"Asa Branca" is a song written by

Luiz Gonzaga Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento (standard orthography 'Luís'; ; December 13, 1912 – August 2, 1989) was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, musician and poet and one of the most influential figures of Brazilian popular music in the twentieth century. ...

and Humberto Teixeira in 1947. The ''asa-branca'' ("white wing") of the title is the picazuro pigeon. With its departure the desolation of the parched ''

sertão The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the " hinterland" or " backcountry" of Brazil. The word refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil or the hinterlands of the country in general (similar to the specific ...

'' (the arid backcountry) is complete, and the protagonist of the song, unable to make a living, must leave the ''sertão'' and his lady-love Rosinha. The song closes with his promise to return.

Covers

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias (born 19 March 1960) is a Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. Biography Elias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on 19 March 1960. She started studying piano when she was seven, and at age twelve she was transcribing ...

included the song in her 1994 album '' Solos and Duets''. * Raul Seixas has written an English version of the song under the title "White Wings". It has been released only after his death, in the compilation ''Documento'' from 1998. *It has been covered by Zé Ramalho in his 2003 album ''

Estação Brasil Estação Brasil is a compilation album by Brazilian solo artist Zé Ramalho, containing songs by him (including one new song, "Nesse Brasil cabôco de Mãe-Preta e Pai João") as well as songs by various Brazilian artists. It was released in 2003 ...

''. It is about the

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

s that often afflict the ''

'' of the

Brazilian Northeast The Northeast Region of Brazil ( ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises nine: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, R ...

. *An instrumental version appears on Ballaké Sissoko's 2013 release, ''At Peace'', arranged by the artist for kora, and featuring frequent collaborator Vincent Ségal on cello. Also played on the Scottish Highland bagpipes long with Brazilian surdo by macumba.

Recognition

The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' as the 4th greatest Brazilian song.

A Volta da Asa-Branca

"A Volta da Asa-Branca" (''The Return of the White-wing'') is a sequel to "Asa Branca". It marks the return of rain, the ''asa-branca'', and the protagonist to the ''sertão''. The song celebrates the return of life to the ''sertão'', and the protagonist's reunion with Rosinha, whom he plans to marry at the end of the year.

References

1947 songs Brazilian songs Songs about Brazil Songs in Portuguese Songs written by Humberto Teixeira Songs about birds {{Brazil-music-stub