Aquarela do Brasil

"Aquarela do Brasil" ("Watercolor of Brazil", also known in the English-speaking countries simply as "Brazil") is one of the most noted Brazilian patriotic songs, written by Ary Barroso one rainy night in 1939. This song marked the creation of a new genre, the Samba-exaltação (Exaltation Samba), which was adopted by the nationalist dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas.

The song has been successful through the years and has been played in many different styles, from a capella to orchestral arrangements. It has been covered by many artists, including João Gilberto, Gal Costa, The Coasters, Chick Corea, Juan García Esquivel, Xavier Cugat, The Coasters, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Chris de Burgh, Toquinho, Tom Jobim, The Arcade Fire, Cornelius, The Vengaboys, and Pink Martini. The Ritchie Family recorded a vaguely related version in the age of disco; the core tune is partially preserved, but the lyrics are completely different.

[edit] Usage in popular culture

"Aquarela do Brasil" has been used in the soundtrack of many films and TV programmes:

in the Disney animation Saludos Amigos
in Terry Gilliam's Brazil,
in the background soundtrack for the film There's Something About Mary
in the "Dimwit Dexter" episode of Dexter's Lab, in which Dexter loses his mind [1]
in "Blame it on Lisa", an episode of The Simpsons in which the family visits Brazil
on the soundtrack of The Aviator
in an episode of Sex and the City where a character accidentally gets a Brazilian bikini wax.
in the film Something's Gotta Give, in the Parisian restaurant scene.