The movie “Rio”was released when I was entering middle school and I loved watching it with my friends, seeing all the bright colors and the fun energy. One of my closest friends at the time had family from Brazil and she knew some Portuguese. It was interesting to watch the movie with her and learn about carnival, iconic architecture like the “Christ the Redeemer” statue, and about her mom’s heritage. Looking back, as a kid it’s easier to create an interest in different cultures through cartoon movies, and it helped to be a friend of someone who actually shared that background.

This song is clearly a samba because it’s in the title, but it also contains the traditional soft guitar, shakers, and supplemental instruments to add ornamentation. There is a call and response theme with the female soloist and ensemble. This is the type of lively song I could dance to, but it also has a very relaxed, carefree feel. The lyrics are in Portuguese and is an old song dating back several years before Rio was made. The lyrics translate to:

“Go on, my brother

Get that plane

You’re right

For running away like this from this cold, but kiss

My Rio de Janeiro

Before some opportunist makes a grab

Beg pardon for the duration

Of this season

But don’t say anything

About seeing me crying

And tell the tough ones

That I’m carrying on

Go see how that easy life is going

And if you can, send me back some good news” 

and refers to the “pain of life in exile” reflecting on prior dictatorship in Brazil. The line, “opportunist making a grab for Rio de Janeiro” is likely a reference to the military officers who were awarded top political positions at the time and “the tough ones” most likely refers to the militants who stayed in Brazil to fight the dictatorship” (Broadus, 2012). Most people (like me) automatically hear the word “samba” and think of excitement and happiness, whereas this one is more somber especially when diving into the meaning behind the song. 

https://rio.fandom.com/wiki/Samba_de_Orly 

https://lyricalbrazil.com/2012/11/06/samba-de-orly/