And again in 2003, I came across that unforgettable song once more as a student listening to it on my Chill Brazil 2 album.
That very song was MAS QUE NADA. Composed by Sergio Mendes in 1966, this timeless classic has stood the test of age and in the process, has set itself as an international standard for Brasilian Samba as we know today. Up until now, there has been no universal translation for its opening chant of 'Oaria rai o. Oba oba oba' and if one were to use the wonders of modern translation technology on the internet to decipher its lyrics, they'd be sorely disappointed to discover that not only do they get a chunk of gibberish for a result, they'd soon realise that the search for an accurate translation would be as good as the search for the Holy Grail.
However, what I have done is that I've taken the liberty of searching for some of my favourite videos and variations of the song (including the most recent re-mix of Mas Que Nada done by the Black Eyed Peas and Sergio himself).
And of course, this was the video in which the song was used for. It would only be fitting for the Samba boys since this song was given life in Brazil.
And here's another variation of MQN done by an animated group known as the 'Tanga Girls'. Be warned, you may think it's a childish gay video, but it's not. I thought this was one heck of a funky rendition and this was THE video that got me brainwashed.
Last, but most importantly not least, for you miserable Singapore Idol fans, here's a man practically unheard of up until now. I don't know WHY he wasn't there when world idol was broadcasted but I am pretty sure that he can give ANY of the American Idol finalists a run for their money.
His name is Angel Duarte, and if I've seen correctly, his name has popped up in some music stores that I've been to not too long ago. In my opinion, he did a beautiful rendition of the song. Believe me, this man whos vocals are just too rich, will be hitting Bossa Nova charts soon. Perfect homage to Mendes.
Unless you have a fascination with the judges comments or for some reason I have not known of any of you speaking Portuguese, you're free to fast forward to the very end of the video after the song(In my opinion though, Brazilian Portuguese is waaaay funky).
For good measure, the Lyrics:
Ohh..Aria rai o
Oba Oba Oba (repeat)
Mas Que Nada
Sai da Minha Frente
Que quero e passar
Pois a Samba esta animados
que eu quero e Samba
Este Samba
Que misto de Maracatu
E Samba de preto velho
E Samba de preto tu
Mas Que Nada
Un Samba como esse to legal
Voce so vai querer
Que eu chegue no final
