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{{Short description|Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1944)}}
A ] singer/songwriter, '''Chico Buarque''' (born ], ] in ]) has become famous for his ], which comments on Brazil's social, economic and cultural situation. His full name is Francisco Buarque de Holanda.
{{Infobox person
| name = Chico Buarque
| image = Chico Buarque in 2023.jpg
| caption = Buarque in 2023
| alt =
| birth_name = Francisco Buarque de Hollanda
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1944|6|19}}
| birth_place = ], Brazil
| alma_mater = ]
| years_active = 1962–present
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Singer-songwriter
* writer
* poet
* playwright
}}
| notable_works = {{hlist | '']'' | "]"}}
| signature = Chico Buarque signature.svg
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|]|1966|1999|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Carol Proner|2021}}
}}
| children = {{flatlist|
* Sílvia
* Helena
* Luísa
}}
| awards =
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| genre = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| website = {{url|chicobuarque.com.br}}
}}
}}
'''Francisco Buarque de Hollanda''' (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as '''Chico Buarque''',{{efn|Brazilian Portuguese: {{IPA|pt|ˈʃiku buˈaʁki|}}.}} is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, and cultural reflections on Brazil.


The firstborn son of ], Buarque lived at several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in ], ], and ]. He wrote and studied literature as a child and found music through the ] compositions of ] and ]. He performed as a singer and guitarist in the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several ] and ] musicians, was threatened by the ] and eventually left Brazil for Italy in 1969. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970, and continued to record, perform, and write, though much of his material was suppressed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s.
Chico (as he is widely known in Brazil) came from a both intellectual and privileged family background: father ] was a well-known historian and sociologist, and the first name of lexicographer and forebear Aurelio Buarque de Holanda is as strongly associated with Brazilian dictionaries as the name Webster is with American ones. A studious child with a precocious interest in music and writing, Chico was heavily impressed by ], and specifically, the work of ].


In 2019, Buarque was awarded the ], the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language.
Chico made his public debut as musician and composer in ], rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows. His self-titled debut album exemplified the work to come, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy.
However, awarding of the prize was delayed by four years due to actions by ], but Buarque received it in April 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Demony |first1=Catarina |last2=Pereira |first2=Miguel |last3= |first3= |date=2023-04-24 |title=Brazilian legend Buarque receives prestigious literary award...four years late |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazilian-legend-buarque-receives-prestigious-literary-awardfour-years-late-2023-04-24/ |access-date=2023-06-03}}</ref>


==Early life and career ==
Chico's increasing political activity against the ] results in his arrest in 1968, and eventual self-exile to Italy in 1969. Chico returns to Brazil in 1970, using his fame and song-writing skills to protest the dictatorship. At this time his lightly-veiled protest single "Apesar de Voce" (In spite of you) somehow passes by the gaze of military censors, becoming the democracy movement's anthem. After selling over 100,000 copies, the single is eventually repressed, and all copies are removed from the market. In spite of the censors, songs such as "Samba de ]" (Samba of ]; 1970), "Acorda Amor" (Wake Up, Love; 1974), and "Vai Passar" (It Will Pass; 1983) make plain Chico's continuing opposition.


Buarque was born in ] on 19 June 1944. He came from an intellectually privileged family background—his father ] was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist and his mother ] was a painter and pianist. He is also brother of the singer ] and politician ]. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of ], specifically the work of ] and ]. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18&nbsp;years old<ref name=lion>{{cite news |first=Jemima |last=Hunt |title=The lionised king of Rio |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,,1263492,00.html |work=] |publisher=] |date=July 18, 2004 |access-date=March 24, 2008 }}</ref> and studying European literature, also at a young age.<ref name=haan>{{cite web |url=http://www.artistinterviews.eu/?page_id=12&parent_id=22/ |title=Chico Buarque |access-date=March 24, 2008 |last=de Haan |first=Maarten |date=August 2006 |work=Artist Interviews }}</ref> One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing football, beginning at age four, and he still played regularly in his 60s.<ref name=haan/> During his childhood, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rome.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Chico collaborated with filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians, often running afoul of the military government and timorous music publishers.


Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided at one point to study architecture at the ], but this choice did not lead to a career in that field; Buarque often skipped classes.<ref name=amg>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3228/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography |access-date=March 23, 2008 |last=Dougan |first=John |work=] |publisher=] }}</ref>
During ]'s military ] of ], Chico wrote about the situation and avoided censure by using cryptic analogies and word play. For example, using the ] words for "shut up" (cale-se) and "chalice" (cálice) allowed Chico to sing about the military's oppression under the guise of a bible story in the song "Cálice."
]]]
He made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows when ] came to light and ] recorded three of his songs.<ref name=amg/> His eponymous debut album exemplified his future work, with catchy ]s characterized by inventive ] and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy. Buarque had his first hit with "]" in 1966, written about a marching band, and soon released several more singles.<ref name=haan/> Although playing bossa nova, during his career, samba and ] would also be widely explored. Despite that, Buarque was criticized by two of the leading musicians at the time, ] and ] as they believed his musical style was overly conservative.<ref name=amg/> However, an existentially themed play that Buarque wrote and composed in 1968, ''Roda Viva'' ("Live Circle"), was frowned upon by the military government and Buarque served a short prison sentence because of it.<ref name=amg/> He left Brazil for Italy for 18 months in 1970, returning to write his first novel in 1972, which was not targeted by censors.<ref name=lion/>
]
At this time his thinly veiled protest single "Apesar de Você" ("In spite of You" – in reference to the military dictatorship) was also produced.<ref>{{cite journal |last=de Sousa |first=Dolores Puga Alves |year=2004 |title=Os Sessenta Anos de um Artista: "Chico Buarque do Brazil", Organização de Rinaldo de Fernandes |journal=Fênix: Revista de História e Estudos Culturais |volume=1 |issue=1 |issn=1807-6971 |language=pt}}</ref> "Apesar de Você" was overlooked by the military censors, becoming an important anthem in the democratic movement. After selling over 100,000 copies, the single was eventually censored and removed from the market. At one point in 1974, the censors banned any song authored by Chico Buarque. Then, he created a pseudonym, naming himself "Julinho de Adelaide", complete with life history and interviews to newspapers. "Julinho de Adelaide"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicobuarque.com.br/sanatorio/abre_julinho.htm |title=Julinho da Adelaide |publisher=Chico Buarque |access-date=July 11, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207173824/http://www.chicobuarque.com.br/sanatorio/abre_julinho.htm |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref> authored songs such as "Jorge Maravilha" ("Wonder Jorge") and "Acorda Amor" ("Wake Up Love" as in a lover) before he was outed in a '']'' news story.<ref>{{cite book |last=Motta |first=Nelson |author-link=Nelson Motta |title=Noites Tropicais – Solos, Improvisos e Memórias Musicais |year=2000 |publisher=Editora Objetiva |location=], Brazil |language=pt |isbn=85-7302-292-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/noitestropicaiss00mott }}</ref> Buarque also wrote a play named ''Calabar'', about the ] in the seventeenth century, drawing parallels with the military regime.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Martins |first=Christian Alves |date=2007 |title=Tempos de Intolerância: Chico conta Calabar |journal=Fênix: Revista de História e Estudos Culturais |volume=4 |issue=3 |url=http://www.revistafenix.pro.br/vol1christian.php?PHPSESSID=7ea35a2912813498997d554b31e66f3a |access-date=March 23, 2008 |issn=1807-6971 |language=pt |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727212741/http://www.revistafenix.pro.br/vol1christian.php?PHPSESSID=7ea35a2912813498997d554b31e66f3a |url-status=dead }}</ref> Despite the censorship, songs such as "Samba de Orly" (1970), "Acorda amor" (1974, as "Julinho da Adelaide") manifested Buarque's continuing opposition to the military regime.


