Released 10/1/1963 Genre Samba, samba rock Label Philips | Recorded 1963 Length 2:59 Writer(s) Jorge Ben Jor | |
"Mas, que Nada!" ([mas ki ˈnadɐ]) is a song written and originally performed by Jorge Ben Jor on his debut album, which in a later cover version became the signature song of Sérgio Mendes. The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone as the 5th greatest Brazilian song. The song was inducted to the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.
Contents
The meaning of the title
Brazilians use Mas que nada (or just que nada) colloquially to disagree with someone. A fitting English translation might be a sarcastic "Yeah, right!"
With many recordings, the title song is incorrectly written Mais que nada (Portuguese for "more than nothing") which would fundamentally alter its meaning. Also it should not be confused with the Spanish más que nada, which means "more than anything", or "above all", and is used in the sense of "mainly" or "principally".
Early version
In 1958, Brazilian artist José Prates recorded a track called "Nanã Imborô" that appears on his album "Tam... Tam... Tam...!" (1958, Polydor Brasil - LPNG 4.016), which features the same melody later heard in Jorge Ben Jor's "Mas, que Nada!", especially the Sergio Mendes version.
Interpretations other than Jorge Ben Jor's
Other Brazilian artists who recorded the song include Elza Soares and Maria Creuza.
Song information
Sergio Mendes covered the song with his band Brasil '66 on their debut album (1966). In the United States, the single reached No. 47 on the Billboard pop chart, as well as No. 4 on the easy listening chart. This 1966 version is the best-known and, to many, the definitive version of the song. In 1989, Mendes re-recorded the song on his album Arara; in Brazil, the song is also well known for being the theme song for the local television channel Globo's Estrelas.
In 2006, Mendes again re-recorded the song, this time with The Black Eyed Peas and additional vocals by Mendes' wife, Gracinha Leporace for his album Timeless. This version contains a sample of their 2004 hit "Hey Mama". The record performed well on many European charts. On the UK Singles Chart, the song entered at number 29 and rose to and peaked at number six on its second week on the chart. The song appeared as part of the EA Sports FIFA World Cup 2006 and NBA Live 07 video games. This version was also included in the 2011 animated film Rio (along with another version recorded in the style of Brasil '66) and its soundtrack, an episode of 90210 in the 2012 video game Just Dance 4, and was also featured in Over Her Dead Body during the opening of the film.
Track listing
- "Mas Que Nada" (Radio Edit) – 3:33
- "Mas Que Nada" (Masters at Work Remix) – 8:03
- "Mas Que Nada" (Original Brazil '66 Version) – 2:41
Sales
It is used in Disney's Animal Kingdom, "Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade" in Orlando, Florida, and was also used in the film 'Rio'.
Ava Leigh version
British singer Ava Leigh covered the song for her debut album, Rollin'. The song was released as a Double-A side with popular song, "Mad About the Boy". The song gained popularity after being featured in the UK summer adverts for clothing chain Next. A music video was filmed for "Mad About the Boy" and shows Leigh walking through various places singing the song.
Charts
1 Note that it was "Mad About the Boy" which charted in the UK Singles Chart