A Cuban In London: O Que Sera (Flor da Pele)

Tuesday, 26 August 2008

Killer Opening Songs (Chico Buarque & Milton Nascimento - 'O Que Sera (Flor da Pele)

Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, better known as Chico Buarque, has had a long and prolific career as a singer, composer and writer. His discography spans a good four decades during which this outstanding Brazilian musician has delighted audiences both in Latin America and Europe. Killer Opening Songs is, thus, thrilled to introduce such an extraordinary performer to its readers and fellow bloggers this week.

However there’s another reason why the track I am uploading this time around has a special significance to me. And here’s why:

In 1986 or ’87 (my memory fails me) a film opened in Havana and it became an overnight sensation. It was one of the movies competing at the Latin American Film Festival in the Cuban capital and I remember that most of my peers went to see it despite the fact that it was rated 16 (our film classifications vary from those in both the States and Europe). Because I have always looked ten years younger than I am (a bit of a drag at the time) I could not even come close to the box office without getting asked for my ID. The reason for the audience’s excitement was a 26-year-old Brazilian actress whose erotic scenes drove many male adolescents (and adults) wild. Sonia Braga became a by-word for sexiness and ‘Dona Flor e Seus Dos Maridos’ (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands) became a hit in Cuba immediately.

Because of my age I was not able to see the film (which, although it had been released in 1976 in Brazil, had only seen the light in Cuba in the mid 80s) at the cinema and therefore had to wait until it was screened on the telly to confirm my crush on an actress I had never seen up to that moment. To say that the plot, performances and music took a back seat would be putting it mildly. All I remember from watching ‘Dona Flor…’ is Sonia Braga et al cavorting in the nude recklessly and blithely whilst a young Jose Wilker played the roost-ruler.

Luckily, by the time I was able to control my younger self’s hormones better I began to focus on other aspects of the film that I had missed out on first time around. Like the music, for instance. And it was with utmost pleasure that I found a little jewel in this film’s soundtrack. It is the Killer Opening Song to Chico Buarque’s 1976 album ‘Meus Caros Amigos' and the title is ‘O Que Será (Flor da Pele)’. This clip that I bring this week has both Chico and Milton Nascimento performing the song and the tempo differs massively from the original album track; it’s slower. However it is still a beautiful and haunting song that has become a relic of past times, especially for those born in Iberoamerica (I include both Portugal and Spain here). For readers and fellow bloggers from the English-speaking world who cannot speak Portuguese I will have you know that the song deals with the eternal theme of love and the search for it, hence the title ‘O Que Será’ (What Is It?). And I strongly advise you to look for a good translation on the net; you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy.