Roda Viva is a Brazilian MPB song by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, released in 1967 on the album Chico Buarque de Hollanda - Volume 3 (Lado B). It was written for his two act theatre piece Roda Viva, first staged in 1968 in Rio de Janeiro, and it placed third in the III Festival de Música Popular Brasileira in 1967. The song uses the image of a wheel to express how time and social pressures push people off course, touching on themes of censorship and political unrest under the military regime. It references samba, viola, and a roseira as symbols of culture and social ideal. The accompanying theatre piece became infamous for its provocative staging and censorship, including a 1968 raid by the CCC. Roda Viva is regarded as a landmark of protest art in Brazil, and the tune later served as the opening theme for TV Cultura’s Roda Viva program for many years. Rolling Stone Brasil has counted it among the greatest Brazilian songs of all time.
