Today I'm excited to be writing about Asa Branca sung by the King of Baião (o Rei do Baião) Luiz Gonzaga. This is really one of the great forró classics: I remember hearing it sung out loud at one of the very first forró festivals I went to and being amazed at how many people knew the words by heart. This is really a must-learn song if you want to get deeper into forró.
Click here to read the lyrics in Portuguese.
Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira composed this song together in 1947. Teixeira was from the state of Ceará and learnt to play many instruments at a young age, before later training to become a lawyer. When Gonzaga and Teixeira met, they were enthused by the idea of promoting music from the north-east of Brazil and this led to the start of their partnership.
As we discover, the lyrics tell a story of migration, leaving your home, feeling saudade and the thrill of coming home. There is something so universal about these feelings; perhaps this is why this song sends tingles down my spine, despite coming from a completely different country, culture and background.
Coming soon - a video reading the lyrics out loud in Portuguese!
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