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).
Spaceballs The Ballad
Pato Fu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They got long hair and they wanna fly
Space the final frontier
Space I wanna be here
If they don't have the glory of a war
It's just because they don't believe in war
We got the space that's the final frontier
Space I wanna be here
It sounds like a sound of a song that we can sing!
Down thru the space we swim on a dream
It sounds like a sound of a song that we can sing!
The lyrics of Pato Fu's "Spaceballs The Ballad" evoke a sense of longing for escapism and a desire to explore the unknown. The song begins by describing individuals with long hair, who symbolize a countercultural spirit and yearning for freedom. They want to break free from the constraints of their earthly existence and venture into space, which is portrayed as the ultimate frontier. Space represents a realm of limitless possibilities and the opportunity to transcend the mundane.
The lyrics emphasize a rejection of war, suggesting that the characters in the song don't seek glory through violence or conflict. Instead, they find fulfillment and purpose in their pursuit of space travel. The repetition of the line "Space I wanna be here" emphasizes their aspiration to be part of this cosmic exploration.
The chorus of the song speaks to the euphoria and liberation they experience as they navigate through space, describing it as a dreamlike state. This state of weightlessness and boundless imagination is compared to the sound of a song, implying that their journey through space is like an enchanting melody that they can sing along to.
Overall, "Spaceballs The Ballad" captures the longing for adventure, the rejection of traditional norms, and the yearning for a world beyond our own, where the human spirit can soar freely.
Line by Line Meaning
Running 'cross the universe
Traveling across the vast expanse of the universe
They got long hair and they wanna fly
These individuals possess long hair and have a strong desire to soar through the skies
Space the final frontier
Space is portrayed as the ultimate unexplored realm
Space I wanna be here
I long to be present in the realm of space
If they don't have the glory of a war
Their lack of glorification of war
It's just because they don't believe in war
Is simply because they hold no belief in the act of war
We got the space that's the final frontier
We possess the space that represents the ultimate uncharted territory
Space I wanna be here
I desire to exist in space
Down thru the space we swim on a dream
We navigate through space guided by a dream-like ambition
It sounds like a sound of a song that we can sing!
This experience resembles a melodic tune we can joyfully sing along to
Down thru the space we swim on a dream
Once again, we traverse through space guided by a dream-like stardom
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Humberto Mainenti, Alisson Zuim, Bob Faria
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind