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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Onda" by Cassiano

Released on the third Cassiano album, Cuban Soul-18 Kilates, from 1976, "Onda" was never a big hit in Brazil until it found success through hip-hop samples. Combining Brazilian rhythms with American soul and funk elements, the song created a unique fusion, which now stands as a milestone in Brazilian black music.

It's a psychedelic funk trip of nearly 8 minutes, repetitive vocals, sounds of crashing waves and seagulls, and one of the most beautiful bass lines ever recorded in the country. A genius but troubled figure, Cassiano faced many battles with record labels during his career, and imprecise accounts suggest that in 1978, he lost a lung to tuberculosis.

Check the song translation at TranslationSmith.

In episode #88, we celebrate 50 years of the album "Refazena" released by Gilberto Gil in 1975. The album was intended as a return to Gilberto Gil's Northeastern roots, moving him away from Tropicalia and a more rock'n'roll period of his life. "Refazenda" relies on several collaborations with accordion great, Dominguinhos, who co-wrote songs such as "Tenho Sede" and "Lamento Sertanejo".

The switch was well received by the audience, turning Refazenda into Gilberto Gil's biggest commercial success, and then leading to its famous trilogy (along with Refavela and Realce).

Check Translationsmith for the translation of many songs from the album.

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Every episode is a different song. This is the song today:

"Boas Festas" written by Assis Valente

This is the quintessential Brazilian Christmas song. Samba songwriter Assis Valente wrote it in 1932 while living alone, far from his family, in a boarding house in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Sad and nostalgic, the song challenges Santa Claus (Papai Noel) to deliver the ultimate gift: happiness. Caetano Veloso, who later recorded “Boas Festas,” has argued that it is the Christmas song that best encapsulates the Brazilian spirit, as its lyrics openly acknowledge the excluded. Its tone is deeply connected to Valente’s own troubled life, marked by poverty, illness, and repeated personal crises.