"Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" is a song by Jorge Ben Jor from his 1976 album África Brasil. It was later recorded by Ambitious Lovers and Soulfly. The song is about an African striker, and became a well known football-related track.[1][2] It has been described as "[possibly] one of the best songs about sports ever written",[3] and prompted one writer to state that "Jorge Ben should be considered the poet laureate of soccer songwriting".[4]
| "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Jorge Ben Jor | |
| from the album África Brasil | |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Released | 1976 |
| Genre | Samba funk |
| Songwriter(s) | Jorge Ben Jor |
It was included on David Byrne's 1989 compilation Brazil Classics Beleza Tropical, prompting rotation of a video for the track on VH-1.[5][6] The original version of the track was used in the documentary film Di/Glauber.[7]
It was released as a single in 1989 by EMI Records, backed with another track from the Beleza Tropical album, Nazaré Pereira's "Maculele".
In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it number 351 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[8]
Ambitious Lovers version
edit| "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Ambitious Lovers | |
| from the album Lust | |
| Released | 1991 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Songwriter(s) | Jorge Ben Jor |
Ambitious Lovers recorded a cover of the song for their Lust album. A 12-inch single of remixes of the track (listed on the label as simply "Umbabarauma") by Charley Casanova and Goh Hotodain was released by Elektra Records in 1990, which became a dance hit, peaking at no. 10 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart.[9]
Track listing
edit- "Umbabarauma" (World Beat Club Mix) – 5:08
- "Umbabarauma" (Jorge Meets Junior House Dub) – 6:20
- "Umbabarauma" (Mix Da Verdade) – 4:27
- "Umbabarauma" (Cassanova's Kickin' House Mix) – 6:47
- "Umbabarauma" (Lemon Tree Basement Dub) – 7:36
Soulfly version
edit| "Umbabarauma" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Soulfly featuring Los Hooligans | ||||
| from the album Soulfly | ||||
| Released | 5 May 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
| Genre | Nu metal | |||
| Length | 4:46 | |||
| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jorge Ben Jor | |||
| Producer(s) | Ross Robinson | |||
| Soulfly singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Heavy metal band Soulfly recorded a cover version of the song, as "Umbabarauma", released as the band's second single in 1998, taken from the debut album Soulfly.
Track listing
editMaxi-single
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Umbabarauma" (LP Mix) | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Umbabarauma" (World Cup Mix) | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Tribe" (Extended Version) | 5:54 |
| 4. | "Umbabarauma" (World Cup Mix – Instrumental) | 3:38 |
| Total length: | 17:30 | |
Promo CD
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Umbabarauma" |
Personnel
edit- Regular Soulfly members
- Max Cavalera – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jackson Bandeira – lead guitar
- Marcello D. Rapp – bass
- Roy "Rata" Moyorga – drums
- Additional personnel
- Eric Bobo – percussion
- Jorge Du Peixe – tambora
- Gilmar Bolla Oito – tambora
- Produced by Ross Robinson
Charts
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 83 |
References
edit- ^ Sullivan, Steve (2013) Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 978-0810882959, p. 866
- ^ Kuhn, Gabriel (2011) Soccer vs. the State Tackling Football and Radical Politics, PM Press, ISBN 978-1604860535, 245
- ^ Patrin, Nate (2015) "[Pelè Como: The Supremely Relaxed Vocal Stylings of Soccer's Immortal]", Vice, 4 December 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2016
- ^ Long, Kyle (2013) "A playlist for the soccer field", nuvo.net, 7 August 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2016
- ^ McGowan, Chris & Pessanha, Ricardo (1991) The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil, Billboard Books, ISBN 978-0823076734, p. 97
- ^ Lannert, John (1994) "Jorge Ben Jor, WEA Turn Efforts to U.S.", Billboard, 21 May 1994, p. 1, 75
- ^ Pinazza, Natália & Bayman, Louis (2013) Directory of World Cinema: Brazil, Intellect, ISBN 978-1783200092, p. 195
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Jorge Ben, 'Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)'". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Ambitious Lovers: Awards", Allmusic. Retrieved 20 March 2016
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 25, 2021.