The Song "Aquarela do Brasil" (also known as "Brazil")

Guybrush · 05-25-2010, 07:18 AM

This is a thread for discussing that wonderful tune known to most of the world simply as "Brazil" which was written by Ary Barroso in 1939. The song has a little history to it, here fetched from it's wikipedia article :

Quote:

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Ary Barroso wrote "Aquarela do Brasil" in early 1939, when he was prevented from leaving his home one night due to a storm. Its title, a reference to watercolor painting, is a clear mention to the rain. He also wrote "Três Lágrimas" (English: Three teardrops) on the same night, before the end of the rain.

Describing the song in an interview to Marisa Lira, of the newspaper Diário de Notícias, Barroso said that he wanted to "free the samba away from the tragedies of life, of the sensual scenario already so explored". According to the composer, he "felt all the greatness, the value and the wealth of our land", reliving "the tradition of the national panels".

Initially, he wrote the first chords, which he defined as "vibrant", and a "plangent of emotions". The original beat "sang on [his] imagination, highlighting the sound of the rain, on syncope beats of fantastic tambourins". According to him, "the rest came naturally, music and lyrics at once". He declared to have felt like another person after writing the song.

Those of you who think you do not know this are probably wrong as it is quite famous and have been recorded by a number of times by many different artists.

The english lyrics go something like this :

English lyrics

Brazil
When hearts were entertained in June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly whispered 'some day soon'

We kissed and clung together
Then
Tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say

Now
When twilight beams the skies above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of

Return I will
To old Brazil

Out of the many recordings of this song, I have a few more dear to my heart than others. This thread is of course for discussing the song, but also for posting your favourite versions if you have one or a few!

A recording I like quite a lot was done for Terry Gilliam's movie Brazil in which the song played an important role symbolizing the main characters hopes and dreams and the movie's escapist theme. One of the reasons I like it is that it's sung by Kate Bush, my favourite female artist ever

As a song to listen to, there are arguably better versions but I'll save those for later.

For now, enjoy Michael Kamen and Kate Bush's 1985 version!

And let me know what your favourites are!