Wikipedia

Samba de Janeiro

"Samba de Janeiro"
Original version cover
Single by Bellini
from the album Samba de Janeiro
Released5 May 1997 (1997-05-05)
Genre
Length2:49
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Gottfried Engels
  • Ramon Zenker
Bellini singles chronology
"Samba de Janeiro"
(1997) 		"Carnaval"
(1997)
Music video
"Samba de Janeiro" on YouTube

"Samba de Janeiro" (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsɐ̃bɐ dʒi ʒɐˈnejɾu]) is a song by German group Bellini. It was released on 5 May 1997 in Germany as their debut single and the lead single from their debut album of the same name (1997). The song was a hit throughout Europe, reaching number-one in Hungary and the top 10 in at least 12 countries. It interpolates the chorus of Airto Moreira's 1972 song "Tombo in 7/4", as well as sampling the drum rhythm from Moreira's 1977 song called "Celebration Suite". Gottfried Engels and Ramon Zenker were the co-authors and producers of the song.

"Samba de Janeiro" won the award for best dance single at the 7th annual Echo Awards.[1] Despite bearing this name, the track is not a samba, but a Eurodance and Latin house track, and the song is little known in Brazil.

Composition

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The composition was originally written by Airto Moreira under the title "Tombo In 7/4" and released on his album Fingers in 1973.[2] Moreira's song begins as a jazz-samba fusion in 7/4 time, which later turns into a samba in 4/4 time.[3] In 1977, Moreira released a reworked song named Celebration Suite as part of his album "I'm Fine, How Are You?".[4] It was also based on the 1996 track "Belo Horizonti" by The Heartists.[5][6]

Gottfried Engels and Ramon Zenker added further elements to this musical foundation and adapted the rhythm to contemporary European pop music, so that, despite the title, "Samba de Janeiro" is not a true samba, but instead a Eurodance and Latin house track.

The song is sung by the lead singer of the group's first line-up, Brazilian singer Dandara Santos.

Music video

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The video was shot in Hamburg's Karolinenpassage, where a carnival parade was staged specifically for the filming. Four dancers from Germany, Brazil, Indonesia, and Thailand, as well as one dancer from Morocco, were hired to create a multicultural effect.[7]

The video was produced by the Hamburg film production company Chopstick Films and directed by Rainer Thieding.[8]

Critical reception

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Alan Jones from Music Week wrote, "Fitting in with the current vogue for all things Latin, Bellini's Samba De Janeiro is maddeningly familiar from first hearing — probably because fellow Virgin recording act The Heartists' single 'Belo Horizonti' is essentially the same song.[9] Bright, breezy, commercial and a hit whose time has come."[10]

Chart performance

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"Samba de Janeiro" peaked at number one in Hungary and number two in both Germany and Switzerland.[11] It entered the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where the single reached number three. In the UK, it peaked at number eight during its first week on the UK Singles Chart, on 21 September 1997.[12] It also charted on the UK Dance Chart, peaking at number 12. Additionally, "Samba de Janeiro" was a top-20 hit in Norway and a top-30 hit in Sweden.

The single sold 5 million copies worldwide and reached the top 10 of Europe's major international charts, but failed to reach number 1 in any country. A German version titled "Samba de Janeiro (Samba Ramba Zamba)" was performed by Gottlieb Wendehals, also in 1997.[13]

Conversely, the song is failed to chart in Brazil or the United States.

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[43] Gold 25,000*
Belgium (BRMA)[44] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[45] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[46] Platinum 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[47] Gold 50,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[48] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe 5 May 1997 CD
[22]
Japan 3 September 1997 Virgin [50]

2014 reworking as Samba do Brasil

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"Samba do Brasil"
Single cover
Single by Bellini
from the album Festival
Released6 June 2014 (2014-06-06)
Length3:17
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Farid Gharadjedaghi
Music video
"Samba do Brasil" on YouTube

"Samba do Brasil" (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃.bɐ du bɾaˈziw]) is a song by German group Bellini. It was released on 6 June 2014, and it is a reworking of the 1997 song Samba de Janeiro by the same group.

The reworked song is a blend of electronic music with elements of samba and bossa nova. It was one of the band's biggest hits. The song appeared on popular playlists and was included in several party music compilations.

Background

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In 2014, the group, under a new formation featuring three vocalists, with those being Brazilian singer Myrthes Monteiro, Mexican singer Maria Efeldt and German singer Tracey Ellis, released Samba do Brasil, with fully Portuguese lyrics to celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, both held in Brazil.[51]

In an interview, Monteiro explained that she had to teach Efeldt and Ellis how to sing in Portuguese. Efeldt initially thought it would be easy, but once she saw the song, she realized it was not what she imagined. Monteiro gave both Efeldt and Ellis phonetics lessons, carefully going through the lyrics word by word.[52]

Music video

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The music video for “Samba do Brasil” was mostly shot in Los Angeles, California, United States, but the video also has establishing shot images of Rio de Janeiro.[53]

Chart performance

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It quickly became a craze across many countries such Germany, France, Japan, and Poland, where it was adopted not only in football events but also in party scenes such as Ibiza.

Curiously, this adaptation is also little known in Brazil, just like the original 1997 song. The song was ignored by mainstream Brazilian radio stations and received little to no acknowledgment from local music critics in the South American country.

As of September 2025, the music video for the song has 67 million views on YouTube, and 66 million streams on Spotify.[54]

Other versions

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The band Carrilio covered this song in 1997.[55]

For the game Dance Dance Revolution in 1998, a cover version by Bass Fist! featuring Boogie Girl was used.

In 2022, a new arrangement of this song was created by YouNotUs and Louis III, entitled simply "Samba".

Later use

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The song was also featured in the 1999 arcade video game Samba de Amigo, which was later released for the Dreamcast in 2000 and the Wii in 2008. It would go on to be used in various crossover games featuring Samba de Amigo characters and locations, such as in the 2008 game Sega Superstars Tennis and the 2010 game Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (excluding the Nintendo DS version). The song is also used in other video games, like Dance Dance Revolution (1998), Ronaldo V-Football (2000), Dance Central 3 (2012), Just Dance (2021), and others.

The melody of "Samba de Janeiro" was played every time a goal was scored during the UEFA Euro 2008.[56] It was also used as goal music for Norwich City F.C. from 1998–2013 and from 2018–present, featuring as the club's official goal music in the video game FIFA 23.[57]

"Samba de Janeiro" (Club Mix) was featured on Fox animated series The Simpsons episode "You Don't Have to Live Like a Referee". It was also used in movies like the 2000 movie The Yards, by James Gray, and the 2006 French movie Camping, by Fabien Onteniente.

Even today, the song is often used in football stadiums or carnival events to create a good atmosphere among the crowd. Also the song was used in many ads.

References

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  1. ^ "Echo '98 winners" (PDF). Music & Media. 21 March 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. ^ Airto - Fingers, 1973, retrieved 11 September 2025
  3. ^ "Airto Moreira – Tombo in 7/4". ♪ ♫ Odd Meter Mix ♫ ♪. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  4. ^ Airto - I'm Fine. How Are You?, 1977, retrieved 11 September 2025
  5. ^ The Heartists - Belo Horizonti (in French), 1996, retrieved 11 September 2025
  6. ^ The Heartists - Topic (24 June 2020). Belo Horizonti (Radio Edit). Retrieved 11 September 2025 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Rundfunk, Bayerischer (23 June 2014). "Bellini: "Samba De Janeiro" (1997)". www.br.de. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Chopstick Films". www.chopstickfilms.de. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  9. ^ The Heartists - Belo Horizonti, 1996, retrieved 6 June 2023
  10. ^ Jones, Alan (13 September 1997). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Hivatalos magyar slágerlisták". slagerlistak.hu (in Hungarian). lightmedia.hu. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  13. ^ Gottlieb Wendehals - Samba De Janeiro (Samba Ramba Zamba), 1997, retrieved 11 September 2025
  14. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  15. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  16. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  17. ^ "Ultratop Dance 09/08/1997". ultratop.be. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 107. Prometheus Global Media. 13 September 1995. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510.
  19. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 107. Prometheus Global Media. 27 September 1995. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510.
  20. ^ "Bellini: Samba de Janeiro" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  21. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  22. ^ a b "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  23. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. 20 September 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.09.1997 - 25.09.1997)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  25. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Samba de Janeiro". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bellini" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  27. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro". VG-lista.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro". Singles Top 100.
  31. ^ "Bellini – Samba de Janeiro". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  33. ^ "Independent Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 11 October 1997. p. 34. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  34. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1997". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  36. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1997" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  37. ^ "1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1997" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  39. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  41. ^ "Romanian Top 100: Top of the Year 1997". Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 22 September 2005.
  42. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  44. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1997". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  45. ^ "French single certifications – Bellini – Samba de Janeiro" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  46. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bellini; 'Samba de Janeiro')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  47. ^ "Italian single certifications – Bellini – Samba do Brasil" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  48. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Samba de Janeiro')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  49. ^ "British single certifications – Bellini – Samba de Janeiro". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  50. ^ "サンバ・DE・ジャネイロ | ベリーニ" [Samba de Janeiro | Bellini] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  51. ^ Montefeltro, Michel (12 July 2014). "Brasileira faz sucesso em girl band alemã com hit da Copa do Mundo". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Grupo Globo. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  52. ^ Franca, Michel MontefeltroDo G1 Ribeirão e (12 July 2014). "Brasileira faz sucesso em girl band alemã com hit da Copa do Mundo". Ribeirão e Franca (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 11 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  53. ^ "Esta música 'brasileira' virou sucesso mundial, mas ninguém ouviu por aqui". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese). 6 June 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  54. ^ "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  55. ^ Carrilio - Samba De Janeiro (in French), 1997, retrieved 11 September 2025
  56. ^ Dean, Will (18 June 2012). "Trending: The Euro 2012 chant that a Seven Nation Army couldn't hold back". The Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  57. ^ "Norwich City goal celebration music features in FIFA 23". 29 September 2022.