Cauã Zenha
Known for samba and carnival, in the first months of 1964 Rio's music scene had to give up a good part of the space dedicated to tambourines and cuícas for maracas and
güiros
, instruments characteristic of the boleros that dominated the top of the radio and record label charts. Originally Brazilian compositions were huge hits. But there were also songs translated from Spanish into Portuguese – and both the original lyrics and the Brazilianized versions were on everyone's lips. A sign that Brazilian music wasn't closed in on itself, and maintained intense contact with the scene across all of Latin America.
An example of this was the song that stayed in first place on that year's charts for months: "Sabe Deus" by Carlos Alberto, a Brazilian version of the heartfelt bolero "Sabrá Dios," by the Chilean Lucho Gatica and the Mexican Álvaro Carrillo.
On the other hand, the city of Rio did not fail to live up to its fame as the birthplace of samba that year. Right in the first few months, besides the unbroken and omnipresent success of Jorge Ben's album "Samba Esquema Novo," sambas and carnival marchinhas that would become iconic shook up the carioca population for the first time. These were the cases of "O Sol Nascerá" and "Luz Negra," performed by Nara Leão, and "Cabeleira do Zezé," a huge carnival hit that year.
the
Rock n' Roll
was a sensation all over the world. In Rio, the style was winning over the young crowd and was listened to exhaustively, so much so
hits
international hits, such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, as well as Jovem Guarda hits, such as "É Proibido Fumar," by Roberto Carlos.
TOP 10
Most played songs between January and April 1964 in Rio de Janeiro
"Sabe Deus" Carlos Alberto "I Want to Hold Your Hand" John Lennon and Paul McCartney "Tudo De Mim" Altemar Dutra "O Sol Nascerá" Composition: Cartola and Élton Medeiros | Recording Nara Leão "She Loves You" John Lennon and Paul McCartney "Mas, Que Nada" Jorge Ben "Acorrentados" Agnaldo Rayol "Cabeleira do Zezé" João Roberto Kelly and Roberto Faissal "La Bamba" Ritchie Valens | Various recordings "É Proibido Fumar" Roberto Carlos
Image description: The image is a music album cover. The predominant color is brown, with a slightly faded background. At the top, the title "O GRANDE INTERPRETE" is written in large, yellow letters. Below, there is a list of song titles in Portuguese and Spanish, such as "SABE DEUS (Sabrá Dios)" and "PENSANDO". In the center, a person is seated in a red chair, wearing a dark blue suit. The name "CARLOS ALBERTO" is written in yellow letters at the bottom left.Capa do álbum O Grande Intérprete, de Carlos Alberto, com letra do grande sucesso Sabe Deus
. 1963. gravadoras CBS (Columbia do Brasil S/A). Instituto Memória Musical Brasileira.