Real in Rio

Album: Rio Soundtrack (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is from the 2011 animated movie Rio and is sung by The Social Network actor Jesse Eisenberg, as the main character Blu, a socially awkward Spix's Macaw who learns how to fly. He is accompanied on the song by characters voiced by Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez and will.i.am. Hathaway previously played Eisenberg's on screen sibling in the TV comedy drama Get Real.
  • Brazilians Carlinhos Brown and Sergio Mendes composed the song. Brown, whose music blends traditional Brazilian percussion with Tropicália, reggae and more recently electronic elements, is a significant star back in his home country. Pianist and band leader Sergio Mendes plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk and is best known for his signature tune "Mas Que Nada."
  • Mendes was brought on board Rio to act as music guru and surprisingly the 70-year-old Brazilian told Billboard magazine that it was the first film for which he had specifically written music.
  • The lyric was written by American singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett, who is best known for her collaborations with Michael Jackson, which include "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Man In The Mirror."
  • Along with "Man or Muppet," this was one of just two songs nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category of the Academy Awards held in 2012.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Scott Stapp

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.