“Maracatu Atômico” (Nação Zumbi, 1996)
Source: Maria F. Moreno (TV Cultura/EBC): Acervo Paulo André, CC BY 3.0 BR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
In honor of what would have been Chico Science’s 59th birthday, I’m tackling a song originally written in 1974 by Jorge Mautner and Nelson Jacobina, covered by such greats as Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso (with Jorge Mautner). But the most famous/iconic version of this song is the one by Nação Zumbi. In the words (translated by me) of Jorge Mautner himself in the Estadão on the 20th anniversary of Manguebeat:
The first time that Nelson Jacobina and I heard Chico Science and Manguebeat covering Maracatu Atômico, we were impressed and very touched. … Chico Science’s recording with Nação Zumbi represents a magnificent reinterpretation for a whole 21st century generation. In Chico Science’s interpretation, there’s an emphasis in the direction of ecological ideology, of the environmentalism of the ancient Greek pagan goddess Harmony. It refers to the mangrove [“mangue”] and the mangrove forests, even in the phrase from another song: from the mud to chaos, from chaos to the mud.
Each verse of this song centers around a play on words, some of which don’t translate directly. For example, “hummingbird” in Portuguese is “beija-flor” - literally “flower-kisser” which makes that first verse make much more sense. The “skyscraper” in the second verse works in English, but the “umbrella” (which in Portuguese is a “guarda-chuva” or “rain guard”) less so. Luckily “cauliflower” and “glovebox” (I had to use the old world because “glove compartment” is just too clunky) work well and hopefully tie the whole thing together.
“Maracatu Atômico”
O bico do beija-flor beija a flor, beija a flor
E toda fauna-flora grita de amor
Quem segura o porta-estandarte tem a arte, tem a arte
E aqui passa com raça, eletrônico, o Maracatu atômico
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê
Atrás do arranha-céu tem o céu, tem o céu
E, depois, tem outro céu sem estrelas
Em cima do guarda-chuva tem a chuva, tem a chuva
Que tem gotas tão lindas que até dá vontade de comê-las
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
No meio da couve-flor tem a flor, tem a flor
Que além de ser uma flor tem sabor
Dentro do porta-luva tem a luva, tem a luva
Que alguém de unhas negras e tão afiadas esqueceu de pôr
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
No fundo do para-raio tem o raio, tem o raio
Que caiu da nuvem negra do temporal
Todo quadro negro é todo negro, é todo negro
E eu escrevo seu nome nele só pra demonstrar o meu apego
“Atomic Maracatu”
The beak of the hummingbird kisses the flower, kisses the flower
And all the fauna-flora scream out of love
The Carnaval standard bearer has an art, has an art
And the atomic Maracatu passes by with electronic pedigree
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê
Behind the skyscraper is the sky, is the sky
And then there’s another sky with no stars
Above the umbrella there is rain, there is rain
Which has drops so beautiful you want to eat them
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
In the middle of the cauliflower there’s a flower, there’s a flower
Which besides being a flower has flavor
Inside the glovebox there’s a glove, there’s a glove
Which someone with such sharp black nails forgot to put on
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
Manamauê, auêia, aê
At the base of the lightning rod there’s lightning, there’s lightning
Which fell from the black cloud of the storm
Every blackboard is all black, is all black
And I write your name on it to demonstrate my affection
A few vocabulary words from this song:
The words in the chorus, according to Chico Science, are adaptation of indigenous greetings and celebratory words incorporated into the language of Recife in Brazil’s Northeast.
Maracatu is a performance from the state of which Recife is the capital, Pernambuco.