5 Brazilian Rock Bands that You Need to Know

In Brazil we celebrate Dia do Rock on June 13.

You may think about Samba and MPB when you think about Brazilian music, but rock is also big in Brazil.

I grew up listening to Brazilian rock much more than to Samba or MPB.

Here are 5 Brazilian rock bands that made history in Brazil.

Legião Urbana

Legião Urbana started in 1982 in Brasília, capital of Brazil. The band members were Renato Russo (absolutely a genius in my opinion), Marcelo Bonfá, Dado Villa-Lobos, and Renato Rocha. That’s them in the picture above.

Some of the most popular songs are Tempo Perdido, Eduardo e Mônica, and Faroeste Cabloco. You must reads the lyrics of these songs! I love them.

More than three decades ago the song Eduardo e Mônica became a big hit in Brazilian pop culture. Then in 2011 Brazilian cell phone carrier Vivo recreated the story in a short movie in partnership with Fernando Meirelles, director of City of God, The Constant Gardener, and Blindness. I wrote a post about it. You will find the lyrics with translation to English there 🙂

Meanwhile, here is another great song:

Download this Portuguese class handout

Street Smart Brazil’s Portuguese lessons are packed with cultural content, and that includes Brazilian rock!

Here is a class handout that talks about Renato Russo and Legião Urbana, and teaches you vocabulary using the lyrics of a song.

Titãs

Titãs is from São Paulo. They are extremely creative – and a little crazy 🙂

Titãs have so many great songs with great lyrics, I will not even try to list them here.

But here is their YouTube channel, now as an acoustic trio. The TBT Titãs playlist has some great old songs.

Of course, I have a couple of class handouts with songs by Titãs.

I fondly remember singing Bichos Escrotos at the top of my lungs when I was very young! Ahhhh, fun memories 🙂

Rita Lee

Rita Lee is the queen of Brazilian rock. She is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, writer, and activist. She has sold more than 55 million records.

Here is a live performance from 2016:

Paralamas do Sucesso

Os Paralamas do Sucesso is a rock band from Rio de Janeiro. The band was formed in 1982. In the beginning they mixed rock with reggae; later they started to add wind instruments and Latin rhythms.

Barão Vermelho

Last but absolutely not least we have Barão Vermelho. I was so into them!

Barão Vermelho is a Brazilian rock band founded in 1981, in Rio de Janeiro. They are considered one of the four most influential Brazilian bands of all times.

Have you heard about Cazuza? He was the lead singer. Cazuza was a genius and a rebel. Unfortunately AIDS took him from us when he was still very young. There is a movie about Cazuza’s life and it is available on YouTube.

Yes, I also have a class handout about him. How would I not?

Here is Barão Vermelho performing at Rock in Rio in 1985:

What other Brazilian rock bands do you like? Share in the comments!