A Banda (Ah Bahn-da) explained

"A Banda (Ah Bahn-da)" (Portuguese for "The Band") is a composition by Chico Buarque that was first performed live in 1966 by Buarque and Nara Leão, during the II Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) Festival in TV Record's theater, São Paulo, winning the "Viola de Ouro" award for best composition. "A Banda" brought Buarque immediately into the limelight in Brazil. The song was also released in 1966, on the Brazilian RGE label, as the first track of side 1 in Chico Buarque de Hollanda (Vol. 1) LP.

Mina version

La banda
Type:	Single
Artist:	Mina
Album:	Sabato sera – Studio Uno '67
B-Side:	Se c'è una cosa che mi fa impazzire
Genre:	Pop
Length:	2:35
Label:	Ri-Fi
Composer:	Chico Buarque
Lyricist:	Antonio Amurri
Prev Title:	Conversazione
Prev Year:	1967
Next Title:	Tu non mi lascerai
Next Year:	1967

In 1967, singer Mina released an Italian version of the song called "La banda".^[1] The song was a success in Italy, where it became number two on the chart, and sales exceeded 400 thousand copies.^[2] The Italian lyrics were written by Antonio Amurri.

In 1970, Mina also recorded an original Portuguese version for the album Mina canta o Brasil.

Buarque, who was living in Italy at the time, later performed this version.^[3]

Charts

Chart (1967)! scope="col"

Peak position
Italia (Musica e dischi)^[4]	2

Herb Alpert version

A Banda (Ah Bahn-da)
Type:	single
Artist:	Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
B-Side:	Miss Frenchy Brown
Album:	Herb Alpert's Ninth
Released:	1967
Genre:	Easy listening
Length:	2:09
Label:	A&M
Prev Title:	The Happening
Prev Year:	1967
Next Title:	Carmen
Next Year:	1968

As an instrumental, the song was performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, who had their third and final number one on the Easy Listening chart in October 1967. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[5]

The instrumental version by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was used in the Soviet cartoon Well, Just You Wait! in the 8th episode (at 06:27-07:30).^[6]

Charts

Chart (1967–1968)! scope="col"

Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[7]	33

Other cover versions

• In 1967, Astrud Gilberto brought the song to the US, recording it with English lyrics on the Verve/Copacabana label, crediting Bob Russell for the English lyrics.
• The French singer France Gall popularized this song, titled "Zwei Apfelsinen im Haar" in German ("Two oranges in the hair" in English).
• A Czech version named "La banda" was performed by Vladěna Krumlová in 1969.
• Also in 1999 the German band Captain Jack used a riff from "A Banda" in the song "Get Up".^[8]

See also

• List of Billboard Easy Listening number ones of 1967

Notes and References

1. . Retrieved 10 July 2023.
2. International. Cash Box. 16 September 1967. 29. 8. 103. New York. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc.. 0008-7289.
3. Web site: La banda (A Banda) (di Antonio Amurri / Chico Buarque de Hollanda). Hit Parade Italia. 10 July 2023. it.
4. Book: Racca, Guido. M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019. it. 2019. 306–308. 9781093264906.
5. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Joel Whitburn . 2002 . Record Research . 19.
6. Web site: Не только Пугачева и Высоцкий: Зарубежные песни из мультфильма "Ну, погоди!". Komsomolskaya Pravda. 10 July 2023. ru.
7. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

   . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.

8. Web site: Get Up! by Captain Jack feat. Gipsy Kings on WhoSampled. 2021-05-30. WhoSampled. en.