The Tremendous One, Erasmo Carlos

Rio - When I met Erasmo Carlos, my first — and strongest — impression was of a giant, tough and gruff.

He was 65 years old, weighed over 100 kilos, and was about 2 meters tall. A giant, compared to me, a boy of 1,70m and 67 kilos.

But my first impression quickly dissipated when he began answering the questions I had prepared for an interview for 'Jornal do Rádio'. Sitting in front of me was a delicate giant, soft-spoken and gentle. 

Erasmo was releasing "Erasmo Carlos Invites - Volume 2" on the Indie Record label. A continuation of volume 1, made 27 years ago. Erasmo wanted to make an album singing songs he enjoyed hearing in the voices of other performers. "It's not an opportunistic, exploitative album. I've wanted to make an album like this for a long time. That's why I didn't invite anyone who participated in volume 1 for the duets on the new CD, not even Roberto," he said.

“Some of the current guests, like the guys from Skank and Los Hermanos, were children in 1980. But Chico Buarque, for example, was left out of the first edition and now shares with me “Olha”, recorded in a bossa nova style.”

"Emoções," a song so closely associated with Roberto, is one I would hardly record if it weren't for a duet project. It's a song for great singers. It reminds me of "New York, New York."

The CD includes samba-rock ("Coqueiro Verde", with Lulu Santos), samba ("Cama e Mesa", with Zeca Pagodinho), rock ("Ilegal, Imoral ou Engorda", with Adriana Calcanhotto), a sentimental ballad ("Tema de Não Quero Ver Você Triste", with Marisa Monte), a prelude ("De Tanto Amor", with Djavan), bossa nova with contemporary effects ("Pão de Açúcar", with Os Cariocas)...

"I am a mix of both of us. I like a little bit of everything," she sums up.

You already know the story of struggle and success of Erasmo Carlos: his first musical passion was rock'n'roll. His friendship with Roberto began in the late 1950s in Tijuca, a neighborhood in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, where a group of friends who enjoyed rock music gathered, including Tim Maia and keyboardist Lafayette, among many others. Together, Erasmo and Roberto wrote hundreds of songs that made them two of the greatest composers of Brazilian pop and romantic music. 

At age 20, Erasmo Carlos had already participated in rock bands like The Snakes; In 1963, with "Parei na Contramão" (I Stopped in the Wrong Lane), the partnership between Roberto and Erasmo began, yielding numerous hits: "Emoções" (Emotions), "Detalhes" (Details), "Sentado à Beira do Caminho" (Sitting by the Roadside), "As Curvas da Estrada de Santos" (The Curves of the Santos Road), "Se Você Pensa" (If You Think), "Debaixo dos Caracóis dos Seus Cabelos" (Underneath the Curls of Your Hair), "Quero Que Vá Tudo Pro Inferno" (I Want Everything to Go to Hell), "Como é Grande o Meu Amor por Você" (How Great My Love Is for You), and many others.

Well, the rest is history.

I conclude with one of the most beautiful poems written by Erasmo Carlos:

That's what love is all about.

A joy of light, the orgasm of art.

A dream, a burning in the soul, a pain, a stroke of luck.

More than a selfish and possessive offer

A lullaby in raw flesh

An entire universe of pleasure in heaven.

The resonance of peace in the heart of the womb.

Noble illusion of the horizon, of endless fever.

And the sound of the band signaling that the show is like this.

Father of affection

The euphoria of the winds in the birth of flowers.

A mystery

Eighth color of the rainbow in the jungle of horrors

Ever since I learned that life was a grand spell.

The earth's heat showing its worth.

Swear to the world that this is what love is.

Carousel

The emotion of the delivery, the reason for the toy.

One criterion

The fifth season of the year, courage from fear.

Ever since I learned that life was a grand spell.

The earth's heat showing its worth.

Swear to the world that this is what love is.

What kind of love is this?

What kind of love is this?

Erasmo died this Tuesday at the age of 81. The singer and songwriter's death was confirmed by his record label, Som Livre, on his social media profile. He was hospitalized in a hospital in the western part of Rio de Janeiro.

Goodbye, Tremendão!