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).
Vivo Num Morro
Pato Fu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que quanto mais de longe
Mais bonito é de se ver
Não há quem resista ao meu morro
Dentro da luz azul que sai da TV
Morro que é assim
Cheio de não sei o quê
Pra sentir teu cheiro, teu sabor
Morrendo pra sobreviver
Penando pelas quatro dimensões
Pra lá e pra cá, é difícil chegar
Pra cá e pra lá, como vou começar
O tempo passa quando quer passar
E o morro sempre no mesmo lugar
Morro, vivo num morro
Que quanto mais de perto
Mais difícil é de se entender
Não há quem resista ao meu morro
Dentro da luz azul que sai da TV
Morro que é assim
Cheio de não sei o quê
De tantas almas em dor
Pra sentir teu cheiro, teu sabor
Morrendo pra sobreviver
Penando pelas quatro dimensões
Pra lá e pra cá, é difícil chegar
Pra cá e pra lá, como vou começar
O tempo passa quando quer passar
E o morro sempre no mesmo lugar
The lyrics to Pato Fu's song "Vivo Num Morro" describe the experience of living on a hill, or "morro," in Brazil. The singer notes that from a distance, the hill is beautiful, but up close, it is difficult to understand. The hill is filled with unknown things and the pain of many souls. Despite all of this, the singer cannot resist the hill and is drawn to it. The hill is always in the same place, while time passes more unpredictably.
The second half of the song repeats these themes with slight variations. The singer again notes the difficulty of understanding the hill up close and mentions the light of a TV as a way of seeing it. The hill is still filled with unknown things and the pain of the many souls who live there. The singer notes that they are dying to survive and suffering across four dimensions. Again, the difficulty of navigating the hill is highlighted, as is its unchanging location.
Overall, the lyrics of "Vivo Num Morro" are a poetic meditation on the complexities of life on a Brazilian hill. The singer acknowledges the beauty and allure of the hill, but also its challenges and the suffering of those who live there.
Line by Line Meaning
Vivo, vivo num morro
I live, I live in a hillside community
Que quanto mais de longe
That the farther you are
Mais bonito é de se ver
The more beautiful it looks
Não há quem resista ao meu morro
There is no one who can resist my hillside community
Dentro da luz azul que sai da TV
Within the blue light coming from the TV
Morro que é assim
Hillside community that is
Cheio de não sei o quê
Full of I don't know what
De tantas almas em dor
Of so many tormented souls
Pra sentir teu cheiro, teu sabor
To feel your smell, your flavor
Morrendo pra sobreviver
Dying to survive
Penando pelas quatro dimensões
Suffering through the four dimensions
Pra lá e pra cá, é difícil chegar
Going back and forth, it's difficult to arrive
Pra cá e pra lá, como vou começar
Coming and going, how do I begin
O tempo passa quando quer passar
The time passes when it wants to pass
E o morro sempre no mesmo lugar
And the hillside community always in the same place
Que quanto mais de perto
That the closer you are
Mais difícil é de se entender
The harder it is to understand
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOAO DANIEL ULHOA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind