Brazil (Declan McKenna song)
2015 single by Declan McKenna
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"Brazil" is the debut single by English singer-songwriter Declan McKenna. Written by McKenna and produced by Max Marlow, it was released as the lead single from McKenna's debut studio album, What Do You Think About the Car? on 4 December 2015.
| "Brazil" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Declan McKenna | ||||
| from the album What Do You Think About the Car? | ||||
| B-side | "Basic" | |||
| Released | 4 December 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Songwriter | Declan McKenna | |||
| Producer | Max Marlow | |||
| Declan McKenna singles chronology | ||||
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After putting "Brazil" on his Bandcamp page, around 40 music managers heard it and attended his next gig to try sign him.[1] The song was written about the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the dismal poverty in the country and the corruption surrounding Sepp Blatter and other FIFA officials.[2][1]
The song went viral on TikTok in May 2022,[3] resulting in it reaching new highest peaks in the charts in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[4]
Critical reception
BBC News called the song an extraordinarily mature song for a 16-year-old songwriter.[5] Matt Wilkinson at NME called it "one of the best songs" of 2015, he said, "This bright’n’breezy Hertfordshire teen's first track 'Brazil' was one of the best songs of last year, recalling Jamie T right at the start of his career and being easily the finest song to ever be written about corruption in football."[6]
Live performances
On 25 May 2016, McKenna performed the song live on the late-night talk show Conan, which was shown on TBS.[7] He performed the song live at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2017 on the BBC Introducing Stage.[8]
Music video
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[10]
- Max Marlow – producer, engineer, mixing engineer
- Declan McKenna – composer, lyricist, associated performer
- Barry Grint – mastering engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Monthly charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[22] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[24] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 4 December 2015 | Digital download | Columbia Records |