The two books are published as part of the Letra Poema series, included in the Plural collection by Imprensa Nacional — Casa da Moeda, which is dedicated to poetry. The first works in this series, featuring song lyrics by Carlos Tê and João Monge, were released in February of last year.
‘Soñetos’ by Rui Reininho features nearly 150 song lyrics, primarily written for GNR (Grupo Novo Rock), a band he leads that is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.
‘Soñetos’ includes popular GNR song lyrics such as ‘Dunas’, ‘Efetivamente’, ‘Pronúncia do Norte’, ‘Morte ao Sol’, ‘Popless’, ‘Mais vale nunca’, ‘Sub-16’, and ‘Vídeo Maria’, as well as less familiar tracks like ‘Santa Polónia’, ‘TV Mural’, ‘O Paciente’, and ‘Farol’.
Besides GNR’s songs, the book also contains poems penned by Rui Reininho for his solo albums ‘Companhia das Índias’, released in 2008, and ‘20.000 Éguas Submarinas’, in 2021.
The Letra Poema series raises a significant question: Are song lyrics considered poems?
Jorge Reis-Sá, the director of Letra Poema, believes they are, though he acknowledges the scientific community remains divided on the issue.
“Even Carlos Tê isn’t entirely certain. I think they are, they’re contingent poems, poems that are contingent on being set to music. Whether they are good or bad poems depends on the lyrics,” he explained in statements made last February.
The fourth volume of Letra Poema is dedicated to Miguel Araújo, compiling lyrics from projects like Azeitonas and Mendes & Só, alongside his solo albums and songs written for other artists such as António Zambujo, Ana Moura, Carminho, and Tiago Nacarato.
The book contains a total of 127 lyrics, including songs like ‘Anda comigo ver os aviões’, ‘Quem és tu, miúda’, ‘Os maridos das outras’, ‘Fizz limão’, ‘Ainda estamos aqui’, ‘Talvez se eu dançasse’, ‘Karma kamikaze’, ‘O pica do sete’, and ‘Ciúme’.
In the preface to ‘Enquanto invento algum sentido meu’, cultural programmer and producer Tito Couto describes Miguel Araújo as “a storyteller of everyday life”.
“His songs, like ‘Os maridos das outras’ and ‘Recantiga’, capture mundane life moments, enveloping them in a poetry that is both simple and profound,” the text reads.
