In episode #87, we celebrate 45 years of the album "Feminina" released by Joyce Moreno in 1980. Arguably, her most important work, with feminist ideas ahead of her time, especially considering the Brazilian socio-political context. A jack of all trades, Joyce wrote all the lyrics and plays the guitar beautifully, enhanced by her charming voice.

Among the album's highlights are "Feminina", an intergenerational conversation between mother and daughter; "Clareana", written as a lullaby song for her young daughters; and "Aldeia de Ogum", rediscovered by DJs in the 1990s. "Essa Mulher" also became a trademark song performed by Elis Regina, a song that encapsulates the "feminine" album theme of motherhood and sexual desire.

Check Translationsmith for a full translation of "Clareana", and don't forget to follow our Brazuca Sounds playlist on Spotify with over 50 hours of music

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

"Abre Alas" by Ivan Lins

This month, we're celebrating the work of Ivan Lins, who turned 80 years old in June. With lyrics written by Vitor Martins, "Abre Alas", from the album Modo Livre, is one of the most important songs during the military regime in Brazil.

A respected pianist, who wrote big hits before, such as "Madalena", performed by Elis Regina, this song was a breakthrough for Ivan Lins also as a performer with the mainstream audience when it topped the charts in 1974. "Abre Alas" describes a Carnaval parade as a metaphor to get his message across without censorship. The orchestral arrangements were written by Arthur Verocai

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

Clube da Esquina No2 by Lô Borges (Borges/Nascimento)

In 1969, Milton Nascimento and teenager Lô Borges wrote the song "Clube da Esquina" for the album "Milton"(1970). Two years later, they released a sequel, written for their 1972 eponymous album, which tops many lists of the best Brazilian records of all time. "Clube da Esquina No2" was entirely instrumental, with lyrics added seven years later, which became the most poignant song against the military regime.

This second version was recorded by Lô Borges in 1979 on his album Via Láctea. In this episode, we tell the history of it all, from music to lyrics, and everybody involved in producing one of the best Brazilian songs ever recorded. The episode is a tribute to the brilliant Lô, who was 19 when he wrote the song, and passed away in November at the age of 73.

Check the translation for the lyrics of Clube da Esquina No2 with Translationsmith.

In episode #86, we will feature 25 more songs that mention Brazilian places in their lyrics, this time centered in the Amazon region, the Midwest, and the South. We traveled to Amazonas with João Donato, Fafá de Belém, and more. Then we moved to the Midwest with Ney Matogrosso and discussed the origins of sertanejo country music in Brazil, especially in the "Brazilian Texas" of Goiás

We finished this episode in the South region, the land of Elis Regina, bossa master Luiz Henrique, and where Caetano Veloso wrote a very special song. Check the ⁠Translationsmith ⁠for translations!

A Trip to Brazil in 100 Songs: PART 1 and PART 2

Listen to our playlist 'A Trip to Brazil'

Follow our playlist Brazuca Sounds Soundtrack

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

"Meu Mundo é Hoje" by Paulinho da Viola;

written by Wilson Batista

Paulinho da Viola once said that Wilson Batista is the best samba songwriter who ever lived, so this episode is as much about Wilson as it is about Paulinho. He was born in 1913, from the first generation of samba songwriters, but never recorded an album, even though he wrote more than 500 songs. Wilson (pictured) did not play instruments, and he became known as the matchbox songwriter, for writing songs playing with a matchbox as percussion instead.

Wilsons' claim to fame in Brazil was his beef with Noel Rosa in the 1920s, which gave us brilliant sambas about their turbulent relationship. However, as anyone would tell, including Paulinho da Viola, Wilson Batista was more than that, is "O Meu Mundo Hoje" is the epitome song to prove it.

Check the lyrics translation at Translationsmith.

Salve! This is a trailer for our bonus episode exclusive for ⁠paid subscribers⁠!

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

"O Bêbado e a Equilibrista" by Elis Regina; written by João Bosco and Aldir Blanc

This is probably the most politically charged song in Brazil, released in the late 1970s as the military dictatorship began to crumble. The song was originally written as a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, who had just died. Still, with its lyrics full of symbolic attacks on the government, it became an informal anthem pledging for a law responsible for bringing back to the country the political activists exiled by the regime.

The song is a symbol of this resistance, enhanced by the brilliant performance of Elis Regina. Due to its high volume of metaphors, we recommend listening to the episode and checking the lyrics translation, provided by our friend Steven Smith at his website Translationsmith.

In this episode, we discussed the composer, multi-instrumentalist, and musical innovator Hermeto Pascoal, who passed away in September 2025. The word "genius" is often misused, but it applies perfectly to describe the music of Hermeto, who once said, "There is music in everything; you just gotta find it."

We tried to summarize his vast discography, talking about some of his fundamental albums, such as "Zambumbê-bum-á", his previous work with Quarteto Novo, and we also shared clips from the documentary "Hermeto Campeão". Follow the accompanying playlist available on Spotify and our archive playlist, Brazuca Soundstrack.

In this episode, we discussed the composer, multi-instrumentalist, and musical innovator Hermeto Pascoal, who passed away in September 2025. The word "genius" is often misused, but it applies perfectly to describe the music of Hermeto, who once said, "There is music in everything; you just gotta find it." We tried to summarize his vast discography, talking about some of his fundamental albums, such as "Zambumbê-bum-á", his previous work with Quarteto Novo, and we also shared clips from the documentary "Hermeto Campeão". Follow the accompanying playlist available on Spotify and our archive playlist Brazuca Soundstrack.

Salve! This is a trailer for our bonus episode for ⁠paid subscribers⁠!

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

"Ovelha Negra" by Rita Lee

A folk rock ballad about someone expelled from their home for being the "black sheep" of the family suddenly became an anthem for the youth. "Ovelha Negra" also catapulted Rita Lee to stardom in Brazil, no longer an ex-Mutantes with a niche-oriented rock n' roll career, to eventually become the Queen of Brazilian pop. Nonetheless, many believe this song was not about the relationship with her father at all, but instead a direct response to her former bandmates. Closing the album "Fruto Proibido", Rita Lee was backed by her band Tutti Fruti, whose guitarist, Luis Sergio Carlini, came up with one of the most iconic rock solos in Brazilian music.

Check Translationsmith for a full translation of "Ovelha Negra" performed by Rita Lee, and hundreds of other Brazilian songs.

Salve! This is a trailer for our bonus episode exclusive for ⁠paid subscribers⁠!

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

"Lotus 72D" by Zé Roberto

The Lotus 72D was the Formula 1 World Championship-winning car driven by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972. Inspired by watching the 1973 Brazilian Grand Prix in his hometown of São Paulo, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter penned a song about the iconic car.

Released as a single by RCA Victor, the track failed to gain much attention at the time. However, a sped-up version of the original resurfaced online in the 2000s, sparking renewed interest. In this episode, we attempt to unravel the mystery behind Zé Roberto and his recording of "Lotus 72D."