Aquarela do Brasil, known in English as Brazil, is a Brazilian samba written and composed by Ary Barroso in 1939. The song’s title, Watercolor of Brazil, reflects Barroso’s rainy night inspiration and his wish to celebrate the land and free samba from life’s tragedies. It was first performed by baritone Cândido Botelho in the 1939 revue Joujoux e Balangandãs, and the first recording was Francisco Alves with Radamés Gnattali, released by Odeon Records in August 1939; Araci Cortes also recorded it but did not have a hit. The tune helped inaugurate the samba-exaltação genre, exalting Brazil’s beauty and wealth. It gained world fame after appearing in Disney’s Saludos Amigos (1942), with an English version by Bob Russell, and Jimmy Dorsey’s 1942 recording later entered the Grammy Hall of Fame; today it is one of the most recorded songs in the world and has inspired numerous artists and versions, from disco by The Ritchie Family to interpretations by João Gilberto and other icons of Brazilian music.
