From album
Gal
Gal Costa · 1969 · Track 4
Details
TonalidadD
Compás4/4
Tempo162 BPM
Duración3:47
ÁlbumGal
Año1969
ISRCBRMCA6900241
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The story behind
The story of "País Tropical" is a web of musical encounters that culminated in several significant versions, including that of Gal Costa. The song, composed by Jorge Ben, had its live debut under the hands of Gal Costa at a concert in July 1969. During that same performance, Wilson Simonal, a friend of Jorge Ben, was captivated by the piece. Although the song was already intended to be recorded by Gal Costa, Simonal acted first and recorded it on July 22, 1969. His recording, released in August of that year, became a huge success, and is known for the arrangement that César Camargo Mariano devised together with the band Som Três, with Sabá on bass and Chacal on percussion. This arrangement included a reworking of Simonal, who shortened verses and incorporated an encore where only the first syllables of the words were pronounced, transforming phrases like "Moro num país tropical" into "Mó' num pa' tropi". Additionally, César added a coda that borrowed the lyrics from "Eu Sou Flamengo", a samba by Pedro Caetano recorded in 1954 by Jorge Veiga, which led to a legal process where Pedro Caetano obtained rights over that specific interpretation. Soon after, in December 1969, Gal Costa's version appeared on her album Gal, and Jorge Ben also released his own interpretation on his homonymous album.
The career of Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos, known as Gal Costa, was forged from her earliest years in Salvador de Bahía. Her mother, Mariah Costa Pena, who died in 1993, influenced her musical development by listening to classical music during her pregnancy. In 1955, Gal met Dedé Gadelha, who later became the wife of Caetano Veloso. This encounter was key, as Dedé introduced Caetano Veloso to Gal in 1963, starting a mutual friendship and admiration that marked her career. Years earlier, in 1959, Gal had discovered the voice of João Gilberto on the radio, interpreting "Chega de saudade". "País Tropical", with a duration of 3:47, has remained a distinctive piece, accumulating over 111,478 plays and 31,945 listeners on Last.fm. Its influence spread over time, being interpreted by artists such as Daniela Mercury, Maurício Manieri and Ivete Sangalo, whose 2008 version was part of a medley on her album Multishow ao Vivo: Ivete no Maracanã. The song even inspired the satire "Paris Tropical" by Juca Chaves, to which Jorge Ben responded with "Resposta", recorded by Simonal, and had a successful Italian version in March 1970.
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