Chega de Saudade

"Chega de Saudade" (Portuguese pronunciation: ['ʃega dʒi saw'dadʒi]) (published English version is "No More Blues") is often considered to be the first recorded bossa nova song.^[1] The music was composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and the lyrics were written by Vinícius de Moraes. João Gilberto's recording is the most famous.

Overview

The song was first recorded by Brazilian singer Elizete Cardoso and released on her 1958 album entitled Canção Do Amor Demais; however, the public took little notice of her release. João Gilberto included the second-ever recorded version of the track on his 1959 album Chega De Saudade. Released as a single, the song became a hit and would solidify bossa nova as a permanent genre in the Latin music lexicon.

The title can be translated roughly as "enough longing," though the Portuguese word, saudade, carries with it a far more complex meaning. The word implies an intensity of heartfelt connection that is yearned for passionately, not unlike feeling withdrawal symptoms from a drug that makes one feel good. Another good analogy might be an intense homesickness. Chega, in this case, means no more, enough.

The song form is 64 measures. It is equally split between 32 measures in a minor key and the 32 measures in a major key. The key of the original recording by Elizete Cardoso went from D minor (the relative minor of F with one flat) to D major (two sharps).

Covers and versions

• It has been recorded by jazz and rock performers, with the English language title "No More Blues." English lyrics have been written by Jon Hendricks and "Jessie Cavanaugh" (actually a pseudonym for music publisher Howard S. Richmond)
• In 2000, the João Gilberto version was made a member of the Grammy Hall of Fame. A year later, in 2001, the album which it came from, Gilberto's album, Chega De Saudade, was made an inaugural member of the Latin Grammy Awards Hall of Fame.
• The song was performed by the cellist, Yo-Yo Ma on his album "Obrigado Brazil". American jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton also recorded the composition on his 1966 album The Time Machine and his solo album Alone at Last (Atlantic, 1971). In 1984, under the English-language title "No More Blues," it was the opening track on singer Roseanna Vitro's debut LP, Listen Here. Rosa Passos, Stan Getz, Toninho Horta, Joe Henderson, The Hi-Lo's,^[2] and César Camargo Mariano are among other who covered the song.^[1]
• Eliane Elias included the song in her Eliane Elias included the song in her 1992 album Fantasia and in 1996 album The Three Americas.
• The song was performed by the Brazilian Metal band Angra at a live acoustic set at the Auditorium/FNAC Forum Paris in 1995. The recording was later featured in their EP "Live Acoustic at FNAC" in 1998.^[3]
• Also recorded by Caroll Vanwelden – Portraits of Brazil (2016)

Recognition

The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone as the 6th greatest Brazilian song.^[1]

References