South American party song: Michel Telo
As you travel around South America, you’ll hear music everywhere. Radios will be playing in shops, bars will have their carefully-chosen playlists and even on buses kids will be playing songs on the speakers of their phones.
There’s been one song that has been a constant during the past few months I have spent here in South America. The people here appear to play it on repeat sometimes and a day will not go by without hearing it several times. Just the first few notes will emerge from a speaker and I’ll know what’s about the come.
My readers in continental European countries will know the one I’m talking about because this song has jumped across the Atlantic and gone on to be number one in 12 countries there. It’s been translated into at least 6 languages and has a justifiable claim to be the most popular foreign language song of recent times.
For those of you in countries it has not yet reached, like Australia, the US or the UK, watch out! You could be next.
The song is by a Brazilian artist named Michel Telo and is called ‘Ai Se Eu Te Pego’. Roughly translated from Portuguese, this means ‘Oh, I will catch you’.
Song of summer
It’s an addictive tune that invokes the power of summer. The official version has cheering and a singing crowd in the background, bringing the party directly to you. And the unusual choice to include a piano accordion actually adds to the fiesta.
Have a listen to the song yourself and let me know what you think. Maybe you won’t take to it on the first listen. Maybe it will take you a couple of goes. Trust me, with the number of times I’ve heard, you have no choice but to want to dance and sing when it comes on. Oh, and 215 million views on youtube says something!
Sie7e
Incidentally, there is another song which seems almost as pervasive. It comes from a Puerto Rican who uses the stagename Sie7e (meaning Seven in English). He won the Latin Grammy for best new artist last year and this is another tune that captures the mood of my travels in South America. Have a listen. Picture the sun going down and a cold beer in your hand. Imagine you have no worries in the world. You’ll see what I mean.
What do you think of the songs? Could they be number one in your country?
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Turtle, like the name suggests, likes to take things slowly. Luckily that's one of the best ways to see the world - and that's exactly what he's doing at the moment.
This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.
14 Responses
As long as I never have to hear Panamericano ever again. (That was last year’s song.)
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Valdivia Knows How to Make Good Beer
Why can’t they just have a variety of songs that they rotate? Oh no, they have to play just one or two songs over and over and over…
Tortuga,
Unfortunately, “I will catch you’ reached the UK!!!!
Is nowhere in the world safe from this tune?!
After seeing the audience I can see why you spend all your time there.
The Travel Fool recently posted..Hotels, Motels, Condos and Dumps
Ha ha. Surely you know better than to assume a music video is indicative of real life. I never saw any bikini-clad women stretched out on hot cars when I was in the US!!
hey Turtle, you got it right! This song reached indeed the European shores — but I would say we’ve been also quicker to get rid of it
Fabio recently posted..The New Apple Church in Amsterdam
It’s good to know you’ve got enough taste and decency to enjoy it for a while (it is a very fun tune) and then discard it when you’re done!
Yes, I know what you mean. “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” it’s been a hit here in Eastern Europe for over a month now, though I can’t understand why… I mean it’s OK for a Friday night party, but enough already!
Adrian B. recently posted..Sports, Adrenaline and Relaxation in Interlaken
If only they could restrict airplay to Friday nights. Maybe people wouldn’t get sick of the song so quickly!!
Oh, Latin America. I grew to love the cheesy popular music of Brazil when I was volunteering there, so I totally get that first song in just one listen. However, I don’t think it would do well with an American audience. I’ve tried to bring friends to Brazilian music events beyond bossa nova and I think a lot people just don’t get it. For a lot of people here, music needs to be experienced in a place where it’s created or where it is really popular for people to understand it. I think the second song could do well in in the States, especially here in California. People would dig the bilingual aspect of it. It kind of has a Bruno Mars vibe to it and people are into that kind of thing right now.
Ekua recently posted..Songs for the Road No. 16: Highlife Brings Me Home
Perhaps we could make our millions by taking the song to the US! Ever fancied being a music promoter?
Now I know why it is so easy to dance to “Ai Se Eu Te Pego”. The beat is so irresistible! This could be a perfect song to lift your spirits up when you’re blue.
Russ recently posted..sheet music for piano
Yeah, I think that’s why it has been so popular. It certainly gets you in a good mood!