“Festa” (Ivete Sangalo, 2001)
Source: Raul Spinassé, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Today I’m commemorating Ivete Sangalo’s 54th birthday with my translation of her now-classic “Festa” (“Party”). This track by the Brazilian pop icon known as the “Rainha do Axé” (“Queen of Axé”), from her 2001 album of the same name, is not only an iconic party and dance song, now associated with the Brazilian World Cup pentacampeões (appropriately enough as World Cup time heats up again), but also a celebration of inclusion, diversity, and democracy (appropriately enough as those values come under ever-increasing attack).
“Festa”
Festa no gueto
Pode vir, pode chegar
Misturando o mundo inteiro
Vamos ver no que é que dá
Hoje tem festa no gueto
Pode vir, pode chegar
Misturando o mundo inteiro
Vamos ver no que é que dá
Tem gente de toda cor
Tem raça de toda fé
Guitarras de rock 'n roll
Batuque de candomblé
Vai lá pra ver a tribo se balançar
O chão da terra tremer
Mãe preta de lá mandou chamar
Avisou, avisou, avisou, avisou
Que vai rolar a festa, vai rolar
O povo do gueto mandou avisar
Que vai rolar a festa, vai rolar
O povo do gueto mandou avisar
“Party”
Party in the ghetto
C’mon, you can join us
Mixing the whole world
Let’s see what happens
Today there’s a party in the ghetto
C’mon, you can join us
Mixing the whole world
Let’s see what happens
There are people of every color
There are races of every faith
Rock and roll guitars
Candomblé drumbeats
Go there to see the tribe swaying
The earthen floor trembling
The nursemaid there told me to call you
She announced, announced, announced
That there’s gonna be a party, it’ll happen
The people from the ghetto said to spread the word
That there’s gonna be a party, it’ll happen
The people from the ghetto said to spread the word