music
An English Translation of the Samba Rock Classic “Segura a Nega” — “Hang on to Your Girl”
This is Bebeto‘s “Segura a Nega” performed by Clube do Balanço. It is one of the greatest samba rock songs ever performed, and if you have a less-than-perfect command of spoken Brazilian Portuguese, you may be wondering what the hell the lyrics are about. I offer here my translation; the emphasis here is on accuracy in meaning and achieving a …
“Sex is a Jungle of Epileptics” — Inside Rita Lee’s Anthem on Love and Sex
Former Os Mutantes singer Rita Lee‘s “Amor e Sexo” is famous enough in Brazil that everyone can sing along, and it’s lovely to see it sung by a crowd — and see how a catchy melody and screwy metaphors can cause a kind of (momentary) mass, chanted acceptance of love- and sex-positivity . I was reminded of the 2003 hit from the “queen …
How do Catalan sailors take their rum?
On fire. Catalan sailors have brought a lot of rum back from Cuba over the last few centuries, and tradition dictates celebrating sailors’ return with a beach party fueled by the cremat, Catalonia’s flaming caffeinated rum cocktail. Folks crowd the beach, sing songs called havaneres (also of Cuban import, though with Catalan lyrics) and dance, waving white handkerchiefs over …