The 2014 Brazil World Cup now has an official theme song, and it sucks. At least, that’s what lots of Brazilians have been saying since the video dropped Friday. I thought “generic foreign rhythms and lazy stereotypes” captured the sentiment fairly well.
So, here are two songs (from Brazil) that might serve better as the (un)official soundtrack to the tournament.
Football country” is a collaboration between São Paulo rapper Emicida and ostentation funk performer MC Guimé. As with a lot of the country’s socially conscious urban songs, it helps to know the language. But there are English-language subtitles over the video’s extended intro, which make the themes pretty clear.
The next contender, “Everyone’s Cup,” is a Coca-Cola production, so it’s unsurprisingly more polished. But it features Amazonian star Gaby Amarantos and moves through uplifting scenes of real Brazil without stereotyping. For a more agressive, Brazilian, and visually impressive take on the same song, check out this effort below, “Everyone click play.”
