A roundup of great masterpieces and popular songs of Brazilian music

E O AmorZezé Di Camargo & Luciano

É O Amor-Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano

A brother duo of singers.

They perform in the sertaneja/country genre, and this song—from their debut album released in 1991—was the most popular track of that year.

It became emblematic of the Brazilian music genre known as sertanejo.

Beija FlorTimbalada

Timbalada – Beija Flor

Beating drums and percussion of various sizes, they perform against the backdrop of Salvador’s city streets and the sea.

Their distinctive body painting.

With its light, buoyant rhythms that make you want to start dancing, Timbalada’s music seems sure to lift the cheerful mood of a midsummer day drenched in sunshine even higher.

Flor de LisDjavan

Djavan – Flor de Lis – versão do DVD Ária ao Vivo

For a while on the internet, the backstory of this song—namely that Djavan’s wife died together with their daughter during childbirth and that the song was composed in mourning—became a major topic.

Djavan himself later declared that this was complete nonsense; in fact, it’s a song that sings about the end of a love with a sense of brightness.

Vai PassarChico Buarque

Chico Buarque – Vai Passar

Contrary to its lively samba rhythm, this song criticizes both the military regime that ruled Brazil at the time of its release and the era when Brazil was “discovered” and governed as a Portuguese colony.

You can listen while reflecting on that context, or simply listen without thinking at all.

It reveals the profound depth of music.

SAMBA MEU & O HOMEM FALOUMaria Rita

01 MARIA RITA SAMBA MEU & O HOMEM FALOU DVD SAMBA MEU HD 640×360 XVID Wide Screen

Maria Rita has continued to grow not as the daughter of Elis Regina, but with a voice that perfectly complements her own beautifully unfolding samba.

Samba is not just music for dancing.

It is music that powerfully expresses many facets of life, carried on rhythms that make your body move without thinking.

DonaRoupa Nova

Roupa Nova – Dona (Ao Vivo)

Houpa Nova, distinguished above all by its beautiful harmonies, is perfect as background music for a leisurely Sunday afternoon.

With the gentle rhythms crafted by guitar and percussion, this song is, just as its title suggests, one to dedicate to a woman with a warm, embracing presence.

Caminhos das AguasMaria Rita

Caminho das águas – Maria Rita

Released in 2006, it was a hit song that topped the charts and won the Latin Grammy Awards for Best Album and Best Song, becoming very popular at the time.

It is a gentle and lighthearted piece that later became very famous in the jazz world.