‘I’m Still Here’s Soundtrack Features Brazil’s Own ‘Not Like Us’-Style Diss Track — Yeah, You Read That Right

Besides being an Oscar-winning classic already, I’m Still Here is also a great window into Brazilian culture—especially music. Its soundtrack was handpicked by director Walter Salles with editor Affonso Gonçalves and writers Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, and features one of the country’s best diss tracks ever: Juca Chaves’ “Take Me Back to Piauí.” This may go over people’s heads, however, because it’s such a contagiously fun and upbeat song, it barely feels as 1960s Brazil’s own “Not Like Us.” It’s actually just as sharp as the Kendrick Lamar song, but much funnier for its irreverent tone, and the story behind it is as fascinating as the one in the movie.

‘Take Me Back to Piauí’ Plays During One of ‘I’m Still Here’s Happiest Scenes

Fernanda Torres looking out a window from inside a car in I'm Still Here — Image via Sony Pictures Classics

The 1960s were a great time for Brazilian music, despite the country’s political context. On April 1st, 1964, a military junta took over through a coup (although they swear it was on March 31st, for obvious reasons), and that ushered in a whole era of protest songs against the new dictatorial regime. Some of those are present in I’m Still Here, like Erasmo Carlos‘ “É Preciso Dar Um Jeito, Meu Amigo,” but, in Brazil, even the happiest and most upbeat songs often contain powerful messages, like “Take Me Back to Piauí.”

This song plays during Veroca’s (Valentina Herszage) farewell party, when the Paiva family is united at home dancing and having fun before she goes on a brief trip to England. It’s strange listening to it for the first time, because, although the rhyme is great, Piauí isn’t usually people’s first choice when choosing a destination in Brazil. In the 1960s, it was one of the poorest states in the country, so why would anyone want to be taken back there? Beautiful as it is, it doesn’t make much sense. Unless you’re Juca Chaves.

This Song Is the Culmination of a Clash Between Juca Chaves and Jorge Ben Jor

Chaves has always been among Brazil’s best composers, although not necessarily as famous or important as his target in “Take Me Back to Piauí,” Jorge Ben Jor, who is one of Brazil’s greatest icons. Ben Jor is known and respected worldwide, but, in 1969, he missed a beat. In December 1968, the military regime issued Institutional Act 5 (AI-5), suspending most civil rights and all but legalizing government oppression. Many songs were released against it, but Ben Jor, instead, wrote “País Tropical,” singing about Brazil’s natural beauty and Brazilians’ capacity to be happy with little.

“País Tropical” is one of Brazil’s unofficial anthems, but releasing it months after AI-5 was a bit clueless. Meanwhile, Juca Chaves heard the song and released a satirical version called “Paris Tropical,” about a man who was exiled by the military regime and misses Brazil but doesn’t want to admit it. He mentions many lines from “País Tropical” and even namedrops Wilson Simonal, who first released the Ben Jor song in 1969. Chaves had a way of mocking people in a likable way, which made it hard to be angry at him, but Ben Jor was angry all the same.

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So Ben Jor then wrote “Resposta” (which literally translates as “answer” or “rebuttal”) for Simonal to record and release, in which he says things like “I wish Paris was tropical, that it had a woman named Teresa, with lots of joy and Carnival,” and “I know my place, I know where I put my nose,” referencing Chaves’ famous big nose. But Chaves didn’t care, because he had already mocked his own nose in 1960’s “Nasal Sensual,” which gives a great notion of the kind of funny man he was. “Resposta” wasn’t so popular, and the media criticized Ben Jor a lot for it.

The final chapter of this clash was “Take Me Back to Piauí,” in which Chaves says that Simonal was right and that he misses Brazil, mentioning many artists and praising Brazilian culture, and that, since he is also very smart, he’ll come back and move to Piauí. The whole song worked as a jab at Ben Jor, then, mocking him for his idyllic portrayal of Brazil in “País Tropical” while ignoring the harsh reality in other corners of the country. “Take Me Back to Piauí” became an instant hit, with Chaves doing concerts in Piauí and even being nicknamed the “king of cashew,” the state’s main fruit at the time. It also settled the feud because people loved it, and Ben Jor never replied.

The Song Is Especially Symbolic to the Paiva Family in ‘I’m Still Here’

It’s Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) who plays the “Take Me Back to Piauí” single during Veroca’s party in I’m Still Here, and this is a very symbolic moment for the whole family in the movie. Before being taken by the military regime, Rubens often displays his own good spirits and humor, reflecting the mocking tones of Chaves’ song. Even in the very scene in which he is taken away, he has a smug smile on his face; he’s plainly aware of what will happen to him, but this smile is both defiant and warm, so as not to transpire any negative feelings, since his family needs to be brave.

The song also contrasts with the dark atmosphere that takes hold of the movie after Veroca’s party, that being the last truly happy moment of the whole Paiva family together. Eunice (Fernanda Torres) even mentions to Rubens that their firstborn is already traveling by herself, to which he answers that “Soon, we’ll be the only ones left.” Despite everything bad that follows, “Take Me Back to Piauí” seems to perfectly capture the Paivas’ lightheartedness and joking nature, with the underlying message of defiance against boastfulness and not leaving anyone behind.