Their first album, Rotomusic de Liquidificapum, was released in 1993. Since then, they have released another eight: Gol de Quem?, Tem Mas Acabou, Televisão de Cachorro, Isopor, Ruído Rosa, MTV ao Vivo: No Museu de Arte da Pampulha, Toda Cura para Todo Mal and Daqui pro Futuro.
The band's popularity began to increase along with two other groups from Belo Horizonte, Jota Quest and Skank. The band plays pop-rock but frequently resorts to electronic music elements as well. Pato Fu is often said to be influenced by Os Mutantes, a famous Brazilian tropicalist group from the 1960s, probably because of the experimentalism found in both bands' songs. One can find in Pato Fu musical influences by Devo, The Cure, Radiohead, Pizzicato Five, Super Furry Animals and also MPB, among various others.
With the release of Ruído Rosa, Pato Fu was nominated as one of the best bands of the world by Time Magazine in 2001. The band's 10th anniversary in 2002 was celebrated with the release of MTV ao Vivo: No Museu de Arte da Pampulha, a live performance with some of their most famous songs. As of 2005, popular hits include:
* Sobre o Tempo (Gol de Quem?)
* Pinga (Gol de Quem?, about alcoholism)
* Canção pra Você Viver Mais (Televisão de Cachorro)
* Um Dia, Um Ladrão (Televisão de Cachorro)
* Made in Japan (Isopor; the song is almost entirely in Japanese. It was written in Portuguese by John and translated by a Japanese teacher. Its video clip is a tribute to old Japanese Sci-Fi movies and a satire against Americanization which won a VMB (the Brazilian VMA)). The song chorus is from the song Manah Manah '(see the External links section)'.
* Depois (Isopor)
* Imperfeito (Isopor)
* Perdendo Dentes (Isopor)
* Eu (Ruído Rosa)
* Ando Meio Desligado (Ruído Rosa)
* Por Perto (MTV Ao Vivo (Museu de Arte da Pampulha))
* Não Mais (MTV Ao Vivo (Museu de Arte da Pampulha))
* Uh Uh Uh, Lá Lá Lá, Ié Ié! (Toda Cura para Todo Mal)
* Anormal (Toda Cura para Todo Mal)
Fernanda Takai and John are married and had a daughter, Nina, in 2003.
The name of the band was taken from a Garfield comic strip where Garfield attacked a mailman with his "Cat Fu" techniques. The band liked the wordplay, but decided to replace Gato (cat) with Pato (duck). Coincidentally or not, the expression had also previously appeared in the Brazilian translation of the Howard the Duck movie; in it, Howard says he knows "Pato Fu" (Quack Fu in the original).
Gimme 30
Pato Fu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La vita è molto lunga per essere vissuta del tutto
È troppo grande, eccessivamente larga per me
La vita è molto lunga per essere vissuta del tutto
È troppo grande, eccessivamente larga per me
E eu que vivo só pra ela
Só pra soprar ela,
O que pra mim está OK
E se meu samba morrer
Ainda sobra sem querer
Um ano e meio de Carnaval
Gimme 30 and that will be OK
Gimme 30 and that will be allright
La veritá è che io sono povero
Poverino io sono
E quello che ho non basterà affato
Per vivere tutta la vita senza morire
The lyrics to Pato Fu's song Gimme 30 speak to the existential idea that life is too long and too big to be experienced in its entirety. The singer acknowledges that he lives only for life itself, and that even that is sometimes difficult to manage. The repetition of the phrase "La vita è molto lunga per essere vissuta del tutto" (Life is too long to be lived in its entirety) drives home the idea that despite our best efforts, we can never fully experience everything that life has to offer. The singer seems comfortable with this, suggesting that what he has is enough for him, even if it's not much, and that he can find joy in the small moments, like a year and a half of Carnival.
The song also touches on the idea of poverty and lack, with the line "La veritá è che io sono povero/Poverino io sono/E quello che ho non basterà affato/Per vivere tutta la vita senza morire" (The truth is that I am poor/I am a poor man/And what I have will not be enough/To live my whole life without dying). This further emphasizes the idea that we are limited in our experiences by our circumstances and resources.
Overall, Gimme 30 captures the bittersweet nature of life, acknowledging both its beauty and its limitations. The song suggests that even if we can't have everything we want, we can still find happiness in the moments that we do have.
Line by Line Meaning
La vita è molto lunga per essere vissuta del tutto
Life is too long to be lived entirely
È troppo grande, eccessivamente larga per me
It is too big, excessively wide for me
E eu que vivo só pra ela
And I, who live only for it
Só pra soprar ela,
Only to blow on it
O que pra mim está OK
What is okay for me
Que pra mim está legal
That is legal for me
E se meu samba morrer
And if my samba dies
Ainda sobra sem querer
Still there is left without wanting
Um ano e meio de Carnaval
A year and a half of Carnival
Gimme 30 and that will be OK
Give me 30 and it will be okay
Gimme 30 and that will be allright
Give me 30 and it will be alright
La veritá è che io sono povero
The truth is that I am poor
Poverino io sono
Poor little me
E quello che ho non basterà affato
And what I have will not be enough
Per vivere tutta la vita senza morire
To live the whole life without dying
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind