Do you want Ketchup, Mary?

Pimba is a Portuguese term used for a variety of popular Portuguese solo singers and bands.

The Pimba groups and musicians/singers are deeply influenced by the rural areas of the country and the emigration phenomena which permeated Portuguese society from 1900 to the 80´s.

Pimba music and musicians/groups are seen by some to be inferior to others dedicated to more mainstream genres, although often more popular.

They can be said to use the same themes as folklore and target the same audience, though some Pimba singers shun the title and call themselves "poetic" or "romantic artists". A parallel between Pimba and American Country music audiences can be drawn, nevertheless the lyrics of Country music are of a more elevated nature.

The story of the word “pimba” is somewhat interesting. Until the 1980’s “pimba” was merely an interjection, generally used to express the accomplishment of an action or an unexpected event. The singer Emanuel used it in his hit song Nós Pimba (which translates to "We Pimba", meaning “we have sex"). In the 1990’s, the word was informally coined as an adjective, to identify this kind of music, its sense being quite derogatory, synonymous with tacky. Eventually its use spread to describe TV shows, radio programs, etc. as lacking intellectual content or quality and being tasteless and vulgar. In the last years, a "pimba-pride" movement emerged, with fans and artists stating it is “the” contemporary Portuguese popular music, and arguing that music doesn’t have to always be profound and elevated. Some intellectuals came to accept this view, recognizing that, in a proper context, this genre is unquestionably entertaining and amusing. As it is unquestionable that concerts of singers like Emanuel attract thousands and drive to tears hundreds of women.

The so called Rei do Pimba ("King of Pimba") was—and according to some still is—Emanuel, a musician/singer who emphasizes topics such as love and sex in its strongly satirical songs. The Rainha do Pimba ("Queen of Pimba") is Ágata, well-known in Portugal as well in the Portuguese diaspora. There is also the Príncipe do Pimba ("Prince of Pimba") is Saúl, who whilst very young performed the Pimba hit O Bacalhau Quer Alho ("The Codfish Wants Garlic"— "bacalhau" (codfish) is a slang word for the female sexual organs and "quer alho" when spoken sounds like a taboo word for penis).

Many Pimba songs use vulgar puns and jokes or address taboo topics, seemingly to gain popularity, as in the hit singles Queres Ketchup, Maria? ("Do You Want Ketchup, Mary?"—when spoken often sounds as "do you want me to suck you, Mary?") or "É o ECU!" ("It's the ECU!" (ECU was the first name thought for the Euro)—when spoken sounds like "it's the bottom!"). This song was so popular by the time the EU currency had to be named, that Portugal made pressure to change its name to Euro or Real during a meeting in Madrid to decide whether "ECU" should be kept.

Another very popular Pimba artist is Quim Barreiros. He started his career before Emanuel, being one of the first, if not the first, documented case of Pimba. Mr. Barreiros enjoys a cult-like following among college students and is often invited to perform in some of the most distinguished Portuguese universities.

One of Quim Barreiros' biggest hits was "A Garagem da Vizinha" (The Neighbour's Garage), but he is also known for hits such as "A Cabritinha" (The Little Goat) about a man who enjoys sucking his goat's tits and "Mariazinha", when he asked this woman, "Maria" (or Mary), to let him go to the kitchen to smell her "codfish"... In most of his songs he makes extensive use of ambiguous words, often with obvious sexual suggestions, very notably in the song "A Garagem da Vizinha"- "The neighbour's garage". Here are the lyrics of the chorus and translation:

Ponho o carro, tiro o carro, à hora que eu quiser
Que garagem apertadinha, que doçura de mulher
Tiro cedo e ponho à noite, e às vezes à tardinha
Estou até mudando o óleo na garagem da vizinha!

I put my car inside, I take my car out, anytime I want to
What a tiny little garage, what a sweet woman
Take it out early and put in it at night, and sometimes in the evening
I'm even changing the oil in the neighbour's garage!

Barreiros released two albums in 2004 and 2005. His latest CD, from 2005, was called "O Ténis" (in Portuguese, it means The Trainers, but the title is also phonetically similar to The Penis)

Some female singers have shown a lot of success in this kind of music. One of them is Ruth Marlene (alternative spelling [in correct Portuguese] - Rute Marlene).

Leonel Nunes is widely held as the King of the "alternative" Pimba, as the remote location he hails from influences most of his work, therefore to the urban or suburban listener some of the themes depicted in Leonel's songs might seem unusual, humourous or simply too far-fetched.

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(MacCoy gosta desta explicação mas considera fraca a exposição dada a Leonel Nunes, esse gigante da música popular portuguesa - basta ouvir a sua música mais conhecida "Se o bacalhau tem rabo, porque não tem talo o nabo?", para se perceber o alcance filosófico das suas letras...)