Many have heard about the Carnaval that happens in Brazil every year. And although the comments I have heard go from "a breeding ground for AIDS" to "the best party in the planet" one thing is for sure, this year it will be invaded by superheroes.
Each year many carnivals bring happiness to each Brazilian city. Some note worthy ones include the Carnaval in Salvador da Bahia (best carnival ever - from what i've heard); There's the carnival in Olinda, a small old town next to Recife, the capital of Pernambuco; there's the carnival in the Maracaná Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. However, if you are to ask any, un-biased Brasilian (very rare to find one) they will agree the carnival in Salvador is the best.
With 234 Blocos, that range in categories from the 20 Afoxé, to the 22 Samba and the 45 Blocos de Trio, the Carnival in Salvador has enough for everyone. This is basically the largest street party in the planet and it has as stage the entire 25 km² that the city of Salvador is. Yet all of these have something in common (apart from all the crazyness, dancing, and fun) - a song.
The Song that is awarded the price Premio Bahia Folia. This price basically awards the biggest summer hit in Bahia, and believe me, there is always a summer hit. In the past, songs (that you should have heard of) that include Rebolation by the group Parangolé (2010) (second place was Base do Beijo, my personal favorite of last year), Cadê Dalila by Ivete Sangalo (2009, written by Carlinhos Brown) and Mulher Brasileira by Psirico (2008).
This years winner (according to Revista Época by Globo) will be the song Liga da Justiça by the band LevaNóiz. Now you may notice you already know what this song is about since even without any knowledge of Portuguese it is easy to guess that the name means "Justice League."
The song pertains to an imagined episode where the Penguin weakens superman with Kriptonite while The Joker and Lex Luthor take Wonder Woman's Lasso! So the advice of the band becomes: Run Away ("Foge, Foge Mulher Maravilha, Foge Foge com Superman"). And is this the catch, since actually this is the guy who may dedicate this song to any of you beautiful ladies to elope with him. I must confess this song reminds me a little of Del Shannon's 1960's hit Runaway, except this one's in Portuguese and a little better since it includes both and not just the girl running away.
Now, you may ask yourself how is this important? Well, let me give you three main reasons. One, it brings a completely new band to stardom; Two, it sets Pagode (the musical style this song is) as the definite leading style of music in carnival; Three, it details the constant cultural interchange that the U.S. and Brasil have.
First, it brings LevaNóiz to the national stage. Even Ivete and Claudia Leite, will be adding the song to their repertoire! It shows, that one time groups happen everywhere - and it shows how music in Brazil really does come from the people for the people, like a samba song says, "o sambista não precisa ser membro da academia, ao ser natural em sua poesía o povo le faz immortal." (a sambista does not need to be member of the academia, if he is natural in his poetry, the people will make him immortal).
Second, sets Pagode as the leading musical style in Carnaval. Now, that does not mean that Pagode is the most heard type of music in Brasil, there's still Axé, Sertanejo, Forró, Samba, MPB, Samba-Rock, Bossa Nova, Frevo, Lambada, Funk Carioca... a little of everything; but, it does mean that Pagode will soon be a force to be reckoned with, even though some people consider Pagode (like the do with Baile Funk or Funk Carioca) to be a trashy rhythm.
Third, America has left its mark in Brazilian Society, but so has Brazil left a mark in American society; the biggest and easiest to find example would be capoeira, or just music. Now, this is another example of not only globalization and of how the mixing of cultures adds cultural richness to different societies. Which is, not only part of the reason why this blog exists but also part of the reason the U.S. exists, is it not all about the melting pot?
Now, below you will find a video of the song - Liga da Justiça. and of the past 10 years worth of summer hits! Also, you can just play the link to the Youtube playlist at the bottom and listen to them all together. Oh and one more thing, don´t be weirded out by the fact that the singer of LevaNóiz has braces, though in the states its uncommon for anyone above a certain age to have braces, in Brazil age doesn't matter.
Liga da Justiça (LevaNóiz) - 2011
Rebolation (Parangolé) - 2010
Cadê Dalila (Ivete Sangalo) - 2009
Mulher Brasileira - Toda Boa (Psirico) - 2008
Quebra Aê (Asa de Aguia) - 2007
Cafê com Pão (Vixe Mainha) - 2006
Coração (Rapazolla) - 2005
Maimbê Dandá (Daniela Mercury) - 2004
Voa Voa (Chiclete com Banana) - 2003
Festa (Ivete Sangalo) - 2002
Bomba (Braga Boys) - 2001
Playlist with all the the Videos
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