"Igreja" ("Church") is a single by Brazilian rock band

Titãs Titãs (, Portuguese for Titans) are a Brazilian Rock music, rock band from São Paulo. Though they primarily are classified as a rock band, the band have also experimented with genres such as New wave music, new wave, punk rock, ska, grunge, M� ...

, released in 1986, as part of their '' Cabeça Dinossauro'' album.

Lyrics and composition

According to songwriter and then bassist and vocalist

Nando Reis Nando Reis (, born José Fernando Gomes dos Reis; January 12, 1963) is a Brazilian musician and producer, best known as the former bassist and one of the lead singers of Brazilian rock band Titãs and for his successful solo career, with his own ...

, the song was written on the acoustic guitar at his mother's house in the district of Butantã,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

as a protest to the censorship against

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's film ''

Je vous salue, Marie ''Hail Mary'' () is a 1985 French avant-garde film, avant-garde erotic film, erotic drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The film is a modern retelling of the story of the virgin birth of Jesus. It was ...

'': "there was a boycott against it and

Roberto Carlos Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often known as Roberto Carlos and sometimes ''RC3'', is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the ...

, of whom I am a big fan, wrote something in support of the boycott. That, in a certain way, was against my ideals, the matter of liberty. That motivated me to write the song." By the time of the album's release, Reis said:

Reception within the band

It was one of the last songs to be selected for the album and it stirred controversy among the members themselves - vocalist

Arnaldo Antunes Arnaldo Antunes (, born Arnaldo Augusto Nora Antunes Filho, September 2, 1960) is a Brazilian singer, writer, and composer. He was a member of the rock band Titãs, which he co-founded in 1982 and left ten years later. After 1992, he embarked on ...

, at first, didn't want to record it and would even leave the stage sometimes when the song was performed live. When the members had a meeting at vocalist

Branco Mello Branco Mello (; born Claudio Corrêa de Mello Júnior on March 16, 1962) is a Brazilian musician and actor, best known as the vocalist and bassist of Brazilian rock band Titãs. He has also played small but significant roles in films. Childho ...

's apartment to discuss the album's repertoire, vocalist, bassist and saxophonist

Paulo Miklos Paulo Roberto de Souza Miklos (known as Paulo Miklos , born on January 21, 1959) is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, musician and actor. He is best known for his tenure with the band Titãs, in which he was a vocalist, guitarist and occasional ...

also opposed the song's inclusion,. but soon changed his mind as the band performed it live. Antunes, on the other hand, said "the song is against the Church as the institution, but at the same time I have a problem, for me it is difficult to sing that I don't have a religion, because I do. And the Church has great contributions to the history of men, to the arts, take

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli ( ; ) or simply known as Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 1 ...

for instance."

Personnel

Per the ''Cabeça Dinossauro'' liner notes: *

- lead vocals *

- backing vocals *

Sérgio Britto Sérgio de Britto Álvares Affonso (; born September 18, 1959), known as Sérgio Britto, is a Brazilian musician. He is a member of the rock band Titãs, for which he contributes lead vocals, keyboards and, more recently, bass guitar. He has als ...

- backing vocals *

Marcelo Fromer Marcelo Fromer (3 December 1961 – 13 June 2001) was a Brazilian musician who was the guitarist of the rock band Titãs. One of the founding members and also the band's manager, he died in 2001 after being hit by a motorcycle while jogging. Ea ...

- lead guitar *

Tony Bellotto Antonio Carlos Liberalli Bellotto (; born 30 June 1960) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Titãs. He has also written and released several books. Childhood Bellotto spent his childhood in the city of A ...

- rhythm guitar *

- bass *

Charles Gavin Charles de Souza Gavin (born 9 July 1960) is a Brazilian drummer and music producer, perhaps best known for his 25-year tenure with rock band Titãs. Before Titãs, he had brief stints at Ira! and RPM. Early life and first works At age 8, his ...

- drums

References

* 1987 singles Titãs songs 1987 songs Warner Music Group singles Songs written by Nando Reis Songs critical of religion {{Brazil-music-stub