How The Police Classic Accidentally Became Brazil’s Protest Anthem

A censored debut sparks defiance

In the early 1980s, Leo Jaime left rockabilly group João Penca e seus Miquinhos Amestrados to pursue a solo career. His plans met a censor known for strict decisions: Solange Hernandes, head of the censorship department, had his entire debut album censored. Jaime gave the album the title Phodas “C,” a play on a Brazilian expression meaning “f*ck it.” The censorship had effectively undermined its prospects for success, and Jaime later turned his frustration toward the official he held responsible.

A joke inspires a new song

While making his second album, Sessão da Tarde, Jaime found the lyrics to The Police’s “So Lonely” in a book. He was reading in the Rio de Janeiro apartment he shared with fellow musician Leoni, but did not recognize the song.

When Jaime asked about it, Leoni joked that it was called “Solange,” pointing to the resemblance between the name and the song’s title. Jaime embraced the idea, and the two began working on a new version.

Brazilian rock joins the recording

Jaime sang lead on “Solange (So Lonely),” with Paula Toller of Kid Abelha on backing vocals. Os Paralamas do Sucesso provided the instrumental backing: Herbert Vianna on guitar, Bi Ribeiro on bass and João Barone on drums.

The result was heavier in both its melody and lyrics than The Police’s original. The song redirected the original’s loneliness toward the frustration of being unable to express oneself under censorship.

Lyrics target censorship directly

At first, the song may sound like a story of heartbreak, but its lyrics address Hernandes and her work. Jaime tells her to stop censoring him and promises revenge, turning personal frustration into a direct protest.

Hernandes was widely known as the “Dame of the Scissors” and was compared to Margaret Thatcher. A recent study estimated