Translation Time! I was drawn to this song because it has two words I don’t recognise in the title. They proved to be incredibly hard to translate. If you go directly from what Priberam says, the title means “It makes sparks and a barren wasteland” which obviously makes no sense. I asked around and the answers I got were
- Faísca is a light effect and Chavascal a sound effect
- Both are synonms for chaos and
- A pointer to this page, with the suggestion that definition 5 was the relevant one.
OK, so it’s noisy, chaotic. So… an explosion? Some sort of massive freak-out or general mayhem?
Next question: What the heck tense is it in? Portugal is very sparing with its national pronoun reserves, and it’s not totally clear whether “faz” is third person present (talking about the experience she’s having?) or second person imperative (telling you, the listener what to do). In other words is she saying “It makes sparks…” or “Make sparks!” I think the second, just because some of the lines don’t make sense otherwise. It brings confetti to the garden? How?
So assuming whatever faísca and chavascal mean they’re something that a human is capable of doing, I’ve gone with “Be flashy and make a scene”. I’m sure this is debatable but this seems like it follows a trend line through the available evidence and I hope I’m not too far wrong.
The actual music is a bit odd. The arrangement has a whiplash change of mood, going from sultry club jazz to cringey pop when it hits the chorus, and some of the camera work is quite shonky too, but never mind, here we go!
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| aaaaaahhh acordo a tempo de chegar ensaio o espaço e volto atrás sem ver os tons a mudar ooooohh, aaaaahhh esperei sete ondas para saltar clarões em branco e lilás quem são os teus orixás? pergunto | aaaaahhh I wake up when it’s time to arrive I study the space and turn back Without seeing the tones change Ooooohh, aaaaahhh I wait seven waves before jumping Flashes of white and lilac Who are your idols*? I ask |
| faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal não és tu (não és tu…) traz confettis pro quintal com pitanga é carnaval tudo cru, ooooohhh faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal ooooohhhh | Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly It’s not you (it’s not you) Bring confetti to the garden With pitanga** it’s carnival All raw, ooooohhh Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly ooooohhh |
| água na boca vinho a compensar nada no ombro e nada pra falar dá sempre pra duvidar ou então largar as rosas no mar | Water in the mouth Wine to compensate Nothing on the shoulder And nothing to sat It always makes me doubt Or even leave roses in the sea |
| faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal traz a fruta tropical faz o próprio carnaval | Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Bring the tropical fruit make your own carnival |
| faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal não és tu (não és tu…) traz confettis pro quintal com pitanga é carnaval tudo cru, ooooohhh | Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, it’s not bad It’s not you (it’s not you) Bring confetti to the garden With pitanga** it’s carnival All raw, ooooohhh |
| faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal ooooohhhh | Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly ooooohhh |
*Specifically, an orixá is a representation of a minor divinity in the Yoruba religion
**Pitanga isn’t really a fruit we have in the UK, and the wiki page gives a few names, but since one of them is just “pitanga”, I’ve left this alone.
Luso 