Do lado da gente que vive de frente:

José Mário Branco por terras de França

Abstract

José Mário Branco was a pivotal figure in the configuration of Portuguese popular music during the last half century, having started his recording activity during his exile years in France (1963-74), in the late 1960s. His albums, in which he was also responsible for the arrangements, were symptomatic of some changes within recording practices during this period, becoming increasingly common the creation of sonic realities in the studio that were not merely limited to capturing the sound of the live performance. This greater diversity in the instrumental support of the songs and the creative use of the studio’s various technological devices were in tune with the growing sonic and structural sophistication within the scope of anglo-american popular music. His previous musical training and interest in the universe of Portuguese traditional music, as well as his sonoplastic tendencies, influenced by his previous radio and theatrical pursuits, motivated him—explicitly—to contribute to the aesthetic renewal of the so-called ‘protest song’, seeking to value and exponentiate the communicative potential of the musical aspects of a song, which he considered to be frequently subordinated in relation to the lyrics. In this article, we seek to systematically present the main moments and changes in his artistic career before 1974, articulating them with his political and organizational activities, addressing some of the associative dynamics within Portuguese emigration in France during these years.