“Caricature and Conqueror, Pride and Shame.” New York Times. October 20, 1992.

[Excerpt]

In 1957, the recordings Carmen Miranda made before she came to the United States in 1939 sounded archaic to our ears, and those that she made in the United States seemd ridiculous. “Chica Chica Noom Chic,” “Cuanto le Gusta” and “South American Way,” were the opposite of our craving for tastefulness and national identity. Instead, we listened to singers who to us seemed superior to her – and in a sense they were: Angela Maria, Nora Ney, Elza Soares, Maysa. We could almost foresee the coming of bossa nova – and Joâo Gilberto, our musical wizard.

[…]

At the same time, Carmen had become one of the formative personalities of postwar American life, influencing not only fashion but the style of a generation. Nowadays, we are fascinated to discover that she is mentioned as a favourite of Wittgenstein’s. In the late 50’s, however, it carried considerable weight simply to know that she was the only Brazilian artist recognized worldwide, and to hear our elders assert “not undeservedly so.