December 2025 – Wilson Simonal ‘s classic album, Se Dependesse de Mim , gets a new lease on life on vinyl in a special re-release by Universal Music Brazil . The new release will be celebrated with a listening session and commentary this Tuesday, December 9th, at Formosa Hi-Fi in São Paulo, with the presence of singers, composers, and music producers Wilson Simoninha and Max de Castro , sons of the legendary singer.
Originally released in 1972, the album marks a decisive period in Simonal’s career: it is his first work after leaving Odeon and joining the label that then represented many of the biggest names in Brazilian popular music, at the time under the Philips Records banner, later Polydor Records, and today Universal Music Group. Amidst musical, social, and personal transformations, the album revealed Simonal as an artist in search of new sounds and creative paths.
Produced by Nelson Motta and Roberto Menescal, ‘Se Dependesse de Mim’ is considered one of the most sophisticated and heartfelt recordings in Simonal’s discography. It’s an album that deserves not only to be rediscovered, but also presented to new generations as an essential part of Brazilian music history. The re-release arrives on vinyl with a meticulous edition, special insert, and complete technical information, respecting the graphic and sonic care that a title of this magnitude demands. The album is also available on all digital platforms.
At Formosa Hi-Fi, during the listening session – a format already established in the venue’s programming – Simoninha and Max de Castro will talk to the audience about behind-the-scenes stories, memories, and the historical context of the songs, revealing little-known layers of a body of work marked by profound and emotional meanings.
“It’s an important album in my father’s career, as it represents an artistic and personal turning point – and it deserves to be known by new generations. Universal did a very beautiful job with this re-release, and we will be there to listen to it along with the audience and exchange stories about this period and the repertoire,” comments Simoninha.
The evening also fits into a renewed appreciation for the historical catalogs of Brazilian Black music, reinforcing Simonal’s importance as a cultural icon, an artist of enormous popularity, and the owner of an undeniable contribution to the construction of modern MPB (Brazilian Popular Music).
Text published in the liner notes of the new vinyl edition:
“If It Depended on Me,” the title of the album and the name of the opening track, carries many meanings in its history.
The album was originally released in late 1972 and was Wilson Simonal’s first on the legendary Philips label, which was assembling a powerful roster of new and established artists.
The great challenge: to present to the world a new Simonal, one who was one of the greatest artists of his time and who came from almost ten years of contract and great success with another major record label, Odeon.
Nelson Motta and Roberto Menescal were the producers, and Simonal’s new band, which accompanied him in concerts at the time, also participated in the recording of the album. The repertoire featured a new wave of composers, including names like Belchior, Fagner, Ivan Lins, and Tony Osanah, among others. There was also room for Gilberto Gil, Roberto and Erasmo Carlos, Marcos and Paulo Sergio Valle, Francis Hime, and Vinicius de Moraes, in addition to the classics Braguinha and Vadico. In other words, it was a great group of talented artists, and it even included a previously unreleased song by Simonal himself with guitarist Luiz Claudio Ramos.
Musically, it’s an album to be discovered. I say this because during this period when Simonal was seeking reinvention, it was also the beginning of all the problems that changed the course of his career—therefore, this work emerges at this difficult time.
The album cover features a series of drawings: three of him singing and the largest one with his face. There, for the first time, Simonal appears with a serious and sad expression. I believe this album is exactly that mix, the search for a new sound and at the same time Simonal learning to live with pains and feelings never before experienced.
I like the sound, the arrangements, and the possibilities they explored—I always felt like I was discovering something hidden during the listening sessions!
The music and the voice remain, so let’s embark together on this experience of putting the LP on and let each of us discover in our own way where this emotion can take us.
Interesting facts: many other songs were recorded during this period, some were released as singles and are not part of the album, and others were released internationally. The title of the last track on the album is “Don’t Leave Me Alone”.
Never, Simonal.
