Brazil

## "Brazil"Single by Declan McKenna

* Re-release
* Original

"**Brazil**" is a song by the English musician Declan McKenna, featured on his EPs *Stains* and *Liar*, and on his major-label debut album, *What Do You Think About the Car?*. It was initially self-released as the lead single of all aforementioned projects on 4 December 2014, then re-released under Columbia Records one year later. The song was written entirely by Declan himself, and was produced by Max Marlow.

## Background

The song was originally released on 4 December 2014, on Declan's Bandcamp.

It gained international recognition in August 2015, after Declan won Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition.

## Theme

"Brazil" is a protest song criticizing FIFA, the international governing body of association football, and their decision of awarding the 2014 FIFA World Cup to Brazil, without addressing the extensive and deep poverty affecting Brazilians and "doing anything for the communities".

Although the song was just intended to be a dig at corruption, it took a whole new life with the FIFA corruption scandal that emerged in 2015 and has been deeply associated with the downfall from office of Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s president from 1998 to 2015.

> It was a bit of a weird one. I generally come up with the melodies and guitar riffs before I come up with any lyrics, so first I had this guitar riff that I really liked and then I came up with the melody but didn’t have any words for it. Then it kind of just happened! I started hearing things about the FIFA World Cup and the corruption around it. I don’t really know why or how it happened, but I ended up writing a song about it and it turned out to be the one that I recorded and released. I was just seeing all this stuff around and like most songs, I was hearing so much about it that I couldn’t really avoid writing about it.
>
> Declan talking about the song.

## Lyrics

I heard you sold the Amazon

To show the country that you're from

Is where the world should want to be

For a fine something all people need

I'm faithless now

Though we win every time and I don't know how

Cause I haven't bought you and I haven't sold me

But the people are dying to get on TV

I heard he lives down a river somewhere

With 6 cars and a grizzly bear

He's got eyes, but he can't see

Well, he talks like an angel but he looks like me

Oh Lord!

What have I become?

I'm the face of God I'm my fathers' son

I'm not, what you think you see

I know you can't eat leather, but you can't stop me

Why would you lie, why would you lie about how you feel?

I've got a mission and my mission is real

Because you've had your chances, yeah you've had enough

I'm gonna burn your house down to spread peace and love

And it gets me down

Oh Lord how it gets me down

I heard he lives down a river somewhere

With 6 cars and a grizzly bear

He's got eyes, but he can't see

Well, he talks like an angel but he looks like me

Oh Lord!

Oh Lord!

I wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil

Cause everybody plays the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil

It's all you've ever wanted, and it's all that you want still

Don't you wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil?

I wanna play the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil

Cause everybody plays the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil

It's all you've ever wanted, and it's all that you want still

Don't you wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil?

I heard he lives down a river somewhere

With 6 cars and a grizzly bear

He's got eyes, but he can't see

Well, he talks like an angel but he looks like me!

I heard he lives down a river somewhere

With 6 cars and a grizzly bear

He's got eyes, but he can't see

Well, he talks like an angel but he looks like me!

## Track listings

**Original 2014 release**

1. "Brazil"
2. "The seaside"

**2015 release**

1. "Brazil"
2. "Basic"

## Charts

 Japan
 US Adult Alternative
 US Alternative
 US Rock

## References

1. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20150215211213/http://declanmckenna.bandcamp.com/releases
2. ↑ https://youtu.be/RCYWFxNP3k8
3. ↑ https://humanhuman.com/articles/interview-declan-mckenna
4. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/brazil-single/1062380437

## Navitagion

 Bonus tracks | "Excitement" (Demo) • "Brew" (Live at The Garage) • "Basic" (Live at The Garage) • "Tin Soldier Man"