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).
Ruido Rosa
Pato Fu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Acabo me encontrando perto de você
Pode me dizer você faz isso por querer
Tento o mar que leva e tras sem parar
Seu ruído rosa me comove
Me faz lembrar
Que o amor é estranho
Tento a TV
O dolby-surround a transforma
Num show sem igual
Pois afinal
O amor é estranho e sem forma
O amor é anormal
The lyrics to Pato Fu's song Ruido Rosa (Pink Noise) speaks to the idea that when one tries to lose themselves, they always end up being close to the one they love. The singer questions whether this is intentional, as they try to venture out to the sea, but are moved by the pink noise- a type of background noise- which reminds them of how strange love can be as it tends to not care about logic. The song then speaks about how the sound of the TV is changed when it's played through a Dolby-Surround system, making it an exceptional experience. The singer concludes that love, like the pink noise and the distorted TV sound, is strange, formless and definitely abnormal.
The song is a metaphor for love as an inexplicable force that can't be controlled or predicted. The imagery of the sea, pink noise, and distorted TV sound create a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere that emphasizes the unpredictability of love. The song suggests that love is not something that can be explained by reason, but rather something that can be felt in a visceral way.
Line by Line Meaning
Toda vez que tento me perder
Every time I try to lose myself
Acabo me encontrando perto de você
I end up finding myself close to you
Pode me dizer você faz isso por querer
Can you tell me if you do this on purpose
Tento o mar que leva e tras sem parar
I try the sea that takes and brings incessantly
Seu ruído rosa me comove
Your pink noise moves me
Me faz lembrar
It reminds me
Que o amor é estranho
That love is strange
Que o amor não quer saber
That love doesn't want to know
Tento a TV
I try the TV
O dolby-surround a transforma
The dolby-surround transforms it
Num show sem igual
Into an unparalleled show
Pois afinal
After all
O amor é estranho e sem forma
Love is strange and formless
O amor é anormal
Love is abnormal
Contributed by Alaina W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.