January is Jorge Ben Month on Edge of the Line. We’re celebrating 50 years of África Brasil.

In Jorge Ben’s ‘Camisa 10 Da Gávea’, the jumpy energy of Neném’s cuíca is rivalled by high-pitched whistles, mimicking those of a football referee.

Jorge, a big Flamengo fan, pays tribute to his club’s most famous ever number 10, Zico. (Gávea is the neighbourhood where Flamengo are based.) The cuíca’s unpredictable pitches and the celebratory melody played by José Carlos on flute express the excitement Jorge feels watching his home team.

The band doesn’t hit the One as heavily as elsewhere on the album. But the funk influence is felt in Jorge’s guitar. In the bridge (1:39), his downstroke on that beat contrasts beautifully with the floaty group vocals that follow (“Ô-ô, ô-ô-ô”). And at the end of many bars, his light right hand gives the song a skippy momentum leading up to the One. Listen from 0:44 for clearer examples, when the bass is less prominent and the cuíca soon has a rest (or as close as it gets to one). When Jorge finishes lines (“Física, rica e rítmica / Seus reflexos lúcidos”), his skippy guitar leads back to the One.

Those lines speak of Zico’s “dynamic, rich, and rhythmic style”. Zico is widely regarded as one of Brazil’s greatest ever footballers. Jorge sings of his passing, dribbling, and shooting. He briefly mentions the playmaker once by name (2:30), after singing about Zico’s every goal, every touch, every play delighting the fans.

Jorge sets up the chorus with the lines “É falta na entrada da área / Adivinha quem vai bater?” (“It's a foul at the edge of the box / Guess who's going to take it?”), a nod at Zico’s great freekicks. He is said to have scored 101 goals from freekicks and considered one of the all-time specialists. Then Jorge sings, “É o camisa 10 da Gávea” (“It's the number 10 of Gávea”).

Ben’s father encouraged him to sing about football and make the Flamengo fans happy. His songs make many people happy.

Top image from Discogs.