“Mas, que Nada!” (Brazilians use Mas que nada (in a literal translation: just nothing) colloquially to disagree with someone. A fitting English translation might be a sarcastic “Yeah, right!” or “No way!”) It is a song written and originally recorded in 1963 by Jorge Ben on his debut album Sambo Esquema Novo. Sergio Mendes covered the song with his band Brasil ’66 on their debut album (1966). In the United States, the single reached number 47 on the US Billboard, and number four on the Easy Listening chart. Outside of Brazil this 1966 version is better known than Jorge Ben’s original and, to many, the definitive version of the song. It became one of Sergio Mendes signature songs. It was voted by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone as the fifth-greatest Brazilian song. It was inducted to the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013.
“Lambada“, also known as “Chorando Se Foi (Lambada)” or “Llorando Se Fue (Lambada)” (both meaning ‘crying, he/she went away’ in Portuguese and Spanish, respectively), is a song by French-Brazilian group Kaoma. It featured guest vocals by Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz, and was released as the first single from Kaoma’s debut album, Worldbeat (1989). The accompanying music video, filmed on Cocos beach in the city of Trancoso, Brazil featured the Brazilian child duo Chico & Roberta. The song was a mix cover of the 1986 hit “Chorando Se Foi” by Márcia Ferreira and the Cuarteto Continental hit “Llorando Se Fue”, released in 1984 through the Peruvian record label INFOPESA and produced by Alberto Maraví; both songs were adapted from the 1981 Bolivian song “Llorand Se Fue” by Los Kjarkas. “Lambada” became a worldwide summer hit, selling over 5 million copies in 1989 and was part of the Lambada dance craze. It reached No. 1 in eleven different charts, as well as No. 4 in the UK, and in 1990 it reached No. 46 in the US Billboard becoming one of the best known Brazilian songs of all time.
“Yebo” is a song by English avant-garde synth-pop group The Art of Noise. It was recorded 1989 as a track from their album ‘Below the Waste’. Although the album failed to achieve much success upon its release. It did spawn the memorable single “Yebo!” featuring the unique vocals of Zulu performers Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens who were a South African mbaqanga supergroup made up of the three musical acts linked together by talent scout and record producer Rupert Bopape at the Gallo Recording Company in Johannesburg in 1964. They performed Yebo live with Art of Noise at the Glastonbury Festival in 1989. The song reached No. 66 in the UK and was also a minor hit in Germany.
“Nessun Dorma” (“Let no one sleep”) is an aria from the final act of Puccini’s opera Turandot (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto (the unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. Any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded. In the aria, Calaf expresses his triumphant assurance that he will win the princess. Although “Nessun dorma” had long been a staple of operatic recitals, Luciano Pavarotti popularised the piece beyond the opera world in the 1990s following his performance of it for the 1990 World Cup, which captivated a global audience. Pavarotti released a single of the aria which reached number 2 in the UK, and it appeared on the best selling classical album of all time, The Three Tenors in Concert.
“Sadeness (Part I)” is the debut single by German musical project Enigma. The song was released in 1990 as the first of four singles from their debut album MCMXC a.D. (1990). Ned Raggett from AllMusic commented, “Snippets of monks invoking the Almighty effortlessly glide in and out of a polite but still strong breakbeat, shimmering, atmospheric synth and flute lines and a Frenchwoman whispering in a way that sounds distinctly more carnal than spiritual. It became an international hit, reaching number one in 14 countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard and number one on its dance chart. The single reached number-one in the UK in January 1991.
