Francesc d'Asís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu (1 January 1900 – 27… Read Full Bio ↴Francesc d'Asís Xavier Cugat Mingall de Bru i Deulofeu (1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Catalan-Cuban bandleader whom many consider to have had more to do with the infusion of Latin music into United States popular music than any other musician. Perez Prado followed in Cugat's footsteps.

Cugat was born in Barcelona, Spain. [1] With his family, he immigrated to Cuba when he was five. He trained as a classical violinist and played with the Orchestra of the Teatro Nacional in Havana.

On 6 July 1915, Cugat and his family arrived in New York as immigrant passengers on board the S.S. Havana. Entering the world of show business, he played with a band called “The Gigolos” during the tango craze.[2] Later, he went to work for the Los Angeles Times as a cartoonist. Cugat's caricatures were later nationally syndicated.

In the late 1920s, as sound began to be used in films, he put together another tango band that had some success in early short musical films. By the early 1930s, he began appearing with his group in feature films. Cugat took his band to New York for the 1931 opening of Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it became the hotel's resident band.

He shuttled between New York and Los Angeles for most of the next thirty years, alternating hotel and radio dates with movie appearances in films such as Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) and Neptune's Daughter (1949).

In 1940, he recorded the song Perfidia with singer Miguelito Valdés which became a big hit. Cugat followed trends closely, making records for the conga, the mambo, the cha-cha-cha, and the twist when each was in fashion. His first marriage was to Rita Montaner, his second to Carmen Castillo (1929 – 1946), his third to Lorraine Allen (1947 – 28 April 1952), and his fourth to singer Abbe Lane in 1952. He and Lane performed together until their divorce in 1964. He married salsa dancer Charo on 7 August 1966. The two were the first couple to marry in the newly opened Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.

Cugat did not lose sleep over artistic compromises: “I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve.”

Cugat died of heart failure at age 90 in Barcelona in his native Catalonia, Spain.

Brasil
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June,
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured "someday soon."
We kissed and clung together,
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say;
Now, when twilight dims the sky above

Recalling thrills of our love,

There's one thing I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Brasil" by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra is a nostalgic remembrance of a past love affair in Brazil. The song's bright, cheerful tune contrasts with the wistful lyrics of a past relationship, creating a sense of bittersweet longing for the singer's time in Brazil. The lyrics describe a romantic encounter that took place under an amber moon, where they whispered promises that someday they would be together. But as the song progresses, the singer mentions that they were separated by distance, and the morning after the encounter found them miles away. The lyrics end on a hopeful note, where the singer reminisces about the wonderful memories and remembers that they will eventually return to Brazil.

The song captures the essence of Brazil's culture and people, showcasing the natural beauty and romanticism of the country. The lyrics' vivid imagery of the amber moon, the softly murmured promises, and the thrills of their love, transports the listener to Brazil's tropical paradise. The song's mixture of English and Portuguese words and the use of samba beats and accordion-like instruments all contribute to its Brazilian identity.

Line by Line Meaning

Brazil, where hearts were entertaining June,
Brazil, a place where love was flourishing in the month of June.

We stood beneath an amber moon
We stood together under the warm glow of the moon.

And softly murmured "someday soon."
We whispered to each other about our plans for the future.

We kissed and clung together,
We embraced and held on tight.

Then, tomorrow was another day
But the next day brought its own set of challenges.

The morning found me miles away
I found myself far away the next morning.

With still a million things to say;
Despite having said so much, there was still so much left to say.

Now, when twilight dims the sky above
Now, as the sky slowly turns dark at sunset,

Recalling thrills of our love,
Remembering the excitement and passion of our love,

There's one thing I'm certain of
There's one thing I know for sure.

Return I will to old Brazil.
I will return to Brazil, the place where we fell in love.