During a visit to Rio in 2010 members of the London School of Samba met Tiãozinho da Mocidade, from our Madrinha (Godmother samba school) Mocidade Independente De Padre Miguel. Tiãozinho is one of Mocidade’s greatest living composers, having written a number of songs, including three that have lead Mocidade to victory at Carnaval such as Ziriguidum 2001 (1985), Vira virou, a Mocidade chegou (1990), and Chuê chuá, as águas vão rolar (1991). Feefee and Mestre Fred got speaking with him and discovered that he had written a samba for Sambatuc, a samba school in Paris, France, and he said that he would love to write a samba for us one day. As this is our 30th anniversary year Feefee organised fundraising to raise enough money for the composition and recording of our own Samba-Exaltação.
Mestre Fred, Tiãozinho da Mocidade and Fee
Samba-Exaltação is a genre of samba that began in the late 1930’s with Ary Barroso’s Aquarela do Brasil (Watercolour of Brazil), which is Barroso’s love song to his country. Since then many samba schools have adopted their own songs of exaltation, for example our Madrinha’s is Salve a Mocidade (Save the Youth).
In our thirtieth anniversary year we think we have much to be exultant about.
Atravessei o mar
do Pão de Açúcar ao Big Bem
só alegria
O nosso samba
rei da folia
Sou a Unidos
Dando um show de bateria
Ninguém vai conseguir ficar
Parado quando começar
reis e rainhas
com o povo irá sambar
na Mocidade a Madrinha fui buscar
Alan e Bosco vamos homenagear
Sou pioneira
primeira do meu país
sou raiz
Minha Londres vai tremer (vai tremer)
de alegria delirar (delirar)
Em verde e branco
vendo a Unidos desfilar
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
I’ve crossed the sea
From Sugarloaf Mountain to Big Ben
Only joy
Our samba
King of carnival
I am Unidos
Giving a fantastic bateria show
Nobody will be able to stand
still when I begin
Kings and queens
Will samba with the people
I went looking for my godmother in Mocidade
Let’s pay homage to Alan and Bosco
I am the pioneer
The first one in my country
I am the root
My London will tremble (will tremble)
Will go crazy with joy (go crazy)
In green and white
Watching Unidos parade