May I had the biggest delirium of my life hahaha
I was listening Pelo Interfone by Cícero, a Brazilian singer. It is an unmistakable inspiration and tribute to Bossa Nova and its artists, specially when he mentions Tom Jobim’s album.
The point of my delirium is: I really believe this is a conversation with João Gilberto!!!
First of all, if you never heard about João’s favorite contact channel… well, it was the telephone. It’s known João didn’t like to go outside, except for his concerts (our eccentric mister always hahaha). João used to waste a lot of time talking and playing with friends by the telephone.
Ruy Castro wrote in one of his books about a guy who lived in the same Joāo Gilberto’s building (and he discovered that hahaha). Then, he felt comfortable to call João on the intercom.
Joāo, a gentleman, was nice for the first few times. But that guy, his super fan, just didn’t stop to call. So, our mister, gently call him on the intercom back and said something as “Hey, please, if we are friends… I am calling you to ask not to call me back nevermore”. João didn’t want to be bothered again, but the main message the guy received was “I AM JOÃO’S FRIEND” hahahaha
I can’t deny I understand his happiness that time hahaha
The song lyrics says:
Tell him
That he is a good dream
That changed the tone
Of your long life
Tell him
About Tom Jobim’s record
About his nickname and about me
And cry
Oh, Dindi
If you knew how it hurts
You wouldn’t love anyone else
Tell him
That life is a balloon
To take care of his heart
And cry
Where do they go?
Away
Oh, Dindi
If you knew how it hurts
You wouldn’t love anyone else
Oh, Dindi
If you knew
Oh, if you knew
You wouldn’t tell anyone
Tell him what you never told anyone
Tell him too
And then comes the part that makes me completely convinced (or completely insane hahah): Who is this person on the other side of the intercom?
Someone who is being told to hear about Tom Jobim’s record. Someone whose nickname matters. Someone with whom there is enough intimacy to say things that “you never told anyone”. Someone who seems to be far away, unreachable, almost like a memory.
And then I thought: João.
Maybe it is not João Gilberto. Maybe Cícero simply created a character, a lover, a friend, a ghost… someone who lives on the other side of the intercom and receives all the things that cannot be said directly.
But once I remembered João’s relationship with the telephone, I couldn’t unhear it.
I like to imagine that the song is a tiny fictional conversation with him. That somewhere in Rio, behind one of those old intercoms, there is João Gilberto on the other side, listening to someone talk about Tom Jobim, about records, about love, and eventually asking, very politely, to be left alone.
And honestly? If Cícero did not write the song about João, I don’t even want to know.
I do prefer my delirium hahahah
After all, Bossa Nova has always had something of a whisper to it. Things are rarely said directly. They are suggested, played softly, left hanging in the air…
Maybe that’s why I heard João’s voice on the other side of the intercom.
Or maybe I just wanted to.
Either way, I called.
And João answered. 🙂