Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Mas, Que Nada!

First recorded by Jorge Ben (1963).
Hit version by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 (US#47/MOR #4 1966).

From the wiki: “‘Mas, Que Nada!’ was written and originally performed by Jorge Ben (‘Do You Think I’m Sexy?‘) on his 1963 debut album. The song would later become a signature song – and a US hit – of Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66.

“‘Mas, Que Nada!’ has been voted by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine as the 5th greatest Brazilian song of all time, and has been inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.

“In Brazilian Portuguese slang, mas, que nada (literally, ‘but, that [is] nothing’) means ‘no way’, ‘whatever’, or ‘yeah, right!’. In many recordings, the title song is incorrectly written ‘Mais que nada’, Portuguese for ‘more than nothing’. Mendes covered the song on the album Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 (1966). In the United States, the single reached #47 on the Billboard pop chart, as well as #4 on the MOR chart. This 1966 version is the best-known and, to many, the definitive version of the song.”

Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, “Mas, Que Nada!” (1966):

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