| Tico-Tico no fubá | |
| Artist: | Orquestra Colbaz |
| Genre: | Choro |
| Label: | Columbia Records |
| Written: | Zequinha de Abreu |
| Lyricist: | Aloysio de Oliveira |
"Tico-Tico no fubá" (pronounced as /pt-BR/; "rufous-collared sparrow in the cornmeal") is a Brazilian choro song written by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. Its original title was "Tico-Tico no farelo" ("sparrow in the bran"), but since Brazilian guitarist Américo Jacomino "Canhoto" (1889–1928) had a work with the same title,[1] Abreu's work was given its present name in 1931, and sometime afterward Aloysio de Oliveira wrote the original Portuguese lyrics.
Outside Brazil, the song reached its peak popularity in the 1940s, with successful recordings by Ethel Smith, The Andrews Sisters (with English-language lyrics by Ervin Drake), Carmen Miranda and others.
The first recording of the work was made by Orquestra Colbaz (Columbia 22029, 1931).[2]
Ethel Smith performed it on the Hammond organ in the MGM film Bathing Beauty (1944), after which her recording reached the U.S. pop charts in November 1944, peaked at No. 14 on January 27, 1945, and sold nearly two million copies worldwide.[3] [4]
The song was recorded by The Andrews Sisters on March 7, 1944[5] and it briefly reached the charts.[6] [7]
| Year | Film/TV show | Director/Performers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Saludos Amigos, "Aquarela do Brasil" segment | Norman Ferguson / Wilfred Jackson / Jack Kinney / Hamilton Luske / Bill Roberts | |
| 1942 | Rio Rita | S. Sylvan Simon, Eros Volusia and her dancers | |
| 1943 | Thousands Cheer | George Sidney | |
| 1944 | Bathing Beauty | ||
| 1944 | Kansas City Kitty | Del Lord | |
| 1944 | Abacaxi Azul | Ruy Costa | |
| 1945 | The Gay Senorita | Arthur Dreifuss | |
| 1945 | Club Havana | Edgar G. Ulmer | |
| 1945 | It's a Pleasure | William A. Seiter | |
| 1947 | Copacabana | Alfred E. Green, Carmen Miranda | |
| 1952 | Tico-Tico no Fubá | Adolfo Celi | |
| 1953 | Estrella sin luz | Ernesto Cortázar | |
| 1958 | Yo quiero ser artista | Tito Davison | |
| 1978 | The Muppet Show | Annie Sue with other pigs accompanying | |
| 1987 | Radio Days | Woody Allen | |
| 1994 | Radioland Murders | Mel Smith | |
| 2004 | Ma vie en cinémascope | Denise Filiatrault | |
| 2006 | Zuzu Angel | Sérgio Rezende | |
| 2013 | Behind the Candelabra | Steven Soderbergh | |
| 2016 | A Luta | Bruno Bennec | |
| 2020 | Hunters | ||
In the Mama's Family season three episode "An Ill Wind", an intoxicated Iola briefly sings the song's chorus before passing out onto a bed.
The song can be heard on various episodes of the Belgian Kabouter Wesley cartoon.
In the season one episode "El Padrino", the orchestral version of the song is played by a band during a reception.
This song was often performed by the Grateful Dead during their tuning jams between songs. It was also played as an instrumental by James Booker with the Jerry Garcia Band.
This song was used in Tom and Jerry in the episode "Muscle Beach Tom", where Tom's rival, Butch is seen dancing with a female cat.
This song was performed in the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
This song was adapted to the 2016 video games Just Dance 2017 and Civilization VI.
This song was remixed with a baile funk melody during the opening of Brazilian pop singer Anitta's set for Rock in Rio Lisboa 2018.[8]
A biographical movie about Zequinha de Abreu with the same title, Tico-Tico no Fubá was produced in 1952 by the Brazilian film studio Companhia Cinematográfica Vera Cruz, starring Anselmo Duarte as Abreu.
The title phrase also features in the lyrics to the song "O Pato" made famous by João Gilberto.[9]
In the M*A*S*H* episode "Your Hit Parade", Father Mulcahy mentions that he requested "Tico Tico", but got "May the Good LordBless and Keep You" instead.
| The complete version of Aloysio de Oliveira's original Portuguese lyrics: O tico tico tá, tá outra vez aqui, Mas por favor tira esse bicho do celeiro, Eu já fiz tudo para ver se conseguia. Loose translation of the original lyrics: The tico tico is here, it is here again, But please take this animal off my granary, I have done everything to see if I could, |
| English version (not a translation, as sung by The Andrews Sisters): Oh tico-tico tick | Oh tico-tico tock! This tico-tico - he's the cuckoo in my clock. And when he says: "Cuckoo | " he means it's time to woo; It's "tico-time" for all the lovers in the block. I've got a heavy date - a tête-à-tête at eight, so speak, oh tico, tell me is it getting late? If I'm on time, "Cuckoo!" but if I'm late, "Woo-woo | " The one my heart has gone to may not want to wait! For just a birdie, and a birdie who goes no-where, | " Oh-oh, I hear my little tico-tico calling, |
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