Verde Que Te Quero Rosa
Cartola
1977
Why This Album Matters
Verde Que Te Quero Rosa, released in 1977 by RCA Victor, represents Cartola's third studio album and an important milestone in his late discography. This work belongs to a period of the artist's "rediscovery" in the 1970s, when, already at an advanced age, he finally had the opportunity to record in the studio the vast richness of his songbook, accumulated over almost five decades of his career. The album solidifies Cartola's image as one of the greatest and most authentic composers in Brazilian music, highlighting his unique lyricism and the depth of his melodies within the samba universe. Distancing itself from the frenetic carnival samba, the album explores a more subtle and introspective facet of the genre, a distinctive characteristic of Cartola's work. In it, the mature, velvety voice of the Mangueira master guides the listener through sambas that are true jewels of sensibility and poetry, with arrangements that value the melodic and harmonic essence of his compositions. The album's iconic cover, which depicts Cartola in an intimate moment alongside Dona Zica, drinking coffee from a green cup and pink saucer, has become one of the most revered images in Brazilian music, symbolising not only the colours of his beloved Mangueira, but also the simplicity and the elegance of his artistic persona.
Context
Before his "rediscovery" in the 1970s, Cartola endured a long period of ostracism, having even been presumed missing or dead by many of his admirers. Despite being one of the founders of Estação Primeira de Mangueira in 1928 and having sold sambas to big names like Francisco Alves in the 1930s, his active musical career drastically declined in the following decades. The turning point began to take shape from the 1950s, when journalist Sérgio Porto (Stanislaw Ponte Preta) rediscovered him and helped to promote his work. The revaluation of samba in the 1960s, driven by Zicartola, the restaurant he opened with his wife Dona Zica, became a catalyst for his return, transforming the venue into an important meeting point for sambistas and intellectuals. It was in 1974, at the age of 66, that Cartola released his first solo album, initiating a prolific phase that would culminate in four essential albums before his death in 1980. Verde Que Te Quero Rosa, from 1977, is the third of these works and the first to be released by a major label, RCA Victor, following his first two self-titled albums on the independent Discos Marcus Pereira.
Recording
The recording of Verde Que Te Quero Rosa marked Cartola's debut on a major label, RCA Victor, following the success of his previous albums released by an independent label. The album's production was overseen by Sérgio Cabral, an important name in the Brazilian music scene. One of the highlights of the production is the iconic cover, photographed by Ivan Klingen. The image shows Cartola in a homely setting, drinking coffee served by Dona Zica, with a cigarette in his hand and his usual dark glasses, which he used to disguise the swelling of an eyelid after nasal surgery. The sambista himself suggested using a green cup and a pink saucer, in clear allusion to the colours of his Estação Primeira de Mangueira and the album's title. In Cartola's hand, a ring with a lyre symbolises his passion for music. The orchestral arrangements, for the most part, were conducted by the extraordinary guitarist Dino Sete Cordas, with a notable exception on the track "Autonomia", which featured the masterful piano of Radamés Gnattali.
Songs
The repertoire of Verde Que Te Quero Rosa is a careful selection of sambas that blend Cartola's solo authorship with significant partnerships and some compositions by other masters. The title track, "Verde Que Te Quero Rosa", co-written with Dalmo Castelo, is an exaltation of Mangueira's colours and spirit. The album features classics like "Autonomia", composed by Cartola in the same year as the album's release and which would become one of the most re-recorded songs in his repertoire. Among the twelve tracks, "Nós Dois" stands out due to its affectionate origin, having been composed especially for Cartola's marriage to Dona Zica in 1964, revealing the sambista's romantic and personal vein. Other notable partnerships include "Tempos Idos" with Carlos Cachaça, one of Mangueira's founders and a long-time collaborator, and the inclusion of "Pranto de Poeta", by Guilherme de Brito and Nelson Cavaquinho, reinforcing Cartola's connection to the samba pantheon. The diversity of composers and the lyrical depth of the songs, which address themes such as love, longing (saudade), resilience and the observation of life, cement the album's poetic relevance.
Legacy
Verde Que Te Quero Rosa, although following two albums considered masterpieces, maintained Cartola's high artistic standard, consolidating his final phase of great recognition. The album contributed to reinforcing Cartola's image as an icon of Brazilian popular culture, not only through his music, but also through its iconic cover, which became one of the most famous in national discography and has been recreated and revered over time. Although it did not line up as many immediate standards as its predecessors, the album bequeathed "Autonomia" as an instant classic, with approximately 25 re-recordings since its original release. Cartola's entry into a major label like RCA Victor with this work also symbolised the complete acceptance and mainstream recognition of his genius, ensuring that his timeless samba reached an even wider audience. The legacy of Verde Que Te Quero Rosa lies in its ability to keep alive the flame of the purest and most poetic samba, confirming Cartola as a musical treasure of Brazil.
Rankings
Tracks
Credits
Sérgio Cabral
Durval Ferreira
Coral De Joab
Meira
Horondino José Da Silva
Canhoto
Wilson das Neves
Dininho
Altamiro Carrilho
Elizeu, Gilberto D'Avila, Jorge José Da Silva, Luna, Nilton Delfino Marçal
Radamés Gnattali
Abel Ferreira
Aizik Geller
Antenor Marques Filho
Nelson Martins Dos Santos
Luiz Carlos T. Reis
Luiz Carlos T. Reis, Nestor Vitiritti
José Oswaldo Martins
Ney Tavora
Lucio Rangel
Ivan Klingen
Videos
Cartola e o álbum "Verde Que Te Quero Rosa" | Arte na Capa
Canal Brasil
Films
Books
The 500 Greatest Brazilian Albums of All Time
Ricardo Alexandre · 2022
The election was spearheaded by journalist Ricardo Alexandre, creator of the Discoteca Básica podcast. Ricardo consulted 162 specialists including journalists, YouTubers, podcasters, musicians, record-shop owners and producers. The result was published as a 200-page hardcover book, with graphic design by Fernando Pires.
Cartola
Cartola Editora, Rodrigo Barros · 2021
A Cartola Editora inaugura a coleção Músicos & Poetas. O projeto retrata compositores que fizeram sucesso na música popular brasileira, do Forró ao Rock n ́ Roll. Cada volume terá vinte histórias inspiradas em vinte músicas de cada artista, uma maneira que a editora encontrou para homenagear músicos
Cartola: Os Tempos Idos
Marilia T. Barboza · 2003
Considerada uma das biografias definitivas de Cartola, esta obra de Marilia T. Barboza oferece um estudo aprofundado da vida e da carreira do mestre do samba, cobrindo sua trajetória desde a infância na Mangueira até seus últimos anos de glória, detalhando suas composições e seu impacto na música brasileira.
O melhor de Cartola
Cartola · 1998
Este álbum contém a biografia do mestre e compositor da Mangueira, escrita pelo jornalista Roberto M. Moura, e apresenta 20 de suas mais significativas obras musicais que retratam, com a inspiração de poucos, os mais profundos sentimentos da paixão humana. Estão presentes, entre outras: A cor da esp
Analyses
Verde Que Te Quero Rosa – Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Discos para descobrir em casa - 'Verde que te quero rosa', Cartola, 1977
g1.globo.com
Produzido por Sérgio Cabral, o álbum Verde que te quero rosa foi o terceiro dos quatro LPs lançados por Cartola entre 1974 e 1978.
Discos para descobrir em casa - 'Verde que te quero rosa', Cartola, 1977
popeartebrasil.wordpress.com
Mesmo sem repertório tão lapidar quanto os álbuns Cartola (1974) e Cartola (1976), Verde que te quero rosa afirmou Cartola como mestre da delicadeza, criador de sambas depurados que sempre soaram atemporais.
Verde Que Te Quero Rosa - Três Selos
tresselos.com
O álbum 'Verde que te quero rosa', de 1977, tem uma das capas mais emblemáticas da discografia brasileira. Clicado pelo olhar sensível do fotógrafo, Ivan Klingen, que percebeu as cores da escola do coração nos objetos cotiados da casa de Cartola e da mulher Dona Zica.
Capa de disco: "Verde que te quero rosa" - Cartola (1977)
teoriadodesign.com
Seu terceiro disco, "Verde Que Te Quero Rosa", marca uma mudança em sua carreira, pois foi quando o artista estreou na gravadora RCA-Victor em 1977. Produzido por Sérgio Cabral, o álbum consagrou clássicos do compositor.
Discogs
Verde Que Te Quero Rosa – Discogs
discogs.com