Fugi was a psychedelic soul-funk band signed to Chess subsidiary Cadet in t… Read Full Bio ↴Fugi was a psychedelic soul-funk band signed to Chess subsidiary Cadet in the late '60s. Basically the work of one man, Ellington Jordan, their music was influenced particularly by the acid rock side of Jimi Hendrix, and bore a resemblance to the druggy, guitar-driven soul of early Funkadelic. Their lone LP, Mary, Don't Take Me on No Bad Trip, was released in 1968, and the title cut later became a cult collector's item. Fugi's backing band on the record was Black Merda, a Detroit group who were also signed to Chess (thanks to Fugi) and recorded a self-titled debut album for Chess in 1967. Fugi then moved to the West Coast, and went on to release a couple of singles in 1970 — "Revelations" and "I'd Rather Be a Blind Man" — before fading from view. He returned to live performing in the mid-2000s when wider interest in both Fugi and Black Merda made a reunion feasible.

Jo Jo
Fugi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Em um quarto de hotel
Loucamente apaixonado
Eu estou desesperado
Feito uma estrela sem o céu
Sei que já é madrugada
E esse sono que não vem
Será que me convém
Sair assim cortando estrada

Conversando com a solidão
Pra encontrar um certo alguém
Será que me convém
Ou tudo acabe dando em nada
Se ontem eu por lá passei
Saudade me apertou mais uma vez
Minhas mãos grudaram firmes no volante
E o carro acelerei

(refrão)
Eu quis fugir do destino
Fugir da realidade
E sufocando a saudade
Aquela cidade
Eu fui deixando pra trás

É que esse meu desatino
É uma mulher envolvente
Amor diferente
Olhar de serpente
É um doce veneno
Que me satisfaz

Conversando com a solidão
Pra encontrar um certo alguém
Será que me convém
Ou tudo acabe dando em nada
Se ontem eu por lá passei
Saudade me apertou mais uma vez
Minhas mãos grudaram firmes no volante
E o carro acelerei

(refrão)

Overall Meaning

In Fugi's song "Jo Jo," the singer finds himself in a hotel room, consumed with love and unable to sleep. He is feeling desperate and incomplete, like a star without the sky. He contemplates hitting the road in search of someone special but wonders if it's worth it. He talks to his loneliness and wonders if he's making the right decision, fearing that it may all be for naught. Nonetheless, he gets into his car and drives, accelerating through his feelings of despair and ambiguity.

The refrain of the song reveals the nature of the singer's problems - he is trying to run away from his reality and escape the pain of his longing for a certain woman. Her love is like a sweet poison that satisfies him, but he knows that he needs to let go of her and leave the city which reminds him of her. The singer is caught in his love and is unable to escape his own desires. He is struggling to reconcile his romantic impulses with his common sense and his need for self-preservation. Ultimately, he is unable to resist the temptation and succumbs to his own desires.

Line by Line Meaning

Em um quarto de hotel
I find myself in a hotel room

Loucamente apaixonado
I am passionately in love

Eu estou desesperado
I am desperate

Feito uma estrela sem o céu
I feel lost and alone

Sei que já é madrugada
I know it's already late at night

E esse sono que não vem
I can't seem to fall asleep

Será que me convém
I wonder if it's wise

Sair assim cortando estrada
To go on a road trip in this state of mind

Conversando com a solidão
Talking to myself in loneliness

Pra encontrar um certo alguém
In search of a special someone

Ou tudo acabe dando em nada
But it might all end up being for nothing