Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 were one of those classic groups of the Sixties who seem very much a part of that time, much like their labelmates The Tijuana Brass. (Trivia note: Herb Alpert ended up marrying Lani Hall, the original lead singer for Brasil ’66.) Although Mendes based the sound on authentic Brazilian music, it was a lot more like Martin Denny than Stan Getz.
Ah, but what is authenticity? Recall that in the early Fifties, Brazilian musicians like Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto were influenced by West Coast jazz. They combined that “cool” style with samba rhythms, and created bossa nova (which translates as “new beat”). In 1962, that style came back to America via guitarist Charlie Byrd and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz.
Sergio Mendes was born in Brazil and started his career there. He moved to the U.S. in 1964 and recorded two albums under the name Brasil ’65, but ended up replacing his Brazilian-born vocalist with Chicago native Lani Hall (who learned the Portuguese lyrics phonetically). The group had hits with songs like “Mais Que Nada,” “The Look of Love” and “The Fool on the Hill.”
Now, he has a new album out, Timeless, a collaboration with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. The results are a little uneven, but in places the Mendes magic shines through. What is it with BEP? I don’t remember disliking them before. Now, thanks to songs like “My Humps” and “Pump It,” they seem like the height of empty-headed party rappin’.
For example, will.i.am’s lyrics on the lead track of Timeless:
Mas que na-da
Black Peas came to make it hot-ta
We be the fire star-tah
Bubblin’ up just like lava
Like la-vah
Heat it like a sauna
And so on, but you get the idea.
On “The Frog,” Q-Tip makes a welcome appearance. “The Frog” (“A rã”) was written by pianist/composer João Donato and was originally done by Mendes on the 1967 album Look Around. On this update, Mendes plays keyboards, while his wife Gracinha Leporace contributes backing vocals.
Another highlight is John Legend singing his own composition “Please Baby Don’t.” I love the combination of Legend’s husky soulfulness and the sultry bossa nova arrangement.
As for the rest of the album… Eh, mas que nada. Could have been dramatically improved by a lot less will.i.am and a lot more everybody else (e.g., Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Black Thought of The Roots, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5).
Sergio Mendes (ft. Q-Tip and will.i.am) – The Frog — BUY
Sergio Mendes (ft. John Legend) – Please Baby Don’t — BUY
Tags: Sergio Mendes, Brasil ’66, Timeless, will.i.am, Q-Tip, John Legend, hip-hop, bossa nova, MP3s
29 Responses
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Jeff Says:
I really love John Legend’s “Please Baby Don’t,” especially the backup singers. And, as a fan of the Black Eyed Peas, I like their rendition of “Mas que nada.” What’s nice about this remix is that you can hear both Mendes’ and the Pea’s voice, yet they don’t cancel each other out.
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bay Says:
i really need ‘mas que nada’ lyrics… especially the rappin’ part by will.i.am. could you help me, pls?
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Alysssa Says:
I really love both songs, Mas que nada with the Black Eyed Peas and Please Baby Dont with John Legend. I am brazilian and I love the fact that artist are learning to appreciate the brazilian music. Keep it up.
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stephanie Says:
i really love mas que nada, from the lyrics and black peas to sergio’s piano. Sadly I dont understand what it says , does anyone know anyone know any portuguese for a translation?
From the sounds the sounds of it brazillian music is amazing, does anyone have any links to other good brazillian artists? -
The Pop View Says:
First, let’s start with the English lyrics to the original song. Here is one translation on Wikipedia. Note that they translate "Mas, Que Nada" as But, That’s Nothing (I might have put it as not so much), although I had also read that the actual colloquial expression is No Way!
Here is my attempt at this new version:
Oariá raiô
Obá Obá ObáMas que nada
Black Eyed Peas came to make it hotter
We be the fire starter
Bubblin’ up just like lava
Like lava
Heat it like a sauna
Penetrating through your body armor
Rhythmically we massage
With hip-hop mixed up with samba
With sambaSo, yes, yes, y’all
You know we’ll never stop
We’ll never rest, y’all
The Black Eyed Peas will keep it funky fresh, y’all
And we won’t stop until we get y’all
Until we get y’all singingOariá raiô
Obá Obá Obá[Second verse is difficult to transcribe, so I'll skip to the third verse]
Drop hot hot
Be my daily operation
Gotta put in work in this crazy occupation
Gotta keep it movin’
(That’s the motivation)
Gotta ride the waves and
Keep a tight relation
With my team
Keep it movin’
And doin’ it right
Up in the lab everyday ’til daylight
That’s the way things move in this money business
We took an old samba song and remixed itMas que nada
Sai da minha frente
Eu quero passar
Pois o samba está animado
O que eu quero é sambarEste samba
Que é misto de maracatu
É samba de preto velho
Samba de preto tuMas que nada
We gon’ make you feel a little hotter
The Peas and Sergio Mendes doin’ a samba -
Linda Phipps Says:
Hey. Where are you people reading these lyrics? They are MAIS que nada (more than nothing), not MAS que nada. Mais means more, not BUT (mas).
Maybe the Black Eyed Peas are trying to rewrite these lyrics and that is their right, but jeez–it’s just too great a song to screw up and render so banal. Leave it be. There are plenty of other fine songs to drag into blandness. Maybe we should all just take up a collection so that poor old Sergio Mendes can free himself from the need for such lame collaborations.
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The Pop View Says:
Quite right. In fact, I’ve spelled it both ways on this page, depending on where I took the lyrics from, and never noticed the difference. I can tell you that on the new album, the song is listed as “Mas Que Nada.” On the original album Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, the song is listed as “Mais Que Nada.”
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LyRixSta!!! Says:
Oi. one of da folks in s.a actualy sang da song nw dat we heard BEP singing it we thot they remixd it wit them. as they r in s.a and all. bit of a blond moment…
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Daniel Says:
Hi people, this is Daniel, from Brasil. This “Mas que Nada” song was originally written in 1963 by Jorge Ben Jor, a famous (and really non-sense) Samba-Rock singer/writer from Brasil.
I say he is non-sense because most of his songs doesn’t mean much. Even us, from Brasil, can’t understand him sometimes.
“Mas que Nada” was later recorded by Sergio Mendes, a classic Piano Samba singer, but not writer. Sergio then started to sing outside Brasil and make success. When the lyric says:
Mas que nada
Sai da minha frente
Eu quero passar
Pois o samba está animado
O que eu quero é sambarHe means something like:
(Mas que nada) “No Way!”
(Sai da minha frente) “get out…”
(Eu quero passar) “…and let me pass”
(Pois o samba está animado) “because the samba is so good”
(O que eu quero é sambar) “and I want to dance the Samba”This part of the song is like a dialogue. You could imagine two people talking in front of a Brazilian Nightclub. If we imagine this way, it is like the first person saying (not in the song, just imaginary): “This place is not good tonight” and, the second person answer: “No Way!, get out and let me pass (or, let me in) because the samba is so good and I want to dance the Samba tonight”.
Well, I don’t know if I was clear enough.
If any one wants to talk more about it, please send me an e-mail to danielcsoares@gmail.com.
If you would like to know more about Jorge Ben Jor, this is his site: (http://www.benjor.com.br), but it’s all in Portuguese.
Bye bye…
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lsphipps Says:
Thanks Daniel. That’s the best explanation of the song I’ve ever read. I’d found the benjor website myself–a year of Portuguese class hasn’t prepared me for the idiomatic phrases in the song. I think I just need to go back to Brasil!
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Vanessa Says:
I love this collaboration that Sergio Mendes made with the Black Eyed Peas to make this beautiful song more “modern”. Bowing down to Segio.
Que viva Brazil.
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MARY JO Says:
I have loved “Mas Que Nada” from when Sergio made it famous in the 60′s. And the remix is just as engaging. I absolutely adore the Brazilian futbol team and the Nike video with this song is expressed with spirit and soul. “[That] Heat” was just OK when I first heard it but it has grown on me lately. Again another great video. It is a modern and a wonderful blend of old and new. Another great Brazilian beat is “Berimbau/Consolacao.”
My personal opinion is “Please Baby Don’t” borders on pablum. I think this is the weakest song on there.
Music is emotional. Keep the cerebral crap out of it. The music from Brazil, Cuba, Africa – sexy rhythms. Just go with the flow.
I give kudos to Sergio for being open and flexible and will.i.am for his insight and recognition of what is the best source of music on the planet.
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Lilly Erwing Says:
I love this song, it really rocks. Sergio Mendez was the coolest. Fergie looked kind of sad in the video, all the other women looked WAY better than her.
I think that Will.i.am i extreamly clever, and i like him a lot more now.
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Harriett Plam Says:
I agree, Fergie isn’t cool without the black eye peas.
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Harriett Plam Says:
loads of peple looked better than Fergie in the video
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The Pop View Says:
You can see the video in question here.
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Reginaldo Says:
Daniel, your explanation is perfect! We can truly accept it.
Reginaldo from Tokyo, but, still a brazilian! -
Maia Says:
I lOvE tHiS sOnG!!!!!!
oh and the second verse goes like this:
peter piper picked peppers but Tab rocked ryhmes
1,2,3 for several times
heavy rotation made by every kind
of radio stations blessing every mind
and we crossing boundaries like everyday
?????????????????????????????????????????
we got we got tab magnification tab magnafied
like every day
so yes yes yall
you know we never stop we never rest yall yall
the black eyed peas are keeping it funky fressh yall
and we wont stop until we get you, til we get you sayinthe ? part is wayyy difficult to transcribe so ya…
take care! byee!
