Cantigas do Maio

Cantigas do Maio (English: "Songs of May") is the fifth studio album by Portuguese singer-songwriter José Afonso. It was released in December 1971 by Portuguese label Orfeu.

Cantigas do Maio
Studio album by José Afonso
Released	December 1971 (1971-12)
Recorded	October–November 1971
Studio	Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France
Genre	Folk
Length	34:50
Label	Orfeu
José Afonso chronology
Traz Outro Amigo Também (1970) Cantigas do Maio (1971) Eu Vou Ser Como a Toupeira (1972)

It is widely considered the best of Afonso's career and one of the all-time greatest albums of Portuguese music.^[1][2][3] It contains Afonso's most iconic song, "Grândola, Vila Morena", which was used as a radio-broadcast signal by the Portuguese Armed Forces Movement during their military coup operation in the morning of 25 April 1974, which led to the Carnation Revolution and the transition to democracy in Portugal.

Recording

Cantigas do Maio was recorded between 11 October and 4 November 1971 at the Strawberry Studio in Château d'Hérouville, in Hérouville, France.^[2]

Release

The album was released in Portugal during the Christmas season of 1971. It was re-released in CD and vinyl, and made available for the first time on streaming platforms, in April 2022.^[4]

Legacy

In 1978, the Portuguese weekly-magazine SETE awarded Cantigas do Maio the "Award for Greatest Album Ever of Portuguese Folk Music" (Prémio Melhor Disco de Sempre da Música Popular Portuguesa).^[2]

In 2009, Portuguese music magazine Blitz named Cantigas do Maio the greatest Portuguese album of the 1970s, in a list ranking the best Portuguese albums of the past four decades.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written by José Afonso, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Senhor Arcanjo"		3:50
2.	"Cantigas do Maio"		5:50
3.	"Milho Verde"	Popular, arr. José Mário Branco	2:15
4.	"Cantar Alentejano"		5:30
5.	"Grândola, Vila Morena"		3:30
6.	"Maio Maduro Maio"		3:15
7.	"Ronda das Mafarricas"		2:50
8.	"Mulher da Erva"		2:55
9.	"Cora da Primavera"		4:55
Total length:			34:50

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's inner notes.^[6]

• José Afonso – vocals
• Carlos Correia (Bóris) – guitar, chorus, steps
• Michel Delaporte – darbuka, Berber bongo, tumbas, Brazilian tamborim, adufe
• Christian Padovan – bass guitar
• Tony Branis – trumpet
• Jacques Granier – flute
• Francisco Fanhais – chorus, steps, whistles, Jew's harp
• José Mário Branco – chorus, steps, accordion, Hammond organ, Fender piano

Production

• José Mário Branco – arrangements, musical direction
• Gilles Sallé – recording, mixing
• Christian Gence – recording, mixing
• José Santa-Bárbara – cover, graphic design
• Patrick Ulmann – photography

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Cantigas do Maio Chart (2022) Peak position Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[7] 1

2022 year-end chart performance for Cantigas do Maio Chart (2022) Position Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[8] 10

References

1. Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de. ""Cantigas do Maio" de José Afonso foi reeditado em vários formatos". "Cantigas do Maio" de José Afonso foi reeditado em vários formatos (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
2. "Cantigas do Maio, 1971". AJA (in European Portuguese). 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
3. Branco, Luís Freitas. "José Afonso em 1971: um esgotamento nervoso, duas prisões e uma obra prima". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
4. Lusa, Agência. ""Cantigas do Maio" de José Afonso reeditado no dia 22 de abril". Observador (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
5. PÚBLICO. ""Blitz" elege os 25 melhores álbuns portugueses das últimas quatro décadas". PÚBLICO (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-06-06.
6. José Afonso - Cantigas Do Maio, retrieved 2022-06-06
7. . portuguesecharts.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
8. "Top 100 Álbuns - Semanas 1 a 52 – De 31/12/2021 a 29/12/2022" (PDF). Audiogest (in Portuguese). p. 1. Retrieved 1 February 2023.