Decolar literally means "to take off," as in an airplane taking flight. It's a dynamic and aspirational word that you don't commonly find in everyday song lyrics.
In the context of Marisa Monte's song, it's used metaphorically. After asking "O que importa se o pneu furou?" (What does it matter if the tire went flat?), she immediately follows with "O que importa Ă© se vai decolar" (What matters is if it will take off). This juxtaposition highlights the song's theme of overcoming obstacles and focusing on moving forward and achieving your goals, rather than dwelling on setbacks.
Have you ever wished you could carry happiness with you like a superpower? That's the heart of Marisa Monte's uplifting song, "Feliz, Alegre E Forte." The title itself translates to "Happy, Joyful, and Strong," and the lyrics are a powerful reminder to focus on the present moment. The song asks, what does it matter if time passes, if you have a setback like a flat tire, or if the night gets cold? The answer is always to focus on the positive: getting back up, knowing how to love, and living in the "here and now."
This song is like a personal mantra, repeating the core affirmation: "Sou feliz, alegre e forte / Tenho amor e sorte / Aonde quer que eu vá" (I am happy, joyful, and strong / I have love and luck / Wherever I go). It suggests that true contentment isn't about what happens to you, but about your mindset. As the lyrics say, a happy state of mind simply depends on believing in it. It’s an empowering message about finding strength, love, and luck within yourself, no matter where life takes you.
Marisa Monte grew up in Rio de Janeiro, born into a musical family: her mother sang and her father worked as a musical director. She trained her voice with an opera teacher before turning to popular music, and by the late 1980s she had become a central figure in MĂşsica Popular Brasileira, an alto who moves easily between samba, jazz, pop, and soul within a single record.
Her 1994 album Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e CarvĂŁo carried her music well beyond Brazil, and she has since won four Latin Grammy Awards. In 2002 she teamed up with Arnaldo Antunes and Carlinhos Brown to form Tribalistas, whose self-titled album sold more than two million copies across Latin America. She followed it by releasing two solo records on the same day in 2006, Universo ao Meu Redor and Infinito Particular, and has collected eight Brazilian Music Awards and seven MTV Video Music Brazil trophies over her career.