Text and meaning of Long live the tubthe new single by Benji & Faithout for Warner Records / Warner Music Italy. Twenty-six years after the release of the original song by Alex Brittithe duo brings one of the most recognizable refrains of the early 2000s back into a new summer.
The song starts from an immediately identifiable imagery and overturns it in a current key: the echo of Britti's classic becomes the starting point for a light song with a summer scent, built on fleeting encounters, irony and a disenchanted attitude, far from the clichés of the Latin lover. It comes after the debut of the duo's first podcast, Dear Friendand anticipates a summer tour that will precede the autumn live return with Always in two – Live at the theater.
Benji & Faith – Long live the tub: the meaning of the song
Long live the tub it's not a simple nostalgic reinterpretation, but a new song that recovers the light-hearted energy of the original Alex Britti filtering it through the gaze of Benji & Faith. The starting point is the awakening after an evening, between drops in self-esteem and the mother's vocal, and from there the piece moves on to a summer meeting destined not to last.
The central image is that of the tub, an ironic refuge in which the protagonist takes refuge when things don't go as he hoped (“and if you tell me no I'll put on a film / it'll all go away anyway / I'll throw myself in the tub”). The writing plays with the syllabic repetition of the refrain (“va-va-tub”, “fe-fe-party”) and with a self-irony that dismantles the figure of the seducer: “and then inside my tub I only carry one in a million / I'm not just another latin lover”. Even a reference to current events enters the text in a light way (“with all these wars you know we need a little love”), without weighing down the tone of a seaside catchphrase.
The official video clip, directed by Marco Braiasees the special participation of Alex Britti: While Benji & Faith they remain immersed in their tubs, surrounded by dancers and choreographies that recall the colorful aesthetics of Wes Anderson, Britti bursts onto the scene, opening the story towards a summer pool party made of music and guitar riffs.
The text of Long live the tub
Below is the text of the song, inserted in the context of the analysis.
In this va-va-tub
I'm having a fe-fe-party
I wake up this morning
with his head in the tub
with a drop in self-esteem
and a vowel from my mom
“What did you do last night?
why don't you make yourself heard?”
you'll come home for dinner
I wanted to tell her
“I met a girl
that she was beautiful to marry”
it was from 2006 like Italy in the World Cup
we walked around
and when I asked her where we're going
he told me “come on, maybe we'll talk”
You leave like this
among the stars as on a spaceship
I'm left with my troubles
I'll put on a movie
that everything passes anyway
I throw myself into the tub
I bathe, dive, turn around and relax
I get wet, dry myself and the fun begins here
And I get wet again, I dive back in, I turn over and relax
And I get wet again, I dry myself again and it starts again here
In this va-va-tub
I'm having a fe-fe-party
But are you really leaving without even telling me what your name is?
with all these wars you know we need a little love
and then inside my tub I only carry one in a million
I'm not just another Latin lover
I have no plan B
but if you want we can invent it
and if you tell me “no” I'll put on a film
that everything passes anyway
I throw myself into the tub
I bathe, dive, turn around and relax
I get wet, dry myself and the fun begins here
And I get wet again, I dive back in, I turn over and relax
And I get wet again, I dry myself again and it starts again here
In this va-va-tub
I'm having a fe-fe-party
Long live the va-va-tub
long live the fe-fe-party
In this va-va-tub
I'm having a fe-fe-party
Long live the va-va-tub
long live the fe-fe-party
In this va-va-tub
I'm having a fe-fe-party
Long live the va-va-tub
long live the fe-fe-party
In the text Benji & Faith they work above all on the self-irony of failed courtship, using the tub as a recurring image of a light refuge. The song remains within a deliberately carefree writing, more interested in building a summer hit than in closing the story with a true sentimental conclusion.
Copyright Note: the cited texts are used for information, analysis and criticism purposes pursuant to art. 70 L. 633/1941. The rights remain with those entitled. For any reports you can contact the editorial team at redazione@allmusicitalia.it.
