Football - change the way things turns

The World Equals Balloon is a Penniless People Of Bulgaria piece from 1994, the year when FIFA World Cup took place in the United States and Brazil won its fourth gold medal after a penalty shootout against Italy in the final. The world also equals football and now some twenty years later Italy was beaten and bitten by Uruguay and Luis Suarez. So there's a minor word war arousing. Football is fun, football is gay, football is one, football is play. But also deep feelings, hard feelings, bollocks and politics.

Football can be big drama, War and Peace. And yes, once again, philosophy and politics. Paul Breitner who scored in the FIFA World Cup final 1974 (Germany versus the Netherlands) was known for his radical thoughts and having Mao's little red book as a mascot and doping device. Johan Cruijff, Willem van Hanegem and Jan van Beveren from the 1974 Dutch line up didn't go almost all the way in FIFA World Cup 1978 in Argentina, because of the political situation. They chose to refuse. Perhaps neither Argentina nor the Junta cried for the trio. And the Dutch flew home with a silver medal for the second time in a row, this time loosing the trophy to Argentina (1-3).

FIFA World Cup in Brazil has so far been a lot of goals, some surprises, a few bad referees and as mentioned, a big bite in the shoulder. But also political tensions. Far from every one in Brazil sees this tournament as just samba carnival, new year and first of may balloons. There are economical difficulties, big ones. There is a penniless people of Brazil.

Ordem e progresso, order and progress. In 2001 Penniless tuned the Brazil flag with some other words, on the Imbecile single cover. The Penniless album from last year, Rows of Houses, is not about favelas, but yes, the piece Imbecile included on the album Anola has perhaps something to say about Brazil and the FIFA World Cup too. Just do it, use your imagination, put your ball in motion.

i'll wait for you
with fireworks
i'll wait
i'll take everything
that you earned
i'll take

i'm an imbecile
i'm an imbecile for you
i'm in brazil for you

i own alone
the universe
i own
i'll change the way
you look at the world
i'll change the way it turns

i'll change

i hate the world
as much as i can
i'll use grenades and bombs and guns
and guns adjõ! adios!
i've got the whole world in my arms

*****

And here's the Imbecile video, directed by Hannu-Pekka Vitikainen. - But that's another story.