“A nível de…” (João Bosco, 1982)
Source: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
I’m returning to one of the many Brazilian musicians turning 80 this year, because the song below will be the focus of a bonus episode from my friends at Brazuca Sounds tomorrow. This satirical account of two couples with marital issues is pretty straightforward from a translation point of view. (Although check out the Brazuca Sounds episode for something that happens with language right in the title.) But there are a few things worth noting: One truly striking aspect is how melodic and poetic Bosco and lyricist Aldir Blanc make what is really a rather mundane story (with some really nonlyrical words in it). Perhaps most interesting, and remembering that this was written at the tail end of the dictatorship, is the use of the word “bosta” (“shit”) which got by the military censors because the lyric as written was the rather arcane word “posta” (literally a piece or cut of meat, but used in expressions like “pôr em postas” to mean to cut into pieces). The lyrics don’t really make sense with “posta” instead of “bosta” but the censors were fooled. Add to this all the many words that rhyme with both “posta” and “bosta” and this ranks up there with some of the most creative songs that brilliantly dribbled around the censors. And the song itself is a delight.
“A nível de…”
Vanderley e Odilon
São muito unidos e vão pro Maracanã
Todo domingo, criticando o casamento
E o papo mostra que o casamento anda uma bosta
Yolanda e Adelina
São muito unidas e se fazem companhia
Todo domingo que os maridos vão pro jogo
Yolanda aposta que assim é nível de proposta
O casamento anda uma bosta
E Adelina não discorda
Estruturou-se um troca-troca
E os quatro: hum-hum, ok, tá bom, é
Só que Odilon, não pegando bem a coisa
Agarrou o Vanderley e Yolanda ó, na Adelina
Vanderley e Odilon
Bem mais unidos, empataram capital
E estão montando restaurante natural
Cuja proposta é: cada um come o que gosta
Yolanda e Adelina
Bem mais unidas, acham viver um barato
E pra provar
Tão fazendo artesanato
E pela amostra Yolanda aposta na resposta
E Adelina não discorda
Que pinta e borda com o que gosta
É positiva essa proposta
De quatro: hum-hum, ok, tá bom, é
Só que Odilon ensopapa o Vanderley com ciúme
Adelina dá na cara de Yoyô
Vanderley e Odilon
Yolanda e Adelina
Cada um faz o que gosta
E o relacionamento
Continua a mesma bosta!
“At level of…”
Vanderley and Odilon
Are very close and go to Maracanã
Every Sunday, criticizing marriage
And their conversation reveals their marriage is shit
Yolanda and Adelina
Are very close and keep each other company
Every Sunday when their husbands go to the game
Yolanda bets that thus it’s at the proposal level
Their marriage is shit
And Adelina doesn’t disagree
A swap was set up
And the four: uh-huh, okay, all right, sure
It’s just that Odilon, not really getting it
Grabbed Vanderley and Yolanda oh, on Adelina
Vanderley and Odilon
Much closer, put their funds together
And are opening a natural restaurant
And the idea is: everyone eats what they like
Yolanda and Adelina
Much closer, think living is cool
And to prove it
They’re making crafts
And from the sample Yolanda bets on the answer
And Adelina doesn’t disagree
About painting and stitching what they like
This proposal is positive
On all fours: uh-huh, okay, all right, sure
It’s just that Odilon floods Vanderley with jealousy
Adelina slaps Yoyô in the face
Vanderley and Odilon
Yolanda and Adelina
Each one does what they like
And the relationship
Continues to be the same shit!