Carinhoso

Elis Regina turned “Carinhoso” into a musical portrait of Brazilian affection. The song was not meant to be sung, but rather to be played: Pixinguinha composed it between 1916 and 1917 as a pure instrumental choro, without lyrics or romantic pretensions. Interestingly, its first recording, in 1928, featured only the melody, without vocals or embellishments. Nearly ten years passed before João de Barro added lyrics, and in 1937 Orlando Silva recorded it with a phrasing that still sounds fresh today. But the real turning point came decades later, when television adopted it as the theme song for a soap opera in 1982, and the public rediscovered it as an anthem of everyday love.

What makes “Carinhoso” special is not only its history but its ability to reinvent itself. In 1950, the song crossed borders with an English-language version, “Love Is Like This,” recorded by Jane Powell for a movie. But it was in the 1970s that it became a massive phenomenon: Elis Regina’s version for TV Globo’s soap opera *Carinhoso* brought it back to the radio, with Regina Duarte and Cláudio Marzo as its leading stars. Beyond the awards—such as third place on Rolling Stone Brazil’s list in 2009—there’s another surprising fact: according to Ecad, it is the most re-recorded song in Brazil, with 411 versions registered in 2021. And although it dropped to third place in the rankings in 2023, it remains a record that speaks to its reach. The magic lies in the fact that, no matter the era, “Carinhoso” sounds like a hug that needs no words.