"''Sodade''" is a Cape Verdean song written in the 1950s by

Armando Zeferino Soares Armando Zeferino Soares, (1920 in São Nicolau, Cape Verde – April 3, 2007) was a Capeverdean composer, author of the famous song ''Sodade''. He was born in Praia Branca in the island of São Nicolau and worked there as a salesman. He had s ...

, and best popularized by

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011), more commonly known as Cize, was a Cape Verdean singer-songwriter. She received a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album ''Voz d'Amor''. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without ...

on her 1992 album ''

Miss Perfumado ''Miss Perfumado'' is the fourth album by Cape Verdean vocalist Cesária Évora, released in 1992. It sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.

''. The name is the

Cape Verdean Creole Cape Verdean Creole is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken on the islands of Cape Verde. It is also called or by its native speakers. It is the native creole language of virtually all Cape Verdeans and is used as a second language by t ...

variant of the Portuguese term ''

saudade ''Saudade'' (, , , ; plural ''saudades'') is an emotional state of melancholic or profoundly nostalgic longing for something that one loves despite it not necessarily being real. It often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of lo ...

''. The authorship of the song was contested, notably by the duo Amândio Cabral and Luís Morais, until a court ruled in December 2006 that Soares was the author.

Background

''Sodade'' describes the nostalgia experienced by Cape Verdeans

emigrants Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

who have been seafarers and emigrants for centuries, repeating the question "Ken mostro-b es kaminhu longe?" ("Who showed you the faraway path?") Cape Verdeans have been voluntarily migrating from Cape Verde to every continent, since as early 1800s. The earliest recorded migration of Cape Verdeans was to New England, because they were recruited as whalers for their exceptional seafaring skills as whalers and whale captains. This started the trend of voluntary immigration of Cape Verdeans to New England, as well as opened doors for future migration during periods of drought and following independence from Portugal. The song ''Sodade'' refers to the migration of a small part of the population as contract laborers to

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

, which occurred during the authoritarian rule over Portugal and its former colonies by

Antonio de Oliveira Salazar Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

. However, ''Sodade'' is one of many songs written throughout the history of migration in Cape Verde, including the whaling era. Departures of friends and family, known as ''despididas'' in Portuguese and Creole, were often accompanied by ''

mornas Mornas (; oc, Mornats) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The settlement is attested as ''Morenatus'' in 822, ''Murenatis'' in 837 and ''Mornatz'' ca. 1178. See also ...

'' to bid farewell to loved ones and neighbors with a ''serenata'' or serenade. Songs like ''Sodade'' are reminiscent of this tradition and represent the nostalgia associated with migration in Cape Verde for more than two centuries. Many songs, like ''Sodade'', were composed to bid farewell to loved ones. The history of Cape Verdeans as global migrants (an inherent influence on Cape Verdean culture and music) is why morna lyrics, like the lyrics of ''Sodade'', are often melancholic and nostalgic.

Notable recordings and performances

* Bonga recorded "Sodade" on his album "Angola 74" (1974) *

sang "Sodade" on her 1992 album ''

Miss Perfumado ''Miss Perfumado'' is the fourth album by Cape Verdean vocalist Cesária Évora, released in 1992. It sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.

'' * Basque musician

Kepa Junkera Kepa Junkera Urraza (born 1965 in Bilbao, Euskadi, Spain) is a Basque musician and composer. A master of the trikitixa, the diatonic accordion, he has recorded more than 10 albums. Allmusic/ref> Junkera won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Fol ...

published "Sodade" with Portuguese singer

Dulce Pontes Dulce José Silva Pontes (; born 8 April 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk, and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s ...

on his album "Bilbao 00:00 h" from 1998. * American singer songwriter Madonna performed a live version of "Sodade" on her 2019-2020

Madame X Tour The Madame X Tour was the eleventh concert tour by American singer Madonna, in support of her fourteenth studio album, ''Madame X'' (2019). It began on September 17, 2019, at New York City's BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, and ended on March 8, ...

, with Cape Verdean artist Dino d’Santiago. She also performed it again by herself at the Red Rooster in Harlem as part of a surprise performance on the 9th October 2021, in line with the premiere and release of the Madame X film and live album.

Charts

References

{{Cesária Évora Cape Verdean music 1950s songs Cesária Évora songs