"Vem Habib (Wala Wala)" is a song by the Brazilian girl group pop

Rouge Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to: Compounds * Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones * Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide * Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...

, for the group's fourth studio album, '' Mil e Uma Noites'' (2005). It was written by and produced by Rick Bonadio, derives from " arabic pop music", having a totally different rhythm from the previous songs of the group. Columbia Records released "Vem Habib (Wala Wala)" as the first single from the album on May 23, 2005. 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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

of the single is spent in the desert, where they are prisoners of a sultan. The group also sang the song on the ''Mil e Uma Noites Tour'' (2005), ''Chá Rouge Tour'' (2017) and '' 15 Anos Tour'' (2018).

Background and composition

"Vem Habib (Wala Wala)" was written and produced by

Rick Bonadio Ricardo "Rick" Bonadio (born June 21, 1969) is a Brazilian music producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer, owner of Midas Studio and record companies Arsenal Music and Midas Music. Career He began his career in the 80's as a ...

. Columbia Records released the song as the first single from the fourth studio album, '' Mil e Uma Noites'' (2005), on May 23, 2005. Explores " arabic pop music", which was totally a surprise to everyone accustomed to the group's previous songs. The music brings all the wealth of the Arab universe, and the girls had to take classes of

belly dance Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...

to enter more in the

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

. According to Patricia, references to the song were " Rich Girl", released by

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...

vocalist Gwen Stefani, on her solo album '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004) And "

Whenever, Wherever "Whenever, Wherever" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira from her fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Laundry Service'' (2001). It was released on 2 October 2001 by Epic Records as the lead single from the album. The so ...

" hit

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...

Lyrics

The song begins with the girls singing, "Wala wala wala wa, wala wala wala wa, na na na na, na na na, na na na na." Karin sings the first part of the entire song, talking about how she sought love for a thousand and one nights. The second part brings Karin singing again, referring to various Arab characters, "An enchanted prince, a sheik, a sheik and a sultan,

Ali Baba "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" ( ar, علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale from the '' One Thousand and One Nights''. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard ...

as a thief came to steal my heart," sings Karin. Just on the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, Fantine sings, "Wala, wala is a desert dance. In the wala wala we dance very closely ..." Before the cry given by Karin, Aline sings, "I want you so much, I can prove you, a thousand and one nights of love I'll give you."

Critical reception

For Bruno Nogueira from ''Folhapé'', "the variation of 'A Thousand and One Nights', is very pleasant, except probably for the very work song that invests too much in the sounds of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

appropriated by

Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...

in the novel ''

O Clone O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...

''." As for Marcos Paulo Bin of the Musical Universe, the song "maintains the group's proposal - dancing melody, relaxed lyrics and children's appeal", comparing the song to "Ralando o Tchan (Belly Dancing)", by

É o Tchan É, é ( e-acute) is a letter of the Latin alphabet. In English, it is used for loanwords (such as French '' résumé''), romanization (Japanese '' Pokémon'') or occasionally as a pronunciation aid in poetry. Languages may use ''é'' to indic ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

themes.

Music video

The

was recorded in the desert on June 3, was directed by Karina Ades and debuted on June 16 on

MTV Brasil MTV Brasil was a Brazilian over-the-air television network owned by Grupo Abril focused on the youth. The network was launched on 20 October 1990, as the first specialty television network to broadcast over-the-air, becoming the local version ...

. The video takes the girls on a trip to the desert, through a fable full of magic and sensuality, valued by the richness and color of oriental fabrics and objects. In the clip, the girls also are prisoners of a sultan.

Disclosure

The group also made a special participation in the novel ''

Floribella ''Floribella'' is a soap opera that was produced in Brazil, Portugal and Chile. Each of those countries had their own cast, but the show had exactly the same name. Although they had the same name, all of them came from the first and original A ...

'', of the

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, singing the single "Vem Habib" and the success "Um Anjo Veio Me Falar". "Vem Habib" was also part of the setlist for the ''Mil e Uma Noites tour'' (2005).

Charts

References

2005 songs 2005 singles Rouge (group) songs Arab pop songs Music based on One Thousand and One Nights Portuguese-language songs Songs written by Rick Bonadio {{Brazil-music-stub