Samba-canção (ˈsɐ̃bɐ kɐ̃ˈsɐ̃w) is a kind of slow samba

Samba

Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...

 music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 from Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It appeared in the late 1940s. During the 1950s several stars used to sing it including Dalva de Oliveira

Dalva de Oliveira

Dalva de Oliveira or Vicentina de Paula Oliveira was a Brazilian singer and one of divas of the Radio Era....

, Nora Ney

Nora Ney

Nora Ney was a Brazilian singer. She is also the most notable interpreter of the samba-canção music style and a pioneer of the Brazilian rock....

, The Batista Sisters, Jamelão

Jamelão

José Bispo Clementino dos Santos was a Brazilian samba singer known as Jamelão . He began in music as a tamborim player, but later became known as the official singer at samba school Mangueira's carnaval parades, performing in every Carnaval from 1949 to 2006...

, Maysa, Dorival Caymmi

Dorival Caymmi

Dorival Caymmi was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years beginning in 1933...

 and many others. The lyrics focus on sadness and melancholy, often talking about love, disillusion or betrayal.

For a Samba-canção song to become a hit it was played by an orchestra. The best known song from that time was Ninguém me ama (Nobody loves me), great hit of 1954 by Nora Ney. When Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...

appeared around 1958, popular music became happier and softer, often with just a piano or a guitar. Samba-canção lost its popularity. By the early 1960s, the genre had lost much of its popularity.