Inspired in Exile, Heartbreaking Beauty | Chico Buarque - Construção | Vocal Coach Reacts & Analysis

[@BethRoars]

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[@thiagovasconcelosbr]

This song narrates three versions of the same story, from different perspectives, modifying only the last word of each sentence. In the first (1) it is a man who loves his wife, a good worker and dies by accident (in this one there are more details of death, as if there were some commotion in society). In the second (2) he cheats on his wife, goes to work drunk, just fulfills his obligations, gets drunk again (drinks as if he had the resistance of a machine), falls and dies, disturbing people... Translated by google. Essa música narra três versões da mesma história, por perspectivas diferentes, modificando apenas a última palavra de cada frase. Na primeira (1) é um homem que ama a mulher, bom trabalhador e morre por acidente (nessa há mais detalhes da morte, como se houvesse alguma comoção da sociedade). Na segunda (2) ele trai sua mulher, vai trabalhar bêbado, apenas cumpre suas obrigações, se embriaga novamente (bebe como se tivesse a resistência de uma máquina) cai e morre, atrapalhando as pessoas...

[@fabricioazevedo2361]

When are you coming to Brazil?

[@jaidern]

Hey! I do have a recommendation: Chico has another song (his deepest one from the time he was exiled) its called Cálice. Chico and Milton Nascimento. I would love to hear your thoughts on this song and I believe you will absolutely love it!

[@thaylisleitzke5320]

(GALERA, CURTE AÍ PRA BETH VER PFV) Hey Beth! Thank you for your reaction, it was sensible and insightful as always ❤ As a Brazilian, here are some things I feel important to share with you: - The protagonist of this story is a construction builder, a bricklayer. That's why you see him climbing the building, having cement in his eyes... This is the story of someone whose works are the base of our economy, but nobody cares when he dies. No matter how his story is told, people will see him just as someone who hinders the traffic or messes up Saturday plans. Also, Dictatorship heavily used economic progress as their propaganda. - As you probably noticed, the song's title ´Construção´ is not only an allusion to the worker's job, but also about the lyrics and the instrumental. The lyrics are built in a way that if you change a brick, or a word in each sentence, you change the meaning of the worker's story. About the instruments, each time the story is retold they win more layers, just like layers of bricks build a wall. I highly recommend you listen to the recorded version on Spotify, it's even more powerful than the live one. - The Military Dictatorship happened between 1964 and 1985, and Chico (it's pronounced ´Sheeco´) wrote Construção in 1971. This means the country was already in its third president in a regime that showed no signs of changing anytime soon. Every time I listen to Construção, I have this hopeless feeling that the story ends the same way no matter how hard you try to make changes (even if only small ones are possible). I invite you to rewatch (even if you don't record it) `Como nossos pais´, sung by Elis Regina. Look again at the pain in her eyes, the despair, and anguish in her voice... She recorded it in 1976, so the dictatorship was in command for over a decade. She was one of the feel singers who didn't position herself openly against the Military Regime. She even sang for them in an event, but later it was found that they threatened to kill her kids if she refused to sing. - I highly recommend you react to GENI E O ZEPELIN, performed by LETICIA SABATELLA . It's probably the only Chico's song that I prefer another person's version. Leticia is also a famous Brazilian actress, you'll understand why her interpretation of it is so special. About the song: it is actually part of a play called ´Opera do Malandro´, and it's from 1979 (so also Dictartoship years). The song tells the story of Geni, a trans woman (back then called transvestite) hated by society (if you just read the lyrics, the trans part won't show up, but it's clear throughout the play). The characters represent the 3 pillars of society back then: the banker is the economy, the mayor is the politicians (Brazil was living in a dictatorship, but it was still disguised as a republic), and the bishop represents the catholic church and its influence (according to official data, in 1980 88,96% of Brazilians considered themselves Catholics). Geni represents the working class. You could even react to it twice: one to talk about the story and the feeling, and the second to talk about her vocals. I promise you, it's THAT GOOD!

[@brenosilva4202]

@@thiagovasconcelosbr Yes, It can be interpreted as three versions of the same story reported by different point of views (first passage, the employer, second passage by the authorities, third passage, which is shorter and faster than the others, by the general public, indicating alienation by individualism and lack of emphaty or by the censorship and fear of the violence from the dictatorship). But the three different "versions" of the story also can be interpreted as three different workers, at the end, having the same fate, simbolizing it´s a deep and sistematic social problem. This song is so genial because each time you think about the lyrics you can go deep in more meanings and symbols.

[@1alexmachado]

You MUST hear the original recording of this song, with an incredible orquestra and chorus. It's much (MUCH) more intense!!!

[@marciaschanuel7946]

YEAHHHH, IT´S PERFECT!

[@brenosilva4202]

Tottaly agreed! And the original has the final part that´s also incredible for the strong irony against the government.

[@lucasmoratoaraujo8433]

I was about to say that.

[@FeBs8506]

Yes! The arrangements by Duprat it’s the extra juice for interpretation in this song!

[@gustavodahrug141]

Com certeza A música parece banal sem isso.

[@Danielthescientist]

The proparoxytones are intentional and simulate the sensation of a fall. More interestingly, he exchanges the last words of all the verses, and they still continue to make sense. He repeats the verses but keep changing the last words, giving another meaning.

[@pinguimhbs]

And at the same time gives a sensation that nothing makes sense in the worker day.

[@mauriciocatellani6445]

I like to think that the proparoxytone last words of the verses are the bricks of the construction, making a parallel between the construction in the lyric and the musical construction itself (sorry for my english)

[@shadowmoon1657]

This song is crap and proof that Brazilian “elite” musicians are only like by elitists. There is nothing special but they have to admire what the media says. Thats why its a country with no culture

[@alessandrodardin2666]

In short, this is a masterpiece by a genius. Developing a little further, beyond the issue of metrics, using proparoxytones to create a monotonous rhythm, ressembling the life of a construction worker, there is another layer of interpretation. Note that the lyrics repeat exactly the same words, but used in different positions. Thus, it is as if they were describing different characters, but they all lead the same meaningless life and end up having the same tragic fate. The final sentences are particularly heartbreaking, as all the deaths described go unnoticed, without even bothering society. It is one of the most beautiful and most pungent songs ever written. Thank you so much for bringing it to your audience

[@flaviafarinelli1482]

The only thing I disagree about is the deaths... the characters had insignificant lives, but they are only "noticed" when they die because they disrupt traffic, public and saturday

Also, it's worth to say that the repetition of the lyrics but with swapped words resembles the name of the song itself, as if the song was built, repeatedly, with interchangeable pieces. A perfect poetry and song describing the meaningless life of ordinary people that only seems to work and not really live their lives.

[@leandrocobianchi3694]

A troca das sentenças na música também faz alusão à epoca, em que os artistas precisavam trocar certas frases ou mudar certas palavras pra não cair na censura

[@metastase895]

The word swap also simulate a drunk person scrambling their words and thoughts.

[@shadowmoon1657]

HAHAHA!! Só brasileiro (e geralmente de esquerda) idolatra essas porcarias de violaozinho e ainda tenta encher de tecnica que so acha na sua cabeça

[@Danielthescientist]

Thank you for being such a respectful artist. You’re the only KZbin creator that reacts to Brazilian music studying the context, the lyrics and really putting effort to understand it, instead of only reacting for views. Also it looks like you’re honestly interested in the content, and that just represents the true, interested, curious and complete artist you are.

[@BethRoars]

Thank you Daniel! I am really interested! My favourite part of singing is finding out how it intersects with people and culture. I love when I get to learn something new.

[@maiarafloresart]

YES! I couldn't agree more. I'm not a musician, but I love the way Beth reacts to music as the artform that it is. It's profound, it's so much more then entertainment, it's beautiful. Thank you, Beth!

[@rafaelcacere555]

@@BethRoarsChico Buarque é inigualável para isso

[@Ana194]

Indeed!

[@wagui9637]

Não é a única assim, goonie googles é outro excelente youtuber gringo que reage a músicas brasileiras e busca interpretar a letra e de onde ela vem. Gostou tanto que até veio morar no Brasil kkk

[@mauriciomessiassantos9829]

As a Brazilian English teacher, I say that this is a song that I would never have the courage to try to translate into english.

[@AnaPaulaAraujo87]

kkkkkkkkk justo

[@Alpha_Phi628]

Me neither. Dumb communist!

[@jaidern]

😅

[@wilsoncarlosteixeirajunior9979]

Your teacher is right; it would be like trying to translate the spirit of an era described in a kaleidoscope.

[@giofugazz]

I'd argue being able to fully comprehend the intricacies of the lyrics in construção is one of the biggest advantages of being a portuguese speaker

[@carlosmarques987]

Essa poesia é chamada de dodecassílabo. Possui 12 sílabas métricas. Também conhecida como versos alexandrinos.

[@oalbuquerque2899]

Não são só versos alexandrinos perfeitos, mas versos alexandrinos perfeitos finalizados em proparoxítonas em todas as linhas. Coisa magnífica.

[@WemersonCassarotti]

Esse música mostra a mesma história mas de 3 visoes diferentes. Da Família, dos trauseuntes e dos donos da obra. Isso usando as mesmas frases apenas mudando as palavras finais. Todas Proparoxítonas. Um poema e tanto.

[@LuisKolodin]

E as palavras finais tb são as mesmas da primeira vez, apenas em posições diferentes.

[@ivanoezafalanfilho4319]

SERIA MARAVILHOSO SE NÃO TIVESSE SE UNIDO A BANDIDAGEM QUE ROUBA O POVO POBRE DO BRASIL. MALDITO SEJA, EU GOSTAVA MUITO DELE.

[@diegocruz1136]

Um poema ao estilo cubista. Ele e o Milton fazem muito isso.

[@brcaxias]

Isso. Só que eu entendo que são três versões diferentes, mas que não mudam o fim. Mostrando que não adianta, não saímos das engrenagens do sistema.

[@fernandacardoso779]

Beth, Chico is known not by his vocals but because his a genius songwritter. His songs have deep lyrics meanings and structures. His is one of ours greaters poet. Thanks 4 this reaction

[@jryamaguchi]

Genius my eggs..

[@luizgustavocristino6172]

​@@jryamaguchiHe IS a genious. Just becaise you are pro-dictatorship doesn't mean you have the power to take that away with the civil rights you want taken.

[@filiper.2792]

@@luizgustavocristino6172 BS.

[@johnnytei8268]

Looking forward to seeing, this song it is essential to listen to the studio version of the album as it contains all the sound effects that support the musical "Construction" created by Chico, here's a tip Beth s2

[@adrianoluz1108]

I agree. The original version is much more impactful and dramatic! There's a video with English subtitles to it.

[@josegeraldodafonsecafilho4472]

Chico uses proparoxytone words at the end of each sentence (usually with a stronger sound in the third-to-last syllable), such as "magic", "solid", "valid". As the lyrics progress, He uses the same rhymes in different situations. "He climbed the building as if it were a machine He raised four solid walls on the platform Brick by brick in a magical design His eyes dulled by cement and tears" [...] "He climbed the building as if it were solid He raised four magical walls on the platform Brick by brick in a logical design His eyes dulled by cement and traffic". Example: "He climbed the building as if it were a machine He raised four solid walls on the platform Brick by brick in a magical design His eyes dulled by cement and tears" [...] "He climbed the building as if it were solid He raised four magical walls on the platform Brick by brick in a logical design His eyes dulled by cement and traffic"

[@Peuonthezone]

Summarizing it a lot: it's a song about the banalization of death (specially among Worker lower classes) in authoritarian regimes. This song is also usually followed by a "hidden outro" called "Deus lhe Pague" (where Chico is basically cursing the dictatorship with a "May God pay you back") and you can hear clearly the change in his voice from an apathetic one in "construção" to one full of ironic revolt in "Deus lhe Pague". He also got a lot of inspiration from Operas and the modern/classical Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos for this song, the "jazzy sounds" originally are harsh and loud instruments (mainly wind/blow, if I'm not mistaken) simulating the hectic traffic being interrupted by the sudden death.

[@hajapo]

Unfortunately if you open any newspaper today you will see the democratic regime didn't meant any change in the banalization of death specially among worker lower classes. But yes, the song is about it.

[@leogama3422]

Beyond the banalization of death, it's the brutalization of life.

[@PAULODETARSOIRIZAGAPEREIRA]

I think this song has nothing to do with dictatorship. This tragedy can happen even today.

[@pamsp]

It's actually 3 stories. A "regular" worker, one wroker that ones drunk and a suicide (the last one dies on the Saturday when there is no work)

[@Peuonthezone]

@@PAULODETARSOIRIZAGAPEREIRA it has A LOT to do with dictatorship, but it does speak more about authoritarianism (specifically from the elites towards lower classes), which can be a social problem even in democracies (you can have a Democratic political regime, but an authoritarian society)

[@levibellini6881]

Beth, you NEED to listen to Milton Nascimento!!! Love from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@marcelovieira7749]

Siiiiiim! Pelamor

[@pisusisa]

Siiiiiiiiimmmm

[@marcoscampos9203]

Yessssssss

[@rodberthier]

Yesssss!!!!!!!!!

[@Patricia.castro84]

Agreed! Milton Nascimento is simply the most beautiful masculine voice I ever heard in my life!

[@karouakiva592]

4:22 In the previous verse Chico said, "[The man] died in the wrong lane messing up traffic," and then the dissonance, especially in the recorded version, represents the car horns of the drivers who don't care about someone who had just fallen (jumped?) to his death, lying in the middle of the street.

[@jackmatheus]

Thrown ?

[@karouakiva592]

@@jackmatheus Yes, it could be that too.

[@bernardojunior2658]

There are so many layers in this song. It is not an easy song to follow with all the metaphors and overall textual construction. Happy to see Brazilian artists in your channel.

[@LuizmarcosCorvo]

There is a saying among my friends that Chico is so intelligent and talented, such a legendary composer that he couldn't be that good singing. That said most os his songs are INCREDIBLE and it's kind of one specialtie. So what you said about the monotone is right on spot, but there are a few thing that helps creating the narrative of this song. For instance, he once said that he tried to reproduce the use of construction tools in the composition. The proparoxytone rhymes are the hardest rhymes in portuguese, and as a poet myself I cannot praise him enough for pulling out an entire music like this. But the real cherry in this song is how he made his point, his protest transcend the obvious and make even people that can't speak Portuguese feel it inside. The changes on the last word of the phrases don't just creates another story, it perverts the first story. In the first time he stumbled in the sky as if he was drunk, but the second time we walked his drunk way, implying he fell cus he was drunk on work. The first time he kisses his wife as if it was the last kiss and every child as they were the only. But in the last time he kisses her wife as if she was the only one, implying that he was adulterous. In the first time he died agonizing.. we feel moved by his death. The last time he died disturbing the traffic. So the way the same story is told makes from an horrible accident to a " I can't belive we have more traffic cus a drunk, cheating construction worker died on the street.". That's the beauty of this construction.. the construction of the building and the construction of the narrative, as the dictatorship in Brazil used to deal with anything. I really hope you see this cus I love his composing very very mutch.

[@dorivaldodc3141]

Se vc ouvir toda a discografia de chico Buarque até o final dos anos 80, vc terá toda a história da ditadura enquanto ela existiu, chico é um mestre da mpb

[@emersonobara6135]

You made an interesting interpretation of this song Construção. Talking about it technically is not easy, even for those who understand the nuances of the Portuguese language. I am very grateful to be able to listen to this great Brazilian artist named Chico Buarque. I hope to hear more of his wonderful songs here.

[@sudi_cloud]

Chico Buarque is --- I don't know how to express the greatness of this artist with justice, perhaps --- an 'icon' of Brazilian music and history. Honestly, I don't know if that's enough. The album Construção is a MASTERPIECE of Brazilian music & art. Good choice! Fun fact: years ago, in a conversation with North American diplomats, I suggested that they listen to Chico Buarque to understand a little more about Brazil. They refused. They thought his 'voice' was horrible. Well, it's as if music were limited to sound, and lyrics were just a mere accessory to it... go figure...

[@fernandovugman7419]

I was young and fought the military government. Chico is precious.

[@Stoneeeeemo]

ditadura nunca mais!

[@sasardenberg]

That has to be one of the greatest brazilian songs ever. I actually had a class on it in my high school years. It's got alexandrine verses all song, which are verses with 12 syllables, stressing out the 6th and the 12th. All last words are proparoxytones and these are the ones that change from story to story. It is supposedly based on a true accident during a construction of a highway in Rio de Janeiro, early 70's. The studio version has got great instrumental arrangements.

[@ivnaqcaldas]

according to Rolling Stone Brazil, this is the greatest. Unfortunately as other people already mentioned this version is missing the end section which is the epic finale.

[@cayleyguimaraes9672]

Each verse is composed of 12 syllables, with the 12th falling on the tonic syllable of a proparoxytone - the third to last syllable (not the second, like you said) - magic, solid, valid. You were spot on: the beat of his death was tantalising. Also, during what you called the Jazz section, the lyrics start to get scrambled, as if all sense was lost.

[@eminyfoxy]

As I've mentioned here before, Chico Buarque himself says he doesn't sing well, in the sense that he doesn't have an incredible voice that leaves us open-mouthed... But we can feel the strength of each word in his deep interpretation, which is why he's been successful since the middle of the last century, literally!

[@lotofacilpaulo48]

FALTOU A ÚLTIMA PARTE, A MELHOR... QUANDO ELE FALA DEUS LHE PAGUE"

[@renandosreis3744]

Essa é outra música, se chama "Deus lhe pague"

[@JasonMenezesbr]

@@renandosreis3744 Sim, é que na versão original as músicas vêm coladas. Como se fossem uma só.

[@renandosreis3744]

@JasonMenezesbr não, não vem não, amigo

[@luizgustavocristino6172]

@@JasonMenezesbr não, essa amálgama das duas musicas foi posterior. Eram duas musicas totalmente separadas e depois de anos foi gravada uma versão com elas juntas.

[@manuelmelo7127]

@@luizgustavocristino6172 no lançamento do LP e da música Construção já estava junta com Deus Lhe pague, que também aparece em outra faixa só Deus lhe pague com arranjo menos dramático.

[@franciscodeassispintodasil1257]

My dear, please, listen the LP "Clube da Esquina". In this album you will meet Milton Nascimento, the voice.

[@AlexandreLandimGomesdasi-th1yx]

Tnank you, Beth. "Cálice" and "João e Maria" (CHICO BUARQUE). Thank you very much.

[@carolinecarreiro5775]

Hi! He is the most brilliant composer of our music, if you could understand the lyrics and the genius of the song, the arrangements, it is fascinating. and yes, he has always been a political activist.

[@andreBSB92]

A revista Rolling Stones colocou essa música como a melhor canção da história do Brasil

[@luizfelipefirmo5769]

Glad to see so many “brasileiros” (brazilians) explaining one of the most beautiful and complex song of our country. It cannot be fully translated without losing some of it’s meaning, but the comments here throw a light on what Chico meant when he wrote it.

[@ricardoknudsen3483]

Thank you for this video, it was nice to feel your reactions to this beautiful song, showing that great art is mostly universal. This song is from 1971, during the darkest days of the military Brazilian dictatorship. People who opposed the regime risked to be arrested by the political police and even tortured and murdered. Leaders of Unions, politicians, students, journalists and artists were particularly target. Chico had to go to self exile for a few years, for his life was in danger due to his popularity and the impact of his “subversive” songs. Coming back to Brazil, he kept challenging the dictatorship. In a song, one of the verses asks “Who is this woman that sings always the same lament”. It is about a true story of a mother who continuously pressed the government about his son, kidnaped and very likely tortured and murdered by the police, his body has never been found. Chico is not only the most respected Brazilian song writer of his generation, but he masters the Portuguese language like few, his lyrics are often built with sophisticated metrics, rime, vocabulary and style. Some say that if Portuguese had the same international weight as English, Bob Dylan would have been the second songwriter to win the literature Nobel prize.

[@marciamuller9598]

Lenda viva, cantor, interprete, escritor, poeta, incoformista. Chico Buarque é um grande artista, exemplo e orgulho para a geração que viveu aquele período sombrio da nossa história. 💝🇧🇷

[@luizgustavocristino6172]

I've known and loved this song for decades. But your take on it made me cry like I was listening for the first time. Thank you for your perspective and for the respectful way you're treating our music. With Chico, it's less about the singing and more about the storytelling. He's an amazing artist, and I'm impressed you got what he is about by listening to this one song. Says a lot about both his artistry and your sensibility.

[@fabianamatano2512]

Wow, Beth 💜. Chico is a GENIOUS! Everybody IN THE WORLD needs to fight against far right / military dictorship. We do need the dignity coming from Democracy. We need real freedom of art and culture; that's Democracy. Chico and his art fought and still fights against dictorship. Guys, please watch the movie I Am STill Here to dive into Brazilian history of dictorship.

[@fabbiomarcello]

No dia que ela conhecer Caetano Veloso tocando violão fazendo versões de músicas chamadas brega e que ele transforma em cool sofisticadas , Beth vai pirar

[@diegocruz1136]

Aquelas músicas de Caetano em inglês com sotaque baiano, uma verdadeira obra prima ❤❤

[@fabbiomarcello]

@diegocruz1136 boa noite! Acredito que para ela é mais interessante em português mesmo, veja como ela se esforça pra entender a poesia. E nesse caso ela pode comparar a voz dele nos anos 60 e hoje

[@Edgar2023ES]

The key to understanding this song is not in the sequential reading of the stanzas and verses, but rather in the comparison of the verses: He loved that time as if it were the last (he loved intensely. He is being portrayed as a man who respects and loves his wife) He loved that time as if he were a machine (purely carnal love without respect for the woman. Here he is portrayed as a cold man) And (kissed) each of his children as if they were the only ones. (kissed with love. He is portrayed as a loving father) (And kissed) each of his children) as if he were the prodigal. (the prodigal son asked for his father's inheritance and spent it all. The worker is being portrayed as a cold and spiteful father.) And he crossed the street with his timid step. (He is portrayed as timid.) And he crossed the street with his drunken step. (He is being portrayed as a drunken man.) He built four solid walls on the landing. (Great worker who builds solid walls) He built four sagging walls on the landing (terrible worker. Do you want a sagging wall in your house?) He climbed the building as if it were a machine. (He climbed it quickly. It's as if he were doing it so he wouldn't be late.) He climbed the building as if it were solid. (Arrogantly and carelessly, as if it were made of steel.) The first narrative shows the worker as he is. But the other two narratives (There are three different narratives) denigrate him more and more. The owner of capital has the purpose of denigrating the worker in order to exempt himself from responsibility.

[@MarinaFeitosa]

Thanks for treating Brazilian music with the love and respect it deserves. I'd like to recommend another one from Chico, this time with Maria Betânia. "Sem fantasia" is a duet they sing together and it is a masterpiece. ❤ I'm a big fan of your work!

[@ricardovaz5041]

Thank you for receiving the suggestions and reacting to this poetry! I´m not sure if you noticed, he switches the last word at each time the lyric starts again, keeping the meaning and beautifully playing with the words.. Masterpiece!!

[@elianamckee]

It requires a lot of sensitivity to feel and understand something so utterly Brazilian. Thank you. Brava!

[@faccinimario]

Parabéns pelo canal, Beth! A versão original é imprescindível pois o arranjo é espetacular e contém o final inexistente nesta versão. Abraço a todos!

[@beatrizdumbra1518]

Essa música é muito viva na minha memória. Lembro como se fosse hoje quando a professora Carla nos mostrou sua letra numa aula de Língua Portuguesa, nos ajudou a interpretá-la, ler nas entrelinhas e admirar sua construção (o incrível trocadilho) feita com muitas proparoxítonas, tão raras na nossa língua. Desde então, e, não só então, me dedico ao ensino desse esplêndido idioma. Espero nunca enjoar de ensinar aos meus alunos a interpretar uma obra prima como essa ❤️

[@andregattas8689]

You should listen to the first recording of this song which is in the album that takes the same name of it - CONSTRUÇÃO. In that original recording there is a chorus which beautifully and cleverly complements the lyrics.

[@S0ldeed]

This is amazing. I'm loving the exploration of South American music and this is a fascinating artist, song and situation.

[@joaofreire3478]

I love how you interpret music. I think your work is really important. It stimulates people's sensitivity. Keep up the good work!

[@ricardoferrer3255]

Your insight and analysis of this iconic brazilian song is great. Chico is not known for being a great singer, but he is the best composer and lyricist in Brazil, and he is always accompanied by excellent musicians. I recommend listening to his album live at Le Zenith in Paris. Wonderful!

[@sergiosaggio]

Chico, for sure, is one of the greatest, if not the greatest lyricist of Brazilian popular music. Its lyrics are chronicles of Brazilian daily life: the strength, the struggles and sometimes the joys that the suffering people can obtain in simple things like music, food, conversations, etc... Congratulations on your video!

[@raulpatrick]

Chico é genial. Nosso orgulho.

[@luisovidio1]

He is one of the best songwriters that we have, with good lyrics, but also melody. This song is an example where he doesn't let the sequence of notes to resolve themselves, giving the sensation of a never ending cycle, made on purpose to let us unsettled.

[@lucasosis]

this one REALLY should have been the original recording, thats the one everyone who recommended actually meant. The arrangement is a masterpiece.

[@manairabrasil4670]

Beth, the monotony and the proparoxytones are totally proposital. He is a genius and this is a masterpiece. The sadness you feel in his voice is a heavy trained voice that indeed wanted to criticize the militarity. In the lirycs you can see the hidden words beneath what he is saying, and each note is precisily meaning something to who is hearing. We study this is portuguese classes so we can see how rich our language is but also to learn about the ditactorship. Thank you so much for listening and giving us this privilege!

[@manairabrasil4670]

You saw throught it rightfully!

[@ricalcantara]

O maior peso dessa obra está na construção poética conjugada com a crítica social. Há de se considerar momento político daquele momento...

[@falandopormusica]

Thank you God!! For being Brazilian, and having the privilege of understanding everything that Chico Buarque says!!!

[@remissao13]

❤❤❤ Beth, that's such a challenging song to analyze and react to. And in a language you don't understand, too. You owned it! Congratulations!

[@legey5862]

First of all, thank your for another incredible reaction. I've been following you for years and it feels me with joy to see how much respect you have for our music. Every reaction you take your time to study the background of the artist, the song, the lyrics. And you always seems so genuinely interested in learning more about our music and history. Now, about this, you should really check the studio version of it. It's out of this world. Like you said, this is poetry and the fact it got to you, made you think and feel is enough. That was Chico's intention with every song. To make us feel, reflect and be aware of life, society and politics. I hope someday you can react to Maria Bethânia (since you're reacting to Brazil's greatest). There's a lot of incredible songs from her, "Chão de Estrelas" (specially the one in "Ambar" concert) is one of my favourites. Thank you

[@Flaviamacedos]

Chico changes the words of the song itself, giving abstract and fragile meanings to mechanical objects and situations, in a crescendo of panic and surrealism as death and the agony of its arrival can be. A genius of lyrics. Thank you bringing Chico.

[@brunogarcia9001]

I felt glad of hearing your reflections about the music and also the historical facts you brought. This is a complex song, specifically for not Portuguese speakers. You did an amazing job!

[@gpeddino]

The proparoxytone thing you mentioned is spot on. Every word that ends a verse is accented on the third to last syllable. "Última/último" (last), "único" (only), "máquina" (machine), "tímido" (shy), "bêbado" (drunk). Then, as he repeats the story three times, the words are scrambled and change places in the verses, thus altering the narrative. A lyrical masterpiece.

[@getexis8685]

Perfect moment. The music, the man, your reaction. Human is to aspire to a better world.

[@fernandonabais8828]

One of the most powerful songs ever written in Portuguese language. An absolute masterpiece. Chico is a genius

[@VitorAugustoVTR]

This was superb as usual! Beth, you MUST react to Ed Motta - Fora da Lei!

[@Patricia.castro84]

This song is taught in schools here in Brazil! Chico is onde of our best, greatest singers/song writer - he’s also a frat novelist as well. A genius.

[@lcb8883]

The rhythm finds support in the meter of its verses, divided into twelve syllables, all crowned by proparoxytones: machine, prince, drunk, shy. These proparoxytones, always placed at the end of each verse, produce the melodic effect of the rhyme.

[@famademacaefomentomercanti6023]

Chico Buarque é um gênio. Ouça a música João e Maria. É linda.

[@geraldoribeirofilho]

Thank you so much. He is a genius. Lives in Paris now. Take the train and maybe have a chat. Is a poet. So many important songs. Check more please. Same with others that lived in exile like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and others. Worth it. Thanks.

[@JessBonomo]

Haven't even watched yet but I know you're gonna LOVE it. Chico may not be the best singer, but the composition of this song is **chef's kiss** gives me goosebumps every single time. One of my favorite songs ever.

[@sarcezio]

Brasilians, unite!! Beth needs to do a video on Milton Nascimento! Salve Bituuuca

[@anandanaholanda]

Milton Nascimento is a must indeed. Another singer that is super precise is Monica Salmaso

[@igorbatista9375]

The charm of this song is in the lyrics. He subtly changes the order of the words, giving a different intensity and vision each time he repeats the passages. The construction of the lyrics is very sophisticated.

[@nicholastatagiba]

The period of dictatorship in Brazil is still something that haunts us. A film called "I'm still here" was recently released, starring Fernanda Torres and Selton Melo, which tells the story of Eunice Paiva, wife of Rubens Paiva one of the victims of the dictatorship in Brazil.

[@Ivan-c5p8q]

Minha mãe faleceu quando eu tinha 10 anos de idade. E lembro que nesse dia ela chamou minha irmã mais velha , e falou pra ela cuidar da gente ( eu e meus dois irmãos mais novos) Beijou a gente e saiu Costureira . Saiu Pra entregar roupa E não volto. Foi atropelada no acostamento da rodovia ao tentar atravessar. Estou ouvindo essa música pela primeira vez. Agora vou voltar o vídeo e assistir melhor. Abrigado pela reaçao. Sou brasileiro e quem me apresentou essa foi você. Sucesso!!!!

[@lucasbenzano6021]

Fantastic. This is a masterpiece. Chico is an amazing songwriter.

[@marcelinolopes5084]

Hi Beth, I’d love to share some insights about Chico Buarque's iconic song Construção. It's a masterpiece not just for its poignant content but also for its ingenious use of the Portuguese language. The lyrics are constructed entirely with proparoxytone words (stress on the antepenultimate syllable), creating a rhythm that mirrors the relentless, mechanical nature of the worker's routine. This linguistic choice reflects Chico’s brilliance and is a hallmark of his work-melding linguistic artistry with deep social commentary. On a thematic level, Construção is a powerful critique of social inequality. It portrays the suffering and invisibility of manual laborers, highlighting how society often devalues their lives. The line "morreu atrapalhando o sábado" (he died disrupting the Saturday) is especially heartbreaking, showing how even in death, a poor man is seen as an inconvenience rather than a loss. This blend of linguistic complexity and profound storytelling is why Chico’s music transcends art-it’s a mirror to our society’s values and injustices. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[@gilsonfernandes4056]

Chico, amazing react Beth, thanks!!! Grande abraço do Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷. 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍🙏❤️🥰🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@dorisfortuna9323]

I was a teenager when that came out and back then I could not comprehend the relation to politics, but I simply loved how he geniuosly played with the words, reusing them in different sentences and building that sense of chaos. I think you pretty much got the feeling.

[@jaidern]

Portuguese is my first language, he is my favorite male singer and I've listened to his songs all my life. Yet I never had all your sensibility to realize many details you pointed. Amazing analysis!

[@camilaelias6074]

Always refreshing to get your perspective on these songs we grew up with. Love your content ❤

[@thaizvilla]

How many people told here, his intention was to use proparoxytones, bc we have had a president during the dictatorship which is called Médici, a last name proparoxytone, so song is all about proparoxytones and the lirycs and "construction" is all about the dark times we have had in 80s...... I love this song, really, Chico is amazing.

[@wanmeireles7182]

After he sings the first few verses, he starts changing the last words of each verse with a word he has already sung in another verse. This causes the meaning of each phrase to change and conveys different types of feelings such as despair, banality, peace. It's incredible.

[@MarceloMoreira-q3n]

Olá Beth, boa tarde! O Brasil ama você ❤❤

[@nephisto2]

There's also a read where these are similar stories but with different people but they still sound just the same. Or different perspectives of a single worker, but with different intensities. These lyrics and song are really dense and deep.

[@James_Y.Y]

Amou daquela vez como se fosse a última He loved that time as if it were the last. Beijou sua mulher como se fosse a última He kissed his wife as if she were the last. E cada filho seu como se fosse o único And each of his children as if they were the only one. E atravessou a rua com seu passo tímido And crossed the street with his timid step. Subiu a construção como se fosse máquina He climbed the construction as if he were a machine. Ergueu no patamar quatro paredes sólidas He raised four solid walls on the platform. Tijolo com tijolo num desenho mágico Brick by brick in a magical design. Seus olhos embotados de cimento e lágrima His eyes dulled by cement and tears. Sentou pra descansar como se fosse sábado He sat to rest as if it were Saturday. Comeu feijão com arroz como se fosse um príncipe He ate beans and rice as if he were a prince. Bebeu e soluçou como se fosse um náufrago He drank and sobbed as if he were a castaway. Dançou e gargalhou como se ouvisse música He danced and laughed as if he heard music. E tropeçou no céu como se fosse um bêbado And stumbled into the sky as if he were a drunkard. E flutuou no ar como se fosse um pássaro And floated in the air as if he were a bird. E se acabou no chão feito um pacote flácido And ended on the ground like a limp package. Agonizou no meio do passeio público He agonized in the middle of the public walkway. Morreu na contramão atrapalhando o tráfego He died against the flow, disrupting traffic. Explanation of Difficult Passages in English 1. “He ate beans and rice as if he were a prince” • This line combines simplicity (beans and rice, a staple food in Brazil) with the image of royalty (a prince). It conveys that the worker cherished this humble meal as if it were a grand, luxurious feast. The difficulty for non-native speakers lies in understanding the cultural nuance: in Brazil, beans and rice are everyday food, but the metaphor elevates the act to show dignity and appreciation in simplicity. 2. “He stumbled into the sky as if he were a drunkard” • This poetic and surreal phrase suggests a moment of aspiration or transcendence, where the worker, in a metaphorical sense, tries to rise above his struggles but falters, like a drunkard losing balance. The contrast between the elevated imagery of the sky and the clumsiness of a drunkard highlights the fragility of human efforts to transcend difficult circumstances.

[@marcoaurelio8058]

That was my nickname growing up in Brazil; CHICOMANIAC.. I studied his lyrics repeatedly; think of Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas as one person. The French say Chico Buarque "a le mot parfait," and his body of work will one day, with one hundred percent certainty, win him a Nobel Prize in Literature. His writing in a female voice defies logic, but I never expected to see you analyzing his singing because, as Bob Dylan once said, I can't sing," and neither can Chico Buarque de Hollanda. The lyrics for the song are incredible; he ends each line with a proparoxytone, then he re-uses them again, the same word with a completely different meaning in the following stanzas. Chico Buarque is a true master. A genius.

[@dionescarpelli]

Chico Buarque, in this song, portrays the tragic life of the construction worker with poetry and humanizes him in the painful beauty of the construction of his own art of composing. Nice reaction and your research on the artist, thank you!

[@AnaPaulaAraujo87]

I love the way you explain. Thank you for this

[@cleitonsa]

In the second part he inverts the end of each sentence, changing the proparoxytones, because in the second part the character is drunk! This is genius!

[@iodainsoneoficial]

Here in Brazil, Chico Buarque (we usually just call him "Chico") is not known as a great "phisically powerfull" singer, but as a very expressive one. He is also known as a huge, huge, huge, really huge poet, composer and writter. His experience across the "Anos de chumbo" ("years of lead") left a profound footprint on his work. To have a little taste of this dark period in our history, you can watch the beautiful and very touching movie "I'm Still Here" (Walter, Salles 2024). . Sorry for my bad english!

[@thecalis]

I'm impressed you caught on so fast with the use of proparoxytone, which is really important in this song, without speaking the language. You're such a pro.

[@PedroPaulo-ch2dl]

“Construction” is one of the main compositions of the twentieth century in Portuguese. There is no correct interpretation, but I think the most frequent one refers to the lives of different workers who have a unique destiny due to precarious working and socioeconomic conditions. The first would be a straight worker, the second would be a guy who lives on appearances and the third would be disenchanted with life. Regardless of who it is, they die the same way due to social conditions. In terms of composition, the most fantastic thing about this is that he changes just a few words in the composition (mainly the proparoxytones) to give this depth to the song. Your video was missing the last part of the song that helps build the atmosphere of indignation during the song (the orchestra at the end is fantastic): For this bread to eat, for this ground to sleep The birth certificate, the concession to smile For letting me breathe, for letting me exist May God bless you For the free booze we have to swallow For the cursed smoke we have to cough For the dangling scaffolds we have to fall from May God bless you For the mourning woman to praise and spit on us And for the maggoty flies to kiss and cover us And for the final peace that will finally redeem us May God bless you Congrats for your work. Just one observation: when we talk about Chico Buarque, we are talking about one of the greatest Brazilian musicians in history. A lot of people will come here. Enjoy

[@PedroPaulo-ch2dl]

Complete version (with english subtitles) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ6qo4Wjjc6po68&ab_channel=BrMusicExplained

[@karouakiva592]

May God bless you goes hard.

[@gabriella00.]

I wish Beth would listen to this last verse, it’s a v important part of this song

[@PedroPaulo-ch2dl]

​@@karouakiva592, in portuguese, we have an expression that is: "may god pay you double" (free translation). So, indeed, this verse is hard. Because of censorship, he had to disguise the meaning, so his lyrics had a lot of it

[@karouakiva592]

@@PedroPaulo-ch2dl Even harsher. This other version is awesome.

[@brenorodrigues936]

The rhyme in this letter is not by sound but by the stressed syllable. The last word is always proparoxytone. ALWAYS.

[@beatrizdumbra1518]

Ouvir música brasileira é um caminho sem volta, vc nunca mais será a mesma, prepare-se Beth 🥰

[@rafaelandrade7510]

É muito bom como ela consegue captar a essência da música rápido e de forma tão ampla, é uma ótima análise.

[@rodtenan]

so nice, all the attention you´ve been dedicating to my country´s music ! thank you Beth !

[@oismASMR]

Não consigo ouvir essa música sem chorar ou ficar muito mexido. Muito legal ver você acompanhando a letra da música enquanto ouve e colocando as notas de contexto.

[@Byrujah]

As letras das músicas do Chico são fenomenais, e essa em questão, tem uma "construção" incrivelmente inteligente, obra prima!!!

[@mrbr4587]

Masterpiece. Nothing more than this

[@joao_kula_01]

Wow, Beth, how cool that you reacted to this song by Chico Buarque. It poetically reflects on how a person can be reduced to a machine by hard and repetitive work, but also by a dictatorial political regime. For those who lived through that period of history here in Brazil (which lasted until 1985), and given the way Chico Buarque's poetry works in Portuguese, it is impossible not to be moved by this song.

[@vicentenucci]

Beth, look for Milton Nascimento and Chico Buarque singing 'O que será' live version. You won't regret ;) You must hear Milton Nascimento! There's so many songs and astonishing performances from him... live and recorded

[@cacorreia]

I've always thought that everytime the song changes it's a new worker, they all live almost the same hard and simple life, with small changes, and they all also end the same way, giving way to the next, like nothing

[@heitorrpinheiro]

Wow, we've learned so much here on your channel!

[@TOMTOM-zj5xj]

The best is the studio version there is an entire orchestra, you shoud check out how it was recorded is an amazing story

[@arsenioluiz66]

In my opinion, this is the greatest brazilian song ever. Very creative and all The sentences end with "proparoxítonas" words.