Made in Brazil: o fenômeno dos falsos gringos e o papel da indústria cultural na americanização da música brasileira na década de 70

Abstract

This study aims to make an analysis about this musical movement occurred back in the 70's, knew as Hits Brasil, or falsos gringos - literally meaning fake foreigners - as how the artists where pejoratively called by the specialized critics. At a time when music with english lyrics ruled the industry, soap operas producers embraced the idea of using international music as their soundtrack, specially Rede Globo, a Network which was already emerging as an audience leader in this segment, at a time when television was being stablished as a mass communication vehicle. Thereby, those artists composed and recorded in English, pretending to be foreigners under a pseudonym. As they had no English proficiency, they were forbidden to appear on TV or performing live shows, to avoid being exposed. Furthermore, their photos did not even appear on the album covers, nor were they mentioned in the technical sheets of the inserts, meaning that, although they were at the peak of their success, they remained anonymous. For a better understanding of the process that culminated in this phenomenon, it is necessary to understand the role of the North American cultural invasion in Brazil, as well as the political, social and economic scenario in this country at that time, a period where both the Cultural and Phonographic Industries developed under the protection and interest of the military regime. This study will make use of exploratory research supported by a review of of secondary sources. The theoretical framework development will take place through bibliographical research in newspapers, magazines, articles, as well as specialized literature on the subject. The Internet is also fundamental as a research source, since, in many cases, the digital evironment is the only accessible record related to those artists and their songs.