Súplica was introduced in April 1940 by Orlando Silva as the B-side of his single Coqueiro Velho. The waltz had been written two years earlier, but remained unpublished until Silva recorded it on 15 February 1940. Written by film critic, radio broadcaster, screenwriter and director Otávio Gabus Mendes, instrumentalist and composer José Marcílio and composer and singer Ferjalla Rizkalla aka Déo, Súplica is considered the first Brazilian song lyrics not to rhyme.
In 1940, Orlando Silva scored seven songs in the top 100 of the year. While the A-side Coqueiro Velho reached number 20, the waltz Súplica became Silva’s biggest hit, coming in at number two behind Dama das Camélias by Francisco Alves and ahead of O Samba da Minha Terra by Bando da Lua.
Orlando Garcia da Silva is considered the greatest Brazilian singer of the radio era, whose singing style has had a lasting impact. His enormous success also made him the first to attract frenetic crowds wherever he appeared or was heard. However, his heyday was short-lived, lasting from his first recording in 1935 until the early 1940s, when his troubled life was increasingly marked by the effects of alcohol, morphine and depression.
Silva re-recorded Súplica in 1959 for his album Carinhoso, a selection of his greatest hits with new arrangements. This recording was released in 1961, along with Coqueiro Velho, as a single in the original 1940 order and also on his compilation album Quando a Saudade Apertar. (The 1968 album of the same name included the original 1940 recordings). During Silva’s lifetime, until 1978, Súplica was recorded about 17 times. Until Maria Bethânia’s recording in 1981, it was sung only by male singers.
Selected recordings of Súplica:
1. Orlando Silva from the single Coqueiro Velho b/w Súplica (1940, Victor 34.587)
2. Pedro Raimundo from the single Súplica b/w Adeus Moçada (1944, Continental 15.206)
3. Orlando Silva from the album Carinhoso (1959, RCA Victor BBL 1009), the single Coqueiro Velho b/w Súplica (1961, RCA Victor 80-2392) and the album Quando a Saudade Apertar (1961, RCA Camden CALB 5184)
4. Avena de Castro from the album Naquele Tempo (1961, Continental LPP 3154)
5. Juarez Araújo from the album Juarez Araújo Sua Excia. O Sax (1961, Carroussell SELP 3009) aka O Inimitável Juarez (1962, Masterplay MDL 13019)
6. Armando Vidigal from the album Retalhos d’Alma (1964, Musidisc Hi-Fi 2107)
7. Roberto Silva from the album Eu… O Luar… E a Serenata N° 2 (1964, Copacabana CLP 11366)
8. Ângelo Apolônio ‘Poly’ from the album Última Estrofe (1968, Chantecler CMG 2460)
9. Carlos José from the album Uma Noite de Seresta Vol.4 (1969, CBS 37638)
10. Alberto Calçada from the album Chuva de Valsas (1973, Rosicler/Chantecler R-7157)
SÚPLICA
Aço frio de um punhal • Foi o seu adeus para mim • Não crendo na verdade, implorei, pedi • As súplicas morreram sem eco, em vão • Batendo nas paredes frias do apartamento
Torpor tomou-me todo • E eu fiquei sem ser mais nada • Adormecido tenha, talvez, quem sabe • Pela janela aberta a fria madrugada • Amortalhou-me a dor com o manto da garôa
Esperança, morreste muito cedo • Saudade, cedo de mais chegaste • Uma quando parte a outra sempre chega • Chorar já lágrimas não tenho
Coração, por que é que tu não paras • A taça do meu sofrer findaste • É inútil prosseguir se forças já não tenho • Tu sabes bem que ela era a minha vida • Meu doce e grande amor
Brazilliance 