believe I waited my whole life.

Tuém, que dei duro e me matei pra encontrar
I worked hard and struggled to find her.

Tuém tuém, toda lista quase que eu decorei
I almost memorized the entire phone book.

Tuém, dia e noite não parei de discar
I dialed day and night without stopping.

E só vendo com que jeito
It's amazing to see how she asks me to call.