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The best popular Brazilian music (MPB) of all time by Ciro Santilli 35 Updated 2025-01-10 +Created 1970-01-01
It is such a huge shame that you have to understand Portuguese to appreciate those songs... this is yet another great evil outcome of having more than one natural language is bad for the world.
The good songs stopped before of just after Ciro Santilli was born, they were originally heard by his parent's generation. Those young new kids are boring.
The place to start is definitely the Holy Trinity of popular Brazilian music:
- Caetano Veloso is arguably Ciro Santilli's favorite MPB artist, he has just too many amazing songs, best ones at: Section "The best Caetano Veloso songs"
- Chico Buarque. Ciro's second favorite.
- Gilberto Gil. Perhaps Ciro likes him third because he is the most lighthearted one, although not always: Section "The best Gilberto Gil songs"
Non trinity songs and artists:
- Romaria by Renato Teixeira. Source."Romaria" is the name of a type of Catholic peregrination.
- Metamorfose ambulante by Raul Seixas (1973)Source. Translation: "Itinerant metamorphosis". From the album Krig-ha, Bandolo!Ouro de tolo by Raul Seixas (1973)Source. Translation: "Fool's gold". This dude should be a scientist. But well, he went for mystic/artist. Close enough.Gita by Raul Seixas (1974)Source. "Gita" must be a reference to the Bhagavad Gita. From the album: Gita.Maluco beleza by Raul Seixas (1977)Source. From the album O Dia em que a Terra Parou
- A telicidade by Tom Jobim (1958)Source. Translation: "Happiness". Composed for the Black Orpheus (1958) film. "Tristeza não tem fim, felicidade sim" (Sadness never ends, but happiness does). The movie itself is OK. Appeals to Ciro's Buddhist sensibilities.Chega de saudade by Tom Jobim. Source. Translation: "Enough longing".
- Jorge da Capadócia by Jorge Ben Jor (1975)Source. From the Solta o Pavão (1975) album. The Caetano interpretation is better however, poor Jorge.
- Jair RodriguesDisparada by Jair Rodrigues (1968)Source. This song is simply amazing. Not exactly MPB, a bit more towards country, but close enough. This was as the track of some soap opera.Deixa Isso Pra Lá by Jair Rodrigues (1964)Source. Fantastic early example of early rap music!!! This is regocnized example at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfnDEuuPq4Q which builds upon the 1964 song. Amazing. An amazing live performance at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3E1uHdrJws, only not using that as the default link as it is not from the official channel.
- Vinicius de Moraes. Many of his lyrics are poetry. Notably, he has some "children" songs that you think about as an adult and go "oh fuck". For some reason, Ciro can't help but think that he looks like a pedophile, but he doesn't have any scandals apparently, poor dude. He was a drunkard for sure though.A Casa by Vinicius de Moraes (1972)Source. Children song.Tarde em Itapuã by Vinicius de Moraes (1971)Source.www.dicionariotupiguarani.com.br/dicionario/itapua/ gives the meaning of "Itapuã". It originates from the Tupi Guarani language, and is the name of a beach in Salvador (Praia de Itapuã), to which the song presumably refers:Itapuã beach in Salvador. Source.
- Aquarela by Toquinho (1983)Source. This is a mega childhood hit, and it never gets old. Amazing. One of the most brutal memento moris ever?
- Xô Saudade by Alceu Valença. Source. From the 1980 album "Coração Bobo"
- Carcará by João Do Vale (1981)Source.From the eponymous album.Carcará by Maria Bethânia (1981)Source. This very good interpretation likely did much to popularize the song.A carcará bird. Source.Carcará by Planeta Aves (2020)Source. A Brazilian bird watcher channel. Interestingly he mentions that the carcará actually knows how to scour post wildfire ares searching for dead animals, as mentioned in the song "it even eats burnt snakes".
- Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda by Hyldon (1974)Source. Translation: "On the Street, In the Rain, On the Farm".
- Tudo o que você podia ser from the Clube da Esquina album by Milton Nascimento (1972)Source.Translation: "All that you could be".Anti-Military dictatorship in Brazil song, using the common "you means the dictatorship" technique.Caçador De Mim from the eponymous album by Milton Nascimento (1981)Source.
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