"O Canto da Cidade" (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

for ''"The

Chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...

of the Town"'') is a song co-written and performed by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian singer

Daniela Mercury Daniela Mercury (born Daniela Mercuri de Almeida on July 28, 1965) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actress and television host. In her solo career, Mercury has sold over 20 million records worldwide and had 24 Top 10 single ...

. It is the title track and

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

of her second studio album, which was released in 1992. The song became a huge success in Brazil and it is widely known as one of Mercury's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

Song information

The lyrics of "O Canto da Cidade", which were written by Mercury herself and Tote Gira, are quite simple. They are basically about a girl advising a partner that she is trying to leave her – or a possible love interest, depending on the point of view – that he should stay with her, because she is the "chant" and the "color" of the town they live in.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of "O Canto da Cidade" was directed by Patrícia Prata. It begins with Mercury singing the song while she walks through the streets of her native

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

. As the beat of the song gets faster, Mercury starts to dance. There are also some other scenes of Mercury (wearing a dress similar to the one on the album's cover) and others dancing in yellow, black and white backgrounds.

Chart performance

"O Canto da Cidade" was released as the first single from the eponymous album in mid-1992. The song, as well as the album, is widely regarded as responsible for taking both Mercury's career and axé music to mainstream audiences.

Legacy

"O Canto da Cidade" is remembered for being the number one song in Brazil at the time of

Fernando Collor Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Collor ...

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

process and the subsequent economic crisis.

Nelson Motta Nelson Cândido Motta Filho (born 29 October 1944, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian journalist, ghostwriter, songwriter, writer, and record producer. He was part of the bossa nova movement, collaborating with Edu Lobo, Dori Caymmi, Lulu Santos ...

states, in his book ''Noites Tropicais'', that Mercury and her song were responsible for bringing back some of the country's joy and

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie (2007) d ...

at a time of harsh crisis. At a recent concert in

Goiânia Goiânia (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region and the 10th-largest in the country. Its metropolitan area has a population ...

, Mercury stated that during the crisis the new generation regained interest in the

Brazilian popular music Brazilian commonly refers to: * Something of, from or relating to Brazil * Brazilian Portuguese, the dialect of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil * Brazilians, the people (citizens) of Brazil, or of Brazilian descent Brazilian may also ...

and that her song was, in part, responsible for this.

Awards

In late 1992, "O Canto da Cidade" received a special Sharp Award for Song of the Year.

Formats and track listing

Brazil - Vinyl single *A. "O Canto da Cidade" - 3:22 *B. "O Canto da Cidade" - 3:22 Spain - Vinyl single # "O Canto da Cidade" - 3:22 Italy - Vinyl single remixes *A1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Radio Mix) - 4:33 *A2. "O Canto da Cidade" (Ultimate Club Mix) - 6:54 *B1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Murk Boys Miami Mix) - 4:35 *B2. "O Canto da Cidade" (Original Version) - 3:22 *B3. "O Canto da Cidade" (Ultimate Dub) - 6:48 Vinyl single remixes *A1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Radio Mix) - 4:33 *A2. "O Canto da Cidade" (Ultimate Club Mix) - 6:54 *B1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Murk Boys Miami Mix) - 4:35 *B2. "O Canto da Cidade" (Original Version) - 3:22 *B3. "O Canto da Cidade" (Ultimate Dub) - 6:48 *C1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Radio Groove) - 3:33 *C2. "O Canto da Cidade" (NU Solution Dub) - 6:06 *C3. "O Canto da Cidade" (S-Man's Tribal Bonus) - 5:07 *D1. "O Canto da Cidade" (Murk Boys Habana Mix) - 5:03 *D2. "O Canto da Cidade" (Direct Groove Mix) - 5:40 *D3. "O Canto da Cidade" (Oscar G's Dope Mix) - 3:35 Portugal - CD single # "O Canto da Cidade" (from " Elétrica") - 3:44

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canto Da Cidade Daniela Mercury songs 1992 singles Brazilian songs Portuguese-language songs 1992 songs Epic Records singles