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liades Says:
this black eyed peas song is rubbish!!!! can someone please put the original lyrics up? come on guys!!!!!!!!!!! The original is better than dis and it always will be
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Daniel Says:
The Original song was made by Jorge Ben Jor. You can find “Mas que Nada” on SoulSeek, just look for Jorge Ben Jor.
Here is the original Lyric:
Mas Que Nada
Jorge Ben JorO ariá raió
Obá obá obáMas que nada
Sai da minha frente
Eu quero passar
Pois o samba está animado
O que eu quero é sambar
Esse samba
Que é misto de maracatu
É samba de preto velho
Samba de preto túMas que nada
Um samba como este tão legal
Você não vai querer
Que eu chegue no finalO ariá raió
Obá obá obá -
Islandgrrrl Says:
I love this song sooooo much , can you imagine Sergio Mendez and Carlos Santana calabo WOW that would be time less …
any one with the entire english translation Please email it to me . -
Nick Says:
The original mas que nada is great! The new version with BEP is not so great runined the song actually!!!
Some songs should never be blasphemed like this -
roberto Says:
There is a nice version on a new CD released April 07 called Birds in Flight with singer Kat Parra and great music.
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Roger Says:
I’ve just read this thread – no, it’s “Mas, que nada”, not “Mais que nada”. It’s “but”, not “more”.
It doesn’t mean “more than nothing”; it’s a colloquial Brazilian phrase, literally, word-for-word, “but, what a nothing”, perhaps not perfectly rendered in translation by “but no way!” or “why, no way”, but far closer than “more than nothing”, which is based on a misconception. The title was incorrectly printed on Sergio Mendes’ album.
It was supposedly an expression used all the time by Jorge Benjor’s friend Rosinha, from whom he picked it up and incorporated it into his lyric (Jorge Benjor wrote the song and his is the original recording, of course – still my favourite version of this great number).
(Lynda Phipps said over a year ago – lol, rsrsrs – “Hey. Where are you people reading these lyrics? They are MAIS que nada (more than nothing), not MAS que nada. Mais means more, not BUT (mas).”
Com cubrimentos, Roger
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Valerie Says:
Here’s a better translation of Mas Que Nada
Oh, it’s that Rai song
yeah, yeah, yeah…(Raï (Arabic: راي) is a form of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s and has been primarily evolved by women in the culture.)
Oh oh oh oh oh, it’s that Rai song
yeah, yeah, yeahMore than anything
I want it to leave me alone and let me pass [for white]
but the samba is alive in me
and I love to do the samba.It’s the Samba, that mixture of maracatu — the samba of the ancient blacks (Maracatu is is an Afro-Brazilian performance genre )
More than anything,
it’s an honest to goodness samba
You start off doing it, and in the end it winds up in you. -
arbilab Says:
I am not fluent in Brazilian Portuguese. But after extensive research, on dozens of translation sites, this is what I have come up with:
O aria riao
Song that is a rayOba oba oba
Wow, wow, wow.Mas que nada
But what nonsense.Sai da minha frente
Get out from in front of me.Eu quero passar
I want to passPois o samba esta animado
‘Cause the samba is moving.o que eu quero sambar
You that I want, and to sambaEste samba que e misto de marakatu
This samba and the mixture of maraktu (a folk style)E samba de preto velho
And samba of old black(s).Samba de preto tu
Samba of your blackness.Mas que nada
But what nonsense.Um samba como esse tao legal
A samba like this is barely legal.Voce nao vai querer
You are not going to like.Que eu chegue no final
When I arrive in the end. -
Marcos Navaes Says:
Hey! Daniel’s translation is the best I’ve seen so far. In fact, it’s been over 40 years and I haven’t realized the “in front of a nightclub” thing, which fits the situation just fine.
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Dave Says:
Thanks all. Daniel, can you please provide a translation for the second verse as well?
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Gaura Says:
@arbilab
This is the real translation of Mais Que Nada
Mais que nada
More than anythingSai da minha frente
Move out of my wayQue eu quero passar
I want to passPois o samba está animado
This samba is really goodE o que eu quero é sambar
What I want is to dance sambaEste samba
This samba [song]Que é misto de maracatu
Which it’s a mixture of maracatu*É samba de preto velho
It’s old black’s sambaSamba de preto tu
black’s samba like youMais que nada
More than anythingUm samba como este tão legal
Samba like this is really coolVocê não vai querer
You don’t wantQue eu chegue no final
me to get [to the dance floor] at the end [of the song]*[maracatu is a folk style from pernambuco-brasil]