"Você Já Foi à Bahia?" (English: Have You Been to Bahia?) is a Brazilian song written by Dorival Caymmi and first released in 1941. It was one of the year's most successful compositions. It gained international fame when it was featured in the Disney film The Three Caballeros.
The Three Caballeros
"Você Já Foi à Bahia?" was featured in the Disney film The Three Caballeros, under the English translation title "Have You Been to Bahia?" It is sung in the film by the Brazilian parrot, José Carioca. Parts of the song are still sung in its original Portuguese, while other parts are directly translated into English. The only major difference between Caymmi's original lyrics and those found in The Three Caballeros is that of whom the song addresses. The original lyrics are addressed to a "nega" or woman of African descent, while in The Three Caballeros, the song is addressed to Donald Duck. While Disney used many other pre-existing Latin American songs in their film, "Have You Been to Bahia?" is unique amongst them in that all of the other songs were either left completely untranslated or were retitled and received new English lyrics that were, generally, completely different from their original lyrics.
There are two sections of the song that are left untranslated in the movie. The first section could be translated:
Much luck it had Much luck it has Much luck it will haveThe second untranslated section could be translated:
On the balconies of the two-story houses Of old São Salvador The memory of the maidens In the time of the emperor Everything, everything in Bahia Makes people really want it Bahia has a way That no land hasVocê Já Foi à Bahia? served as the film's title for its Brazilian release.