Brazzil
June/July 2002
Culture
Being co-author of "Ai Que Saudade da Amélia", one of Brazil's most enduring musical jewels, would have been enough to secure a place for Mário Lago in Brazil's cultural history. He was much more than that, though, circulating with ease from playwriting to lyrics writing, from acting on radio to acting on TV and on the big screen, from being active in politics to being an inspired memorialist and story teller. Brazil is mourning his passing, which occurred May 30, after a long fight with emphysema. He was 91. For most people he was an example of integrity, someone who kept his convictions even under duress throughout his whole life.
Graduated from law school, the actor didn't practice law for more than a few weeks. A confessed communist for his entire life—at the end he used to say that he was an "autonomous Marxist"—Lago was sent to jail six times for his political convictions, some of them during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985. He authored more than 200 songs.
Lago was born on November 26, 1911 at Rua do Rezende, 150, in Rio's Lapa neighborhood. His father, Antônio Lago, was a music conductor and a piano player, his mother was said to have been overprotective. In order to pay his studies, the future composer started writing vaudeville plays. He wrote 31 of them, according to his biographer, Mônica Carvalho, who in 1999 wrote Mário Lago, Boêmia e Política (Mário Lago, Bohemia and Politics). Lago published his first poem on Fon-Fon magazine by age 15. It was called "Revelação" (Revelation).
The lyricist started to work as a TV actor in 1966, when he was already 55. His first role was in the novela (soap opera) O Sheik de Agadir. Among the characters he is most remembered for are Atílio in O Casarão (The Large House) and Alberico Santos in Dancin' Days. He was still very active till the end. He had to use an oxygen tank during the taping of TV Globo's O Clone, in which he interpreted Doctor Molina. The novela had its last episode aired June 14. Lago also appeared in such movies as Glauber Rocha's Terra em Transe, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade's O Padre e a Moça and Cacá Diegues's Os Herdeiros.
The actor wrote several autobiographical books. He was in the process of writing Meus Tempos de Moleque (My Years as an Urchin) when he died. He had already published Na Rolança do Tempo (In the Wheels of Time), in 1976; Bagaço de Beira-Estrada (Edge-of-the-road Bagasse), in 1977; and Meia Porção de Sarapatel (Half Portion of Hodgepodge), in 1986.
How did he keep his stamina and youthful enthusiasm? By being politically active, he used to say3. His political convictions, however, didn't make him an ascetic: "Despite being a communist I didn't want to deprive myself of anything. An activist needs to lead his life as everybody else, at least to be able to dialogue with them.
He was a bohemian, but only until he met and married Zeli Cordeiro, in 1947. They saw each other for the first time during a communist rally. Zeli would be at his side the entire life, until 1997 when she died. Was she the submissive Amélia-type woman that Lago describes in his memorable tune? "She was a woman from the left like me," said Lago, "but in a way she was also Amélia. When we had to move from Barata Ribeiro street to Bento Ribeiro street, she told me, `Bento or Barata, it doesn't matter, they are all relatives."
Zeli was the only one to know the other side of a man who seemed always so caring and affectionate. He once confessed, "I'm crabby, I wake up kicking my own shadow." The cranky, but modest man died poor and in debt. His long disease wiped the little savings he had. His contract with Globo and his US$ 500 retirement pension were not enough to pay for the bills that the medical insurance didn't cover. His debts with health care had climbed to around $12,000 at the time of his death.
Phrases
"I made an agreement of peaceful coexistence with time: neither does it chase me nor do I run away from it. One of these days we will meet."
"If we lose all our hope we should also wipe out the rainbow."
"Be on the right or on the left, we are all bourgeois. There is no denying."
"I keep young by being communist. Communism has always been the world's youthhood."
"Life made me do all I've done even though I'm lazier than Dorival Caymmi."
"Time doesn't buy round trip tickets. I have memories, not pinings."
"Radio has become a big record player. We have no programs anymore and the remote made me lazy."
Some people have seen in Lago's most famous song, "Ai Que Saudade da Amélia", which he composed with Ataulfo Alves, a celebration of the down-to-earth woman, a lovelorn song or even a machista provocation. But, the number one bohemian, disavowed those versions explaining in a Rádio Nacional interview that Amélia was born in a mesa de botequim (bar table) to retell the story of percussionist Almeidinha—revered singer Aracy de Almeida was his sister—who every night between a beer and a swallow of cachaça (sugar-cane liquor) complained about the departure of a cleaning lady who used to keep his house and his clothes spotless. "That was a real woman," Almeidinha used to say. The real woman was named Amélia.
Ai, que saudades da AméliaAtaulfo Alves and Mário Lago
Nunca vi fazer tanta exigência
Nem fazer o que você me faz
Você não sabe o que é consciência
Não vê que eu sou um pobre rapazVocê só pensa em luxo e riqueza
Tudo que você vê você quer
Ai, meu Deus, que saudades da
Amélia
Aquilo sim é que era mulherÀs vezes passava fome ao meu lado
E achava bonito não ter o que
comer
Mas quando me via contrariado
Dizia: meu filho, o que se há
de fazer ?Amélia não tinha a menor vaidade
Amélia é que era mulher de verdade
How do I miss Amélia
I've never seen so many demands
Neither someone doing all that you do
You don't know what's conscience
You don't see I'm a poor ladAll you can think is luxury and riches
All that you see you want to buy
Alas, my God, how do I miss
Amélia
That really was a womanSometimes she would starve by my side
And thought that having nothing to eat
was pretty
But when she saw me upset
She would say: "Sonny, what
can we do!"Amélia wasn't vain in the slightest
Amélia surely was a true womanYou can listen to "Ai que Saudade da Amélia" in http://www.brazzil.com/amelia.mp3
Compositions and Partners
Adeus orgia (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1952
Ai, que saudades da Amélia (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1942
Ana Maria, fox, 1946
Atire a primeira pedra (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1944
Aurora (with Roberto Roberti), marcha, 1940
Baladinha lítero-cultural-amorosa (with Lúcio Alves), samba canção, 1960
Bate, bate coração (with Roberto Martins), marcha, 1937
Batuque no terreiro (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1946
Bobagem gostosa (with Chocolate), baião, 1953
Calcule eu (with Francisco Santos), samba, 1960
Capacho (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1945
Chega de tanto amor, samba, 1941
Coitado dele (with Chocolate), samba, 1954,
Como é que ficou o céu? (with Newton Teixeira), samba, 1944
Como o tempo judiou (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1953
Covarde (with Dunga), samba, 1952
Covardia (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1938
Cuidado com o andor (with Marino Pinto), samba, 1946
A culpa é sua (with Sílvio Caldas), samba, 1952
Dá-me tuas mãos (with Roberto Martins), fox, 1939
Deixa a saudade bater (with Chocolate, baião, 1953
Deixa assim (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1946
Destino traçado (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1946
Devolve, valsa, 1940
Diz que sim, diz que não (with Roberto Martins),samba, 1945
E ela não voltou (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1946
É melhor não voltar (with Newton Teixeira), valsa, 1944
É noite (with Custódio Mesquita), marcha, 1936
É tão gostoso, seu moço (with Chocolate), samba, 1953
Ela mandou me avisar (with Rubens Soares), samba, 1941
Endereço (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1956
Enquanto houver saudade (with Custódio Mesquita), valsa, 1938
Eu não posso dizer, samba, 1952
Eu não quero saber, valsa, 1941
Eu não sou pano de prato (with Roberto Roberti), samba, 1941
Eu quero ir a pé (with Roberto Roberti), 1941
Eu sou feio e moro longe, toada, 1952
Eu te agradeço (with Benedito Lacerda), valsa, 1942
Faça de conta (with Custódio Mesquita), marcha, 1939
Ficarás, samba, 1952
Fim de romance (with Nássara), bolero, 1955
Fracasso, samba, 1946
Gilda (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1946
O homem mais feliz, fox, 1940
Incerteza, fox, 1946
Leva meu coração (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1945
Mais um minuto apenas (with Newton Teixeira), fox, 1942
Menina, eu sei de uma coisa (with Custódio Mesquita), marcha, 1936
Mentirosa (with Custódio Mesquita), choro, 1941
Meu amor foi embora (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1953
Meu consolo (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1958
Minha revelação (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1947
Morena, morena, valsa, 1958
Na mão direita (with Nássara), samba, 1938
Nada além (with Custódio Mesquita), fox-canção, 1938
Não é bom pra você (with Chocolate), samba, 1961
Não me olhe assim (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1946
Não precisas bater (with Oldemar Magalhães), samba, 1960
Não quero chorar (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1939
Não te conheço mais (with Newton Teixeira), samba, 1951
Não tenhas pressa morena (with Antônio Lago), valsa, 1951
Numa noite assim (with Alberto Ribeiro), marcha-rancho, 1941
Número um (with Benedito Lacerda,) valsa, 1939
Os olhos de Nancy, fox, 1956
Passa passa moreninha (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1950
Pensa um minuto em mim (with Frazão), valsa, 1940
Penumbra, penumbra, samba, 1952
Perdão não é níquel de tostão, samba, 1958
Podia ser melhor (with Custódio Mesquita), marcha, 1936
Poleiro de pato (with Rubens Soares), samba, 1940
Por que me olhas assim? (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1940
Pra que mais felicidade? (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1946
Primeiro prêmio, samba, 1941
Problema seu (with Chocolate), samba, 1958
Qual a razão? (with Antônio Almeida), samba, 1939
O que é que me acontecia (with benedito Lacerda), marcha, 1939
Que mulher infernal, samba, 1950
Que tem você que se meter? (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1939
Quero o meu pandeiro (with Ataulfo Alves), samba, 1944
Questão de vez (with Nássara), samba, 1937
Rosinha bonita (with Chocolate), samba, 1960
Rua sem sol (with Henrique Gandelman), samba, 1953
Sacoleja morena (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1961
Sacrifício não se pede (with Chocolate), samba, 1952
Sambista da Cinelândia (with Custódio Mesquita), samba, 1936
Se a vida fosse sempre assim (with Newton Teixeira), valsa, 1946
Se essa rua fosse minha (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1936
Se o negócio é sofrer (with Chocolate), samba, 1957
Seja feliz... (with Custódio Mesquita), marcha, 1936
Sem rancor (with Roberto Faissal0, samba, 1957
Será?, valsa, 1945
Só errando o português (with Lúcio Alves), samba, 1954
Tabuleiro de Ikusat (with Roberto Martins), chorinho, 1941
Talvez digam que é vaidade (with Nássara), samba, 1942
Tão bonitinha (with Lúcio Alves), samba, 1960
Tira a boca do caminho (with Chocolate), marcha. 1955
Três sorrisos (with Chocolate), 1962
Um gesto...Uma frase (with Roberto Martins), samba, 1950
Uma canção dentro da noite, fox, 1951
Valquíria (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1953
Vamos falar de saudade (with Chocolate), toada, 1955
Vem pra cá que tem mulher (with Roberto Roberti), samba, 1942
Vida vazia (with Chocolate), samba, 1954
Você pensa (with Almirante), samba, 1938
Você sabe me maltratar (with Erasmo Silva), samba, 1954