The song, “Heaven’s Bad Day,” appears on Chao’s newly released Viva Tu album
Nobody could have a bad day singing with Willie Nelson, which is probably why Manu Chao sounds pretty upbeat on his duet with Nelson, “Heaven’s Bad Day.” The track appears on Viva Tu, Chao’s just-released first record in 17 years.
The artist’s sing, “Nobody come to visit my heavens today,” together over some swiftly strummed guitar, harmonica, and a little triangle. The video features black & white footage of group of little rascals getting up to no good in the most adorable ways possible. The visuals perfectly reflect the song’s carefree spirit. “You always feel you have to live in this comfortable little paradise, but that can get boring pretty quickly when you’re not in the company of a little he-devil or she-devil,” Chao said in a statement. “You need to shake things up a bit!”
Chao added that he was honored that Nelson accepted the song without changing the lyrics. “Once he accepted my song and agreed to sing it, which was an honor for me, I gave myself permission to record it,” he said. “The fact that this country song was approved by Willie Nelson makes me very happy. It’s a real honor and I’m super proud of it.”
The song fits into the overall scope of the album, which also features the previously released single “São Paulo Motoboy,” and is all about celebrating everyday heroes. “The album is called Viva Tu, ‘long live you!’” Chao tells Rolling Stone. “Believe in yourself. I believe in you. In this society… we are never beautiful enough. We are never smart enough. Because everything you see on the internet or on TV, they are all smarter than you, more beautiful than you. They are all richer than you, more glamorous than you, so you want to be like them. And that’s where all the slip-ups start. So, the message is ‘long live you’ as you are naturally. Believe in yourself — it only depends on you to be a beautiful person.”
