Os Mutantes Reach Out to First Lady Melania Trump on New Song “Black And Grey”

Os Mutantes’ new single, “Black and Grey,” uses the algorithms of late-1960s rock n’ roll to create something entirely new in the current era. By returning to the past, Os Mutantes tugged at their roots in the Tropicália movement that began in their home of Brazil. Brazil in the sixties witnessed traditional music meet the avant-garde in handshakes that included poetry, theatre and sound. The cultural swap of information created a movement that had passionate interest in new Western music, especially The Beatles.

The verse of “Black and Grey” summons Harrison’s 1967 venture into Indian tradition, “Within You Without You,” off Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Anyone with decent audial memory and a love for The Beatles would recognize that Os Mutantes’ turnarounds—“What we gonna do about it?” — had been heavily influenced by “She Said She Said.”

However, it doesn’t matter because that exchange of sound is exactly what defined the Tropicália movement that created them, that they’ve returned to. The group uses the sounds of the sixties to evoke something like a rallying cry. The targets of the cry aren’t the ones on the front line.

“Oh Melania, save me / Oh Ivanka, don’t break my heart / Oh Melania, love me / ’Cause I love you / What we gonna do now?”

In an suggestion either of Melania Trump’s complicity in her husbands actions or her lack of agency, Sergio Dias said the following.

“To whom can we ask for help? The Senate? No, Melania, our first lady… Maybe she can enlighten our president and make some changes… I’ve never seen Trump extend a slight tenderness or affection to this poor immigrant… like me. Does he have her behind a wall also?”

“Black and Grey” is an open invitation to express peaceful outrage at the current political system in this country. Its message appeals to those who exist in The White House as tenants, not policymakers. In doing so, Os Mutantes’ message implies a white flag raised to convention; it calls for the brazenness to go beyond protocol, for citizens to make policy and for politicians to act like humans.

Os Mutantes hasn’t released an LP since Fool Metal Jacket in 2013. The band will release “Black and Grey” tomorrow on November seventh, and it is not currently associated with plans for a new album. Listen to the song below.