Gilberto Gil//Domingo No Parque

I had a little party on Saturday night and Bat Macumba by Os Mutantes made it onto the dancey playlist. My, how I love Tropicalia. This reminded me of the long discussions we had in my South American Politics and Culture (undoubtedly one of my favorites) on the clever wordplay in the lyrics of many songs that came out of this movement. BAT MAN!

Speaking of that class, this was one of the professor’s favorite songs of all times. In fact, one day, he eagerly proclaimed that Domingo No Parque was “the best pop song ever written.” Kinda going out on a limb there, buddy—considering the basis of the track is berimbau. Still, turns out, the guy’s kinda right. Shortly after I was introduced, I put the song on a car-bound mixtape and annoyed my friends for hours, insisting on playing it over and over again, especially on one particular trip to Chicago.

If I’m remembering correctly, the plot line revolves around an urban Capoeira-match-turned-knife-fight between José and João, the game going bad in the park over a girl (of course), Juliana. The Tropicalists, famous for their sense of post-modernism, pastiche and playfulness, live up to their ideals by inserting an upbeat carnival montage at the end. Sure, things can get bloody right outside the merry-go-round—this is Brazil in the late 60s after all.



Domingo No Parque.mp3

Oh, José!
Oh, João!