Singer, composer and writer Chico Buarque turns 80 this Wednesday (19). Considered one of the biggest names in Brazilian music, Chico has outstanding works in music, literature and theater. Below, remember the main points of the artist’s career and personal life.
Born in Rio de Janeiro on June 19, 1944, Francisco Buarque de Hollanda — his full name — moved to São Paulo when he was just two years old. After a period in Rome, Italy, where he went to live with his family in 1952, Chico returned to São Paulo in 1954. In the capital of São Paulo, he studied at Colégio Santa Cruz where he took his first steps in the arts by participating in a show. The artist went on to enroll at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of São Paulo (FAU – USP), where he studied until the third year of the course.
In 1966, he released his first album: “Chico Buarque de Hollanda”, with his own compositions. The album contained songs that would later become classics of Brazilian music, such as “A banda” and “Tem mais samba”.
Discography
Chico gained prominence on the music scene with his first studio album. The album even earned the artist an award at the Brazilian Popular Music Festival with the song “The band” .
The aesthetics of the first project even went viral and circulate on social media to this day in the form of a meme. This is because the cover photo features two images, side by side, of the singer serious and smiling.
According to Chico, this happened because the record company wanted a photo of him smiling, but he wanted to be serious — and they couldn’t reach an agreement.
In the following years, the musician released other albums that also bear his name. “Chico Buarque de Hollanda – vol. 2”, in 1967, “Chico Buarque de Hollanda” and “Chico Buarque de Hollanda – vol. 3”, from 1968 and “Chico Buarque na Itália” and the LP (compact disc) with Sérgio Bardotti, “Chico Buarque de Holanda self-titled, in 1969.
Other compact discs were released by Buarque. This was the case with works such as “Umas e others” (1969) and “Apesar de Você” (1970).
In 1976, Chico won his first gold record, meaning he was well received by the public. To reach this milestone, artists need to sell more than 41 thousand physical copies. Entitled “Meus Caros Amigos”, the album features the participation of Milton Nascimento on the track “O Que SER? (A Flor da Terra)” and also features several songs composed by Chico for plays and films, such as “A Noiva da Cidade”, from the film of the same name.
Other albums by the musician that are gold records are “Chico Buarque” (1978), which brought up big issues from the time when Chico protested against the military regime in songs like “Cálice” and “Apesar de Você”; “Paratodos” (1993) and “As Cidades” (1998).
In 1977, Chico released a children’s album, “Os Saltimbancos”, with songs composed and arranged by Argentine composer Luis Enríquez Bacalov, and re-recorded in Portuguese by the Brazilian musician.
The last album released by Chico Buarque was “Caravanas”, in 2017. The album’s single was “Tua Cantiga”, which became the artist’s third most played song on digital platforms.
See Chico Buarque’s complete discography
- 1966: Chico Buarque de Hollanda
- 1967: Chico Buarque de Hollanda vol. two
- 1968: Chico Buarque de Hollanda vol. 3
- 1969: Chico Buarque in Italy
- 1970: Per un Pugno di Samba
- 1970: Despite You
- 1970: Chico Buarque de Hollanda – Nº4
- 1971: Construction
- 1972: Caetano and Chico Together and Live
- 1972: When Carnival Arrives
- 1973: “Calabar”
- 1974: “Closed Signal”
- 1975: Chico Buarque & Maria Bethânia Live
- 1976: My Dear Friends
- 1977: Drop of Water
- 1977: Os Saltimbancos
- 1978: Chico Buarque
- 1979: Opera do Malandro
- 1980: May 1st Show
- 1980: Life
- 1981: Almanac
- 1981: Saltimbancos Trapalhões
- 1982: Chico Buarque in Spanish
- 1983: To Live a Great Love
- 1983: The Great Mystical Circus
- 1984: Chico Buarque
- 1985: The King’s Corsair
- 1985: Trickster
- 1985: Opera do Malandro
- 1986: Best Moments of Chico & Caetano
- 1987: Francisco
- 1988: Half Moon Dance
- 1989: Chico Buarque
- 1990: Chico Buarque live Paris Le Zenith
- 1993: Paratodos
- 1995: A Word
- 1997: Earth
- 1998: The Cities
- 1999: Chico live
- 2001: Cambaio
- 2006: Rio
- 2007: Carioca Live
- 2011: Chico
- 2012: Na Carreira – Live
- 2017: Caravans
- 2018: Caravans – Live
Featured partnerships
Tom Jobim, Nara Leão, Milton Nascimento, Elza Soares and Ney Matogrosso are some of the artists who have shared vocals with Chico, whether in romantic songs, with political references or exploring Brazilian power on its different fronts.
See below 10 partnerships starring Chico Buarque.
- “Duet” – Chico Buarque and Nara Leão (1980)
- “Até o Fim” – Chico Buarque and Ney Matogrosso (1978)
- “Hansel and Gretel” – Chico Buarque and Sivuca (1977)
- “Vai Passar” – Chico Buarque and Francis Hime (1984)
- “Cálice” – Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil (1978)
- “I Love You” – Chico Buarque and Tom Jobim (1980)
- “Let’s Do (Let’s Love) – Chico Buarque and Elza Soares (2000)
- “Portrait in Black and White” – Chico Buarque and Tom Jobim (1968)
- “Sinhá” – Chico Buarque and João Bosco (2011)
- “First of May” – Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento (1977)
Awards
In music, the first milestone in Chico Buarque’s career was in 1966 when he won the 2nd Brazilian Popular Music Festival — award that took place between 1965 and 1969 — with the song “A Banda”, in partnership with Nara Leão.
At the 3rd International Song Festival from TV Globo, in 1968 , won as composer of the song “Sabiá” in partnership with Tom Jobim. However, the victory was contested by the public, who preferred the song that came in second place, “Pra Não Dizer que Não Falei de Flores”, by Geraldo Vandré.
Literature
Chico Buarque won with his books different editions of the Jabuti award — Brazilian literary competition created in 1959. In 1992, with the novel “Estorvo”; in 2004, with “Budapest”; in 2010, with “Leite Spilled”; and in 2017, with “O Irmão Alemão”. Every time his productions were nominated for awards, they received recognition in different categories.
Camões Award
In 2023, Chico received another award, but in this case surrounded by controversy. O Camões Prize was won by the artist in 2019 , but the delivery was delayed because the then president did not sign the award diploma, preventing the singer from being awarded the prize. The award was presented by the next president, four years after the singer was chosen to receive it.
Discover Chico Buarque’s books
Chico Buarque’s literary production was recognized and acclaimed, earning the Rio singer seven Jabutis, including three in the Book of the Year Fiction category, and an honor at the Camões Prize, the main award for literature in the Portuguese language, in 2019.
Do you want to know more about Chico Buarque’s books? A CNN presents you below five works written by the singer.
“Little Yellow Riding Hood” (1970)
The pinnacle of Chico Buarque’s children’s literature, “Little Yellow Riding Hood” was originally published in 1970 and re-released in 1997 with illustrations by Ziraldo, who passed away in April of this year, in his sleep, at the age of 91.
The book tells the story of a girl who lived in so much fear that she missed the opportunity to experience the wonders of life. The cycle is broken when Little Riding Hood faces the big bad wolf, and the story teaches a lesson about courage to the children who read it.
“Estorvo” (1991)
It was only in 1991 that Chico Buarque debuted in the romance genre. “Estorvo” was written on the computer that the singer had received from his then wife, actress Marieta Severo, and tells the story of a narrator who, trapped in an obsession, fluctuates between dreams and real life.
The work had its first print run, which totaled 30 thousand copies, sold out in two days and earned Chico the Jabuti award in 1992, in the Book of the Year Fiction and Romance categories.
“Budapest” (2003)
Chico Buarque’s third novel, “Budapeste” tells the story of a ghostwriter who writes things behind pseudonyms and other living authors. His life is changed when he arrives in the capital of Hungary, the city that gives the work its name and where he finds himself divided between his wife, Vanda, who is in Rio de Janeiro, and the character Kriska, who lives there.
The book also won the Jabutis for Book of the Year Fiction and Romance, in addition to being praised by Portuguese writer José Saramago, owner of works such as “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ” and “Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira”.
“Chico Buarque dared a lot, he wrote crossing an abyss on a wire and reached the other side. Next door are the works executed with mastery, that of language, that of narrative construction, that of simple doing. I don’t think I’m fooling myself by saying that something new happened in Brazil with this book”, wrote the Portuguese native to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
“Spilled Milk” (2010)
A novel published after “Budapest”, “Leite Derramado” tells about an old man, member of a traditional Brazilian family, who tells the story of his Portuguese ancestors and members of the Brazilian oligarchy. The work highlights the decline of the Brazilian elite over the generations.
Chico received two more Jabutis for writing, again for Book of the Year Fiction and Romance.
“German Brother” (2014)
In a bold text, Chico departed from his own family’s narrative to create a novel about the search for a possible German brother requested by the Hollander family, a name chosen in reference to his father, the intellectual Sérgio de Hollanda.
The backdrop of the work is the military dictatorship in Brazil and the legacy of the Holocaust in Germany. The book came in third place in the category of Brazilian Book Published Abroad at Jabuti in 2015.
(With information from Nicoly Bastos, Giovana Christ Caroline Ferreira and Flávio Ismerim)
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
