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).
Ninguém
Pato Fu Lyrics
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E eu o que fiz?
O mesmo outra vez
O sol nasceu e morreu
E eu ainda não
Um dia, talvez
Sem incomodar ninguém
Volto ao mesmo lugar
Vou esperar ninguém
Ninguém
Os cães latem pra me censurar
Mas nem vou argumentar
Com indivíduos assim
Tão só
Que quase posso escutar
O dia matar
A noite que chega ao fim
Sem incomodar ninguém
Nem me fazer notar
Volto ao mesmo lugar
Pois vai estar lá ninguém
Ninguém
The lyrics of Pato Fu's song Ninguém convey the emotional turmoil of a person who feels alone and unseen, yet longs to find companionship. The first stanza speaks of a circular sky, and the person wonders what they have done in the face of this beauty. They feel that time is passing them by, and they are not making progress in finding a sense of meaning or purpose. The second stanza describes the person's experience of being silenced by barking dogs who judge them, but the person doesn't argue back because they feel that it's pointless. They are alone and abandoned, and they find comfort in returning to the same place, where they hope to find nobody to bother them.
The lyrics of Ninguém are meditative and melancholy, evoking feelings of isolation and longing. The song's repetitive structure underscores the sense of stasis and frustration that the lyrics express. The use of animal sounds in the second stanza adds to the feeling of desolation, as the person is surrounded by hostile creatures who do not understand them. The title of the song, which means "nobody," emphasizes the person's feelings of being unseen and forgotten. Overall, Ninguém is a poignant meditation on the human condition, and the search for companionship and meaning in a world that can sometimes feel cold and indifferent.
Line by Line Meaning
O céu um círculo fez
The sky formed a circle
E eu o que fiz?
And what did I do?
O mesmo outra vez
The same thing again
O sol nasceu e morreu
The sun rose and died
E eu ainda não
And I haven't yet
Um dia, talvez
One day, maybe
Sem incomodar ninguém
Without bothering anyone
Nem me fazer notar
Without making myself known
Volto ao mesmo lugar
I return to the same place
Vou esperar ninguém
I'll wait for no one
Ninguém
No one
Os cães latem pra me censurar
Dogs bark at me to criticize
Mas nem vou argumentar
But I won't argue
Com indivíduos assim
With individuals like this
Tão só
So alone
Que quase posso escutar
That I can almost hear
O dia matar
The day killer
A noite que chega ao fim
The night that comes to an end
Pois vai estar lá ninguém
Because no one will be there
Ninguém
No one
Contributed by Jeremiah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.