Chico Buarque

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Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque plays his guitar in November 2005.
Chico Buarque plays his guitar in November 2005.
Background information
Birth name Francisco Buarque de Hollanda
Also known as Julinho da Adelaide
Born June 19, 1944
Origin Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, writer, playwright
Years active 1962-present
Website http://chicobuarque.uol.com.br

Chico Buarque (Full name: Francisco Buarque de Hollanda; born June 19, 1944 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian singer, composer, dramatist and writer. He is best known for his music, which often comments on Brazil's social, economic and cultural reality.


Contents

[edit] Biography

Chico came from a both intellectual and privileged family background: his father Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda was a well-known historian and sociologist, and the first name of his lexicographer uncle Aurélio Buarque de Holanda is as strongly associated with Brazilian Portuguese dictionaries as the name Webster is with American ones. A studious child with a precocious interest in music and writing, Chico was heavily impressed by bossa nova, and specifically, by the work of João Gilberto.

Chico made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows. His self-titled debut album exemplified the work to come, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy.

Chico's increasing political activity against the Brazilian military dictatorship resulted in his arrest in 1968, and eventual self-exile to Italy in 1969. Other important musicians like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil experienced the same. Chico returned to Brazil in 1970, using his fame and song-writing skills to protest against the dictatorship. At this time his lightly-veiled protest single Apesar de Você (Despite you) somehow passed by the gaze of military censors, becoming the democracy movement's anthem. After selling over 100,000 copies, the single was eventually repressed, and all copies were removed from the market. At one point in 1974, the censors banned any song signed by Chico Buarque. He createg an alter ego called Julinho da Adelaide, complete with life history and interviews to newspapers. "Julinho da Adelaide" signed songs such as Jorge Maravilha and Acorda amor before he was "outed" in a Jornal do Brasil news story[1].

Despite the censorship, songs such as Samba de Orly (Samba of Orly; 1970), Acorda Amor (Wake Up, Darling; 1974), and Vai Passar (It Will Pass; 1983) made Chico's continuing opposition blatant.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Chico collaborated with filmmakers, playwriters, and musicians in further protest works against the dictatorship.

In 1998, the carnival samba school Mangueira took Chico as its annual theme, winning first prize.

His latest book, Budapeste, achieved great critical acclaim and won the Prêmio Jabuti, a Brazilian literary award similar to the Booker Prize.

[edit] Example of work: Cálice

During Brazil's military coup of 1964, Chico wrote about the situation and avoided censure by using cryptic analogies and word play. For example, in the song "Cálice" (Goblet or Chalice) he uses the Portuguese words for "shut up" (cale-se) and "goblet" (cálice) to disguise criticism of censorship and oppression as a Bible story:

Lyrics (in Portuguese)
Pai, afasta de mim esse cálice
De vinho tinto de sangue.
Como beber dessa bebida amarga
Tragar a dor, engolir a labuta.
Mesmo calada a boca, resta o peito
Silêncio na cidade não se escuta.
De que me vale ser filho da santa
Melhor seria ser filho da outra
Outra realidade menos morta
Tanta mentira, tanta força bruta.
Translation
Father, take away from me this goblet
of wine tinted red with blood.
How can I drink from this bitter drink
Inhale the pain, swallow the drudgery.
Even if the mouth is shut, the heart still remains
Silence isn't heard in the city.
What good is it to be son of the saint (female)
It would be better to be son of the other (this breaks the rhyme scheme, the most obvious rhyme here being with "son-of-a-bitch")[2]
Another reality less dead
So many lies, so much brute force.

[edit] Worked With

[edit] Trivia

  • Chico is a football lover. He plays regularly and "owns" a non-professional team called Polytheama
  • Chico is a supporter of Fluminense, a football team from Rio de Janeiro
  • Chico is the brother of singer Miúcha and uncle of her daughter, singer Bebel Gilberto

[edit] Selected compositions

  • "A Banda" ("The Band")
  • "À Flor da Terra" ("At Earth's surface")
  • "O que Será ("What will be")
  • "Apesar de Você" ("Despite You")
  • "As Vitrines" (The Windows)
  • "Brejo da Cruz" (Cross` bog)
  • "Bye Bye, Brasil" (Bye Bye, Brazil)
  • "Carolina" (Caroline)
  • "Construção" ("Construction")
  • "Deus Lhe Pague" ("God Bless You")
  • "Cotidiano" ("Daily")
  • "Feijoada Completa" ("Complete Feijoada" - a black bean dish)
  • "Funeral de um Lavrador" ("Funeral of a tiller")
  • "Futuros Amantes" ("Future Lovers")
  • "Homenagem Ao Malandro" ("Tribute to a city slicker")
  • "Meu Caro Amigo" ("My Dear Friend")
  • "Morena de Angola" (Dark skinned woman of Angola)
  • "Mulheres de Atenas" ("Women from Athens")
  • "Noite dos Mascarados" ("Night of the Masquerade")
  • "Olhos nos Olhos" (Eyes on the Eyes)
  • "Paratodos" (Has no meaning, but written as 'Para Todos' means: To All)
  • "Quem Te Viu, Quem Te Vê" (Who Saw You, Who Sees You)
  • "Roda Viva" ("In a literal translation to English: 'fuss'")
  • "Sonho de um Carnaval" ("Dream of a Carnival")
  • "Teresinha" (Little Theresa)
  • "Vai Levando" ("Carrying on")
  • "Vai Passar" ("It Will Pass")

[edit] Books

  • 1966 - A Banda (Songbook)
  • 1974 - Fazenda Modelo
  • 1979 - Chapeuzinho Amarelo (Children's Literature)
  • 1981 - À Bordo do Rui Barbosa
  • 1991 - Estorvo
  • 1995 - Benjamin
  • 2003 - Budapeste

[edit] Theatre

[edit] Cinema

  • 1972 - Quando o carnaval chegar (Screenplay's co-author)
  • 1983 - Para viver um grande amor (Screenplay's co-author)
  • 1985 - Ópera do Malandro
  • 2000 - Estorvo (Movie based on his play for the theatre)
  • 2003 - Benjamin (Movie based on his book)

[edit] Discography

1966

  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda - vol.1
  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda
  • Morte e Vida Severina

1967

  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda - vol.2

1968

  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda - vol.3
  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda – compacto

1969

  • Umas e outras - compacto
  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda – compacto
  • Chico Buarque na Itália

1970

  • Apesar de você
  • Per un pugno di samba
  • Chico Buarque de Hollanda - vol.4

1971

  • Construção

1972

  • Quando o carnaval chegar
  • Caetano e Chico juntos e ao vivo

1973

  • Chico canta

1974

  • Sinal fechado

1975

  • Chico Buarque & Maria Bethânia ao vivo

1976

  • Meus caros amigos

1977

  • Cio da Terra compacto
  • Os saltimbancos
  • Gota d'água

1978

  • Chico Buarque (Samambaia)

1979

  • Ópera do Malandro

1980

  • Vida
  • Show 1º de Maio compacto

1981

  • Almanaque
  • Saltimbancos trapalhões

1982

  • Chico Buarque en espanhol

1983

  • Para viver um grande amor
  • O grande circo místico

1984

  • Chico Buarque (Vermelho)

1985

  • O Corsário do rei
  • Ópera do malandro
  • Malandro

1986

  • Melhores momentos de Chico & Caetano

1987

  • Francisco

1988

  • Dança da meia-lua

1989

  • Chico Buarque

1990

  • Chico Buarque ao vivo Paris Le Zenith

1993

  • Paratodos

1995

  • Uma palavra

1997

  • Terra

1998

  • As cidades
  • Chico Buarque da Mangueira

1999

  • Chico ao Vivo

2001

  • Chico e as cidades (DVD)
  • Cambaio

2002

  • Chico Buarque – Duetos

2003

  • Chico ou o país da delicadeza perdida (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)

2005

  • Meu Caro Amigo (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • A Flor da Pele (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Vai passar (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Anos Dourados (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Estação Derradeira (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Bastidores (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)

2006

  • O Futebol (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Romance (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Uma Palavra (DVD, direção Roberto Oliveira)
  • Carioca (CD + DVD com documentário "Desconstrução", direção Bruno Natal)


[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ Motta, Nelson, Noites Tropicais
  2. ^ The expression "filho da puta" is common in Brazil, having roughly the same meaning as "son of a bitch" or literally the "son of a prostitute". Expecting a rhyme with "escuta", the listener would naturally expect the lyric to end rudely.

[edit] External links

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