During the 1970s and 1980s, he collaborated with filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians in further protest works against the dictatorship. Buarque approached the 1983 Concert for Peace in Nicaragua as a valid forum to vocalize his strong political views. Throughout the decade, he crafted many of his songs as vehicles to describe the re-democratization of Brazil. The Concert for Peace in Nicaragua was one in a concert series known as the "Central American Peace Concerts." These concerts featured various ] artists. The political turmoil that plagued this era were expressed in many of Buarque's songs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Béhague |first=Gerard |date=Spring–Summer 2006 |title=Rap, Reggae, Rock, or Samba: The Local and the Global in Brazilian Popular Music (1985–95) |journal=Latin American Music Review |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=79–90 |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/latin_american_music_review/v027/27.1behague08.html |doi=10.1353/lat.2006.0021 |s2cid=191430137 |author-link=Béhague, Gerard |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Gonzalez |first=Mike |date=May 1987 |title=April in Managua: The Central American Peace Concert |journal=Popular Music |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=247–249 |doi=10.1017/S0261143000006061 |jstor=853429|s2cid=161149412 }}</ref> He later wrote ''Budapeste'', a novel that achieved critical national acclaim and won the ],<ref>{{cite news |title=Chico Buarque ganha Prêmio Jabuti com Budapeste |url=http://www.cbl.org.br/content.php?recid=1342&type=N |work=] |publisher=Câmara Brasileira do Livro |date=September 10, 2004 |access-date=March 23, 2008 |language=pt }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> a Brazilian literary award comparable to the ].


His 2017 album '']'' was named the 3rd best Brazilian album of that year by the Brazilian edition of '']''.<ref name="rsbmelhores2017">{{cite magazine |title=Melhores Discos Nacionais de 2017 |url=https://rollingstone.uol.com.br/galeria/melhores-discos-nacionais-de-2017/|magazine=] Brasil |publisher=Grupo Spring de Comunicação |access-date=25 January 2019 |date=2017}}</ref>
:'''Lyric in Portuguese'''
::''Pai, afasta de mim esse cálice''
::''De vinho tinto de sangue.''
::''Como beber dessa bebida amarga''
::''Tragar a dor, engolir a labuta.''
::''Mesmo calada a boca, resta o peito''
::''Silêncio na cidade não se escuta.''
::''De que me vale ser filho da santa''
::''Melhor seria ser filho da outra''
::''Outra realidade menos morta''
::''Tanta mentira, tanta força bruta.''


=="Cálice"==
:'''Translation'''
Following the ], Buarque avoided ] by using cryptic analogies and wordplay. For example, in the song "Cálice" ("Chalice"), a duet written in 1973 with ] and released with ] in 1978,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mais.uol.com.br/view/e8h4xmy8lnu8/calice--chico-buarque-e-gilberto-gil-040266C0A14386?types=A& |title=UOL Mais > Cálice – Chico Buarque e Gilberto Gil |publisher=Mais.uol.com.br |date=February 24, 2008 |access-date=July 11, 2013}}</ref> he takes advantage of the ] between the ] imperative ''cale-se'' ("shut up") and ''cálice'' ("chalice") to protest government censorship, disguised as the Gospel narrative of Jesus' Gethsemane prayer to God to relieve him of the cup of suffering. The line "''Quero cheirar fumaça de óleo diesel''" ("I want to sniff diesel fumes") is a reference to the death of political prisoner ], who reportedly had his mouth glued to a jeep's ] during a torture session.<ref>{{in lang|pt}} . ''Futepoca''. January 29, 2010.</ref> Buarque was close to Stuart's mother, ]. This song is the subject of the final chapter of the book ''First Chico Buarque'' by Charles A. Perrone (London: Bloomsbury, 2022) in the Brazil 33 1/3 series.{{Clarify|reason=What kind of book (e.g. novel?) Who is Perrone? What series? Significant enough for mention?|date=November 2024}}
::''Father, take away this chalice''
::''of wine tinted red with blood.'' Literally: Of wine tinted of blood.
::''How can I drink from this sour drink''
::''Take in the pain, swallow the drudgery.''
::''Even if the mouth is shut, the heart still remains''
::''Silence isn't heard in the city.''
::''What good is it to be son of the saint (female)''
::''It would be better to be son of the "other" one (euphemism for son-of-a-bitch)''
::''Another reality less dead''
::''So many lies, so much brute force.''


==Awards and recognitions==
==Selected compositions==
*2010 ] — Shortlisted in the Best Book of the Year category for '']''<ref name=folha2010>{{cite web |url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/742784-premio-sao-paulo-de-literatura-divulga-finalistas.shtml |title=Prêmio São Paulo de Literatura divulga finalistas |work=] |author=Marco Rodrigo Almeida|date=May 29, 2010 |access-date=April 6, 2013}}</ref>
*"A Banda" ("The Band")
*2013 ] for Spilt Milk (Leche derramada, Leite derramado), winner of narrative fiction.
*"Roda Viva"
*2019 ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publico.pt/2019/05/21/culturaipsilon/noticia/xxxxx-premio-camoes-2019-1873609|title=Chico Buarque é o Prémio Camões de 2019|last=PÚBLICO|website=PÚBLICO|date=21 May 2019 |language=pt|access-date=2019-05-21}}</ref>
*"Apesar de Voce" ("In Spite of You")

*"Quem Te Viu, Quem Te Ve"
==Discography==
*"Brejo da Cruz"
{{div col|colwidth=35em}}
*"Vai Levando"
*1966: '']'' (Vol. 1)
*"Bye Bye, Brasil"
*1966: ''Morte e Vida Severina''
*"Cotidiano" ("Daily")
*1967: ''Chico Buarque de Hollanda'' (Vol. 2)
*"Construção / Deus Lhe Pague" ("Construction/God Bless You")
*1968: ''Chico Buarque de Hollanda'' (Vol. 3)
*"Feijoada Completa" ("Complete Feijoada")
*1969: ''Umas e outras – compacto''
*"Funeral de um Lavrador" ("Funeral of a Laborer")
*1969: ''Chico Buarque na Itália''
*"Homenagem Ao Malandro" ("Homage to a Scoundrel")
*1970: ''Apesar de você''
*"Meu Caro Amigo" ("My Dear Friend")
*1970: ''Per un pugno di samba''
*"Morena de Angola"
*1970: ''Chico Buarque de Hollanda'' (Vol. 4)
*"Noite dos Mascarados" ("Night of the Masquerade")
*1971: '']''
*"Sonho de um Carnaval" ("Dream of a Carnival")
*1972: ''Quando o carnaval chegar''
*"Vai Passar" ("It Will Pass")
*1972: '']''
*"Paratodos" ("Forall")
*1973: ''Chico canta'', mildly edited by the censors of the ] both in lyrics and title, it was originally called "Chico Canta Calabar".
*1974: ''Sinal fechado''
*1975: ''Chico Buarque & Maria Bethânia ao vivo''
*1976: ''Meus caros amigos''
*1977: ''Cio da Terra compacto''
*1977: ''Os saltimbancos''
*1977: ''Gota d'água''
*1978: '']''
*1979: '']''
*1980: ''Vida''
*1980: ''Show 1º de Maio compacto''
*1981: ''Almanaque''
*1981: ''Saltimbancos trapalhões''
*1982: ''Chico Buarque en espanhol''
*1983: ''Para viver um grande amor''
*1983: ''O grande circo místico''
*1984: ''Chico Buarque (Vermelho)''
*1985: ''O Corsário do rei''
*1985: '']''
*1985: ''Malandro''
*1986: ''Melhores momentos de Chico & Caetano''
*1987: ''Francisco''
*1988: ''Dança da meia-lua''
*1989: ''Chico Buarque''
*1990: ''Chico Buarque ao vivo Paris le Zenith''
*1992: ''Convite Para Ouvir''
*1993: ''Para Todos''
*1995: ''Uma palavra''
*1997: ''Terra''
*1998: ''As cidades''
*1998: ''Chico Buarque da Mangueira''
*1999: ''Chico ao vivo''
*2001: ''Chico e as cidades'' (DVD)
*2001: ''Cambaio''
*2002: ''Chico Buarque – Duetos''
*2003: ''Chico ou o país da delicadeza perdida'' (DVD)
*2005: ''Meu Caro Amigo'' (DVD)
*2005: ''A Flor da Pele'' (DVD)
*2005: ''Vai passar'' (DVD)
*2005: ''Anos Dourados'' (DVD)
*2005: ''Estação Derradeira'' (DVD)
*2005: ''Bastidores'' (DVD)
*2006: ''O Futebol'' (DVD)
*2006: ''Romance'' (DVD)
*2006: ''Uma Palavra'' (DVD)
*2006: ''Carioca'' (CD + DVD with the documentary ''Desconstrução'')
*2007: ''Carioca Ao Vivo''
*2011: '']''
*2012: ''Na Carreira'' (DVD)
*2017: '']''
*2018: "Caravanas - Ao vivo"
{{div col end}}

==Other works==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
<big>'''Books'''</big><div style="padding:10px;">
* 1966: '']'' (Songbook)
* 1974: ''Fazenda Modelo''
* 1979: '']''
* 1981: ''A Bordo do Rui Barbosa''
* 1991: ''Estorvo''
* 1995: ''Benjamin''
* 2003: '']''
* 2009: '']''
* 2014: ''O Irmão Alemão''
* 2019: ''Essa Gente''
* 2021: ''Anos de Chumbo''
</div>{{col-3}}

<big>'''Plays'''</big><div style="padding:10px;">
* 1967/8: ''Roda Viva''
* 1973: ''Calabar'' (coauthored with ])
* 1975: ''Gota d'água''
* 1978: '']'' (based on John Gay's '']'' and Bertolt Brecht's '']'')
* 1983: ''O Grande Circo Místico''
</div>{{col-3}}

<big>'''Film'''</big><div style="padding:10px;">
* 1972: ''Quando o carnaval chegar'' (coauthor)
* 1983: ''Para viver um grande amor'' (coauthor)
* 1985: '']''
* 2009: ''Budapeste'' (based on his book)
</div>{{col-end}}

== In popular culture ==
The cover art of the Buarque's 1966 album '']'' became a viral ] with "happy" Chico and "sad" Chico.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pedro Antunes - A história do meme: Chico Buarque acha "absurda" a capa que virou piada |url=https://www.uol.com.br/splash/colunas/pedro-antunes/2020/11/07/a-historia-do-meme-chico-buarque-acha-absurda-a-capa-que-virou-piada.htm |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=www.uol.com.br |date=21 July 2017 |language=pt-br}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
*McGowan, Chris and Pessanha, Ricardo. "The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the Popular Music of Brazil." 1998. 2nd edition. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-545-3


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*
* {{Official website|1=http://www.chicobuarque.com.br}} {{in lang|pt}}
*
* {{IMDb name|nm0117770}}
* {{discogs artist|Chico Buarque|Chico Buarque}}
* {{YouTube|9A_JrsJF6mM|Vai passar}}
* {{YouTube|kMZJyafvcx8|O que será}}
* {{YouTube|txLPlvkGiP4|O Meu Amor}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.jobim.com.br/chico/e.chico1.html |title=My Greatest Maestro |last=Oliveria |first=Luiz Roberto |author2=Buarque, Chico |author3=Lombardi, Jerry |date=April 30, 2000 |work=Clube do Tom |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207200535/http://www.jobim.com.br/chico/e.chico1.html |archive-date=December 7, 2013 |df=mdy }}
* on Slipcue.com
{{Order of Cultural Merit}}
{{Camões Prize}}


{{Authority control}}
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Latest revision as of 23:28, 23 November 2024

Brazilian singer-songwriter (born 1944)
Chico Buarque
Buarque in 2023
BornFrancisco Buarque de Hollanda
(1944-06-19) 19 June 1944 (age 80)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alma materUniversity of São Paulo
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • writer
  • poet
  • playwright
Years active1962–present
Notable work
Spouses
Marieta Severo ​ ​(m. 1966; div. 1999)​
Carol Proner ​(m. 2021)​
Children
  • Sílvia
  • Helena
  • Luísa
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Websitechicobuarque.com.br
Musical artist
Signature

Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, and cultural reflections on Brazil.

The firstborn son of Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived at several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rome. He wrote and studied literature as a child and found music through the bossa nova compositions of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He performed as a singer and guitarist in the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several Tropicalist and MPB musicians, was threatened by the Brazilian military government and eventually left Brazil for Italy in 1969. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970, and continued to record, perform, and write, though much of his material was suppressed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2019, Buarque was awarded the Camões Prize, the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language. However, awarding of the prize was delayed by four years due to actions by Jair Bolsonaro, but Buarque received it in April 2023.

Early life and career

Buarque was born in Rio de Janeiro on 19 June 1944. He came from an intellectually privileged family background—his father Sérgio Buarque de Holanda was a well-known historian, sociologist and journalist and his mother Maria Amélia Cesário Alvim was a painter and pianist. He is also brother of the singer Miúcha and politician Ana de Hollanda. As a child, he was impressed by the musical style of bossa nova, specifically the work of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He was also interested in writing, composing his first short story at 18 years old and studying European literature, also at a young age. One of his most consuming interests, however, was playing football, beginning at age four, and he still played regularly in his 60s. During his childhood, he lived in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rome.

Before becoming a musician, Buarque decided at one point to study architecture at the University of São Paulo, but this choice did not lead to a career in that field; Buarque often skipped classes.

Chico Buarque on TV Rio, 1967. National Archives of Brazil

He made his public debut as musician and composer in 1964, rapidly building his reputation at music festivals and television variety shows when bossa nova came to light and Nara Leão recorded three of his songs. His eponymous debut album exemplified his future work, with catchy sambas characterized by inventive wordplay and an undercurrent of nostalgic tragedy. Buarque had his first hit with "A Banda" in 1966, written about a marching band, and soon released several more singles. Although playing bossa nova, during his career, samba and Música popular brasileira would also be widely explored. Despite that, Buarque was criticized by two of the leading musicians at the time, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil as they believed his musical style was overly conservative. However, an existentially themed play that Buarque wrote and composed in 1968, Roda Viva ("Live Circle"), was frowned upon by the military government and Buarque served a short prison sentence because of it. He left Brazil for Italy for 18 months in 1970, returning to write his first novel in 1972, which was not targeted by censors.

Chico Buarque performing in 2007

At this time his thinly veiled protest single "Apesar de Você" ("In spite of You" – in reference to the military dictatorship) was also produced. "Apesar de Você" was overlooked by the military censors, becoming an important anthem in the democratic movement. After selling over 100,000 copies, the single was eventually censored and removed from the market. At one point in 1974, the censors banned any song authored by Chico Buarque. Then, he created a pseudonym, naming himself "Julinho de Adelaide", complete with life history and interviews to newspapers. "Julinho de Adelaide" authored songs such as "Jorge Maravilha" ("Wonder Jorge") and "Acorda Amor" ("Wake Up Love" as in a lover) before he was outed in a Jornal do Brasil news story. Buarque also wrote a play named Calabar, about the Dutch invasion of Brazil in the seventeenth century, drawing parallels with the military regime. Despite the censorship, songs such as "Samba de Orly" (1970), "Acorda amor" (1974, as "Julinho da Adelaide") manifested Buarque's continuing opposition to the military regime.

During the 1970s and 1980s, he collaborated with filmmakers, playwrights, and musicians in further protest works against the dictatorship. Buarque approached the 1983 Concert for Peace in Nicaragua as a valid forum to vocalize his strong political views. Throughout the decade, he crafted many of his songs as vehicles to describe the re-democratization of Brazil. The Concert for Peace in Nicaragua was one in a concert series known as the "Central American Peace Concerts." These concerts featured various Latin American artists. The political turmoil that plagued this era were expressed in many of Buarque's songs. He later wrote Budapeste, a novel that achieved critical national acclaim and won the Prêmio Jabuti, a Brazilian literary award comparable to the Booker Prize.

His 2017 album Caravanas was named the 3rd best Brazilian album of that year by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone.

"Cálice"

Following the Brazilian military coup of 1964, Buarque avoided censorship by using cryptic analogies and wordplay. For example, in the song "Cálice" ("Chalice"), a duet written in 1973 with Gilberto Gil and released with Milton Nascimento in 1978, he takes advantage of the homophony between the Portuguese imperative cale-se ("shut up") and cálice ("chalice") to protest government censorship, disguised as the Gospel narrative of Jesus' Gethsemane prayer to God to relieve him of the cup of suffering. The line "Quero cheirar fumaça de óleo diesel" ("I want to sniff diesel fumes") is a reference to the death of political prisoner Stuart Angel, who reportedly had his mouth glued to a jeep's exhaust pipe during a torture session. Buarque was close to Stuart's mother, Zuzu Angel. This song is the subject of the final chapter of the book First Chico Buarque by Charles A. Perrone (London: Bloomsbury, 2022) in the Brazil 33 1/3 series.

Awards and recognitions

Discography

  • 1966: Chico Buarque de Hollanda (Vol. 1)
  • 1966: Morte e Vida Severina
  • 1967: Chico Buarque de Hollanda (Vol. 2)
  • 1968: Chico Buarque de Hollanda (Vol. 3)
  • 1969: Umas e outras – compacto
  • 1969: Chico Buarque na Itália
  • 1970: Apesar de você
  • 1970: Per un pugno di samba
  • 1970: Chico Buarque de Hollanda (Vol. 4)
  • 1971: Construção
  • 1972: Quando o carnaval chegar
  • 1972: Caetano e Chico - juntos e ao vivo
  • 1973: Chico canta, mildly edited by the censors of the Brazilian military government both in lyrics and title, it was originally called "Chico Canta Calabar".
  • 1974: Sinal fechado
  • 1975: Chico Buarque & Maria Bethânia ao vivo
  • 1976: Meus caros amigos
  • 1977: Cio da Terra compacto
  • 1977: Os saltimbancos
  • 1977: Gota d'água
  • 1978: Chico Buarque
  • 1979: Ópera do Malandro
  • 1980: Vida
  • 1980: Show 1º de Maio compacto
  • 1981: Almanaque
  • 1981: Saltimbancos trapalhões
  • 1982: Chico Buarque en espanhol
  • 1983: Para viver um grande amor
  • 1983: O grande circo místico
  • 1984: Chico Buarque (Vermelho)
  • 1985: O Corsário do rei
  • 1985: Ópera do Malandro
  • 1985: Malandro
  • 1986: Melhores momentos de Chico & Caetano
  • 1987: Francisco
  • 1988: Dança da meia-lua
  • 1989: Chico Buarque
  • 1990: Chico Buarque ao vivo Paris le Zenith
  • 1992: Convite Para Ouvir
  • 1993: Para Todos
  • 1995: Uma palavra
  • 1997: Terra
  • 1998: As cidades
  • 1998: Chico Buarque da Mangueira
  • 1999: Chico ao vivo
  • 2001: Chico e as cidades (DVD)
  • 2001: Cambaio
  • 2002: Chico Buarque – Duetos
  • 2003: Chico ou o país da delicadeza perdida (DVD)
  • 2005: Meu Caro Amigo (DVD)
  • 2005: A Flor da Pele (DVD)
  • 2005: Vai passar (DVD)
  • 2005: Anos Dourados (DVD)
  • 2005: Estação Derradeira (DVD)
  • 2005: Bastidores (DVD)
  • 2006: O Futebol (DVD)
  • 2006: Romance (DVD)
  • 2006: Uma Palavra (DVD)
  • 2006: Carioca (CD + DVD with the documentary Desconstrução)
  • 2007: Carioca Ao Vivo
  • 2011: Chico Buarque
  • 2012: Na Carreira (DVD)
  • 2017: Caravanas
  • 2018: "Caravanas - Ao vivo"

Other works

Books Plays Film
  • 1972: Quando o carnaval chegar (coauthor)
  • 1983: Para viver um grande amor (coauthor)
  • 1985: Ópera do Malandro
  • 2009: Budapeste (based on his book)

In popular culture

The cover art of the Buarque's 1966 album Chico Buarque de Hollanda became a viral internet meme with "happy" Chico and "sad" Chico.

Notes

  1. Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʃiku buˈaʁki].

References

  1. Demony, Catarina; Pereira, Miguel (2023-04-24). "Brazilian legend Buarque receives prestigious literary award...four years late". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  2. ^ Hunt, Jemima (July 18, 2004). "The lionised king of Rio". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  3. ^ de Haan, Maarten (August 2006). "Chico Buarque". Artist Interviews. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  4. ^ Dougan, John. "Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  5. de Sousa, Dolores Puga Alves (2004). "Os Sessenta Anos de um Artista: "Chico Buarque do Brazil", Organização de Rinaldo de Fernandes". Fênix: Revista de História e Estudos Culturais (in Portuguese). 1 (1). ISSN 1807-6971.
  6. "Julinho da Adelaide". Chico Buarque. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  7. Motta, Nelson (2000). Noites Tropicais – Solos, Improvisos e Memórias Musicais (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Editora Objetiva. ISBN 85-7302-292-2.
  8. Martins, Christian Alves (2007). "Tempos de Intolerância: Chico conta Calabar". Fênix: Revista de História e Estudos Culturais (in Portuguese). 4 (3). ISSN 1807-6971. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  9. Béhague, Gerard (Spring–Summer 2006). "Rap, Reggae, Rock, or Samba: The Local and the Global in Brazilian Popular Music (1985–95)". Latin American Music Review. 27 (1): 79–90. doi:10.1353/lat.2006.0021. S2CID 191430137.
  10. Gonzalez, Mike (May 1987). "April in Managua: The Central American Peace Concert". Popular Music. 6 (2): 247–249. doi:10.1017/S0261143000006061. JSTOR 853429. S2CID 161149412.
  11. "Chico Buarque ganha Prêmio Jabuti com Budapeste". O Globo (in Portuguese). Câmara Brasileira do Livro. September 10, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
  12. "Melhores Discos Nacionais de 2017". Rolling Stone Brasil. Grupo Spring de Comunicação. 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  13. "UOL Mais > Cálice – Chico Buarque e Gilberto Gil". Mais.uol.com.br. February 24, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  14. (in Portuguese) "'Bebida amarga' não era metáfora em 'Cálice'". Futepoca. January 29, 2010.
  15. Marco Rodrigo Almeida (May 29, 2010). "Prêmio São Paulo de Literatura divulga finalistas". Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  16. PÚBLICO (21 May 2019). "Chico Buarque é o Prémio Camões de 2019". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  17. "Pedro Antunes - A história do meme: Chico Buarque acha "absurda" a capa que virou piada". www.uol.com.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 July 2017. Retrieved 2022-08-22.

External links

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