Arnaldo Baptista talks about the album “Singin’ Alone” (2013)

When I recorded this album, Singin’ Alone, I thought: what’s missing in my career? Something that’s capable of spanning all that I reach in the universe. So, I chose a kind of language, a certain spectrum, thoughts and entities… And everywhere I went , I tried to turn that into poetry. In other words, my personality is present in my day to day life, as part of the lyrics, as segments of my life during that time.

Another aspect is that I play everything in this album: bass, keyboards, guitar…sometimes I put in a harmonica, a pandeiro, a music box- one man band… In all the bands I’ve been there has always been a discordant factor for me: the bass sound, would be too high; the badly tuned amp; a very egocentric person…

In this album, however, I tried to insert a personal side, not only in the lyrics and songs, but also in the instrumental and musical side, which is very important. I laid down what was expected: the unexpected. I mix Yes, which is a classic side, with lots of bass, with ‘Caipira’ music (the roots/traditional Brazilian country music), which is a very rural, peculiar aspect of Brazil. Something that spans everyone’s minds. I also have lots of songs in English, in order to reach that kind of mentality and philosophical thought.

Sometimes we get lost in creativity and find the objective is not only one, never! Both work. I wanted to expose and show my musical and poetic creativity. That’s why I added the English side to it.

About the songs on Singin’ Alone

“Bomba H Sobre São Paulo” (H Bomb over São Paulo city) Is about what I did to reach this depth of lyric writing. I’d walk up to the Serra da Cantareira, a long way and I was interested in flowers, people, cars that passed by and also my mind, overcome by entities, planets and distant galaxies. On that day I thought about how walking through the Cantareira we can see the city as a separate entity, an H bomb – something would happen. That’s what I thought about.

“Hoje de Manhã Eu Acordei” (This Morning I Woke Up) is about another part of my personal life, the place where I slept: the bedroom, the walls, this was a thought that was not so much about roads, cars and galaxies. A thought that was more about sheets, company, thoughts about food, exercise etc. The passion I had at that moment worked sometimes: “is it too good?”

“Jesus come back to earth” is yet another part of my life. I was in the apartment with my mother on Avenida Angélica, in São Paulo city, and I didn’t feel open there, so I wrote this song.

“Corta Jaca” (Cut jack fruit) has a rural side to it. Suzana Braga who is Portuguese descendant, did the ‘caipira’ voice – for her, it was hard to speak Brazilian Portuguese, to do the caipira accent (ah ah ah). It has a little to do with the interior of São Paulo city. My grandfather, coronel Orácio was mayor of Avaré so I tried to put this into music in the form of caipira and rock n’ roll – I made this contrast stand out.

There is an aspect between you and the instrument, which is translated to the piano, to the synthesizer…In “Cowboy” I recorded my personal side with the bass. So, I was able to make a song in which I explain everything I feel through the instrument… Jack Bruce.

“Sitting on the road side” I hitchhiked to Catanduva…400km from São Paulo…I felt like a pilgrimage, like not being taken by anything except my exploration and see how much I could bear, resistance wise. Kind of hippy.

“I fell in love one day” Like with “Cowboy” this one is about the bass, piano and synthesizer. I managed a greater depth of lyrics with the piano here, because with the bass the music is heavier. So I talk about highways and motors. Here I deeply explore more philosophy, reasons to live…

The piano aspect gave me more freedom with regards to my emotions. I also talk about my searches, inspirations, research…Thought about my mother, who played piano years ago. This part is for her: “take me to the best” As if she could interfere in my music, through channeling…My mother had a universe – hours and hours lying down, thinking about paradise. That’s why she said “I will not wait for your death”. I was more emotionally free with the piano. On the guitar I am not as inspired to passion and heart as I am with the piano.

There is this feminine presence in the lyrics…the lyrical, poetic, romantic side, about this importance that women have in people’s lives. It doesn’t matter what you think or what you are, you only have one sex as a person. So, in order to give continuity to an important factor of evolution, which is DNA, you need the feminine aspect that completes it. In my poetry, the girl is important as muse, in a platonic way…it lends to a colourfulness, a romanticism of sorts.

“Ciborg” This is also a topic which propels me forward in life, as research, in this case human research, as in the cyborg. For example: for millions of years the human body uses in its ears, exponential numbers that have nothing to do with mathematics. Man discovered this number 50 years ago. Therefore, the human body is so much more evolved than our scientific reach! Ciborg is about us trying to make machines out of machines, which is what we are…It is also about me riding my bicycle and thinking: if I were a cyborg I’d have a lot more strength in my legs. “In vain, Ciborg!”

“Coming Through the Waves of Science” “I don’t know why I got so involved, when I could just be playing” This is so deep! At times, deeper than I am. When we talk about the feminine, we think about a stereotype, which would be the goddess. So, there is also a magical side, stronger channeling, greater consciousness of everything…Then I get into “Let’s Spend the Night Together”.

“Young Blood” I only had a piano at home during this period and I ended up making a garage band. The people were younger than me, perhaps 10 years younger, so I wrote this song, inspired by this new blood. Their enthusiasm was great…”Lipstick kiss on you, model”. Then the inspiration came from the Rodhia fashion shows. I would see the models pass by and dream-all of them new blood… As if you could say no to the system, “your heart on the new blood”.

“Train” This one’s interesting. I planned on calling it Blues in the Cantareira, then I went to London and took a bus to Germany and in the station I called it Train. Every now and then I listen to Jack Bruce, Elton John…talking about trains. “It was my choice to be here in the middle of the blues”.

“Balada do Louco” (Ballad of the Crazy) I went to Rita’s brother in law’s house, who had a piano and wrote the song inspired by the differences that exist between people. For example, there is always someone superior to you. To be honest, in that week I had been kicked by a girl in Karate, which made my feet bleed…So, I thought, it was lack of support etc but it wasn’t that: she was actually better than me…I developed this concept further with entities which I thought were marvelous, like Alan Delon…Then I showed it to Rita, who gave it subtlety and a poetic side also…This new recording, from 1995 was surprising because I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful. I didn’t make any contribution to the musical side, but it came out beautifully. I loved it! Sounds like Elton John with an orchestra.

Translation by Rebecca Sharp

1-I Fell In Love One Day
2-O Sol
3-Bomba H Sobre São Paulo
4-Hoje de Manhã Eu Acordei
5-Jesus Come Back To Earth
6-The Cowboy
7-Sitting On The Road Side
8-Ciborg
9-Corta Jaca
10-Coming Through The Waves Of Science
11-Young Blood
12-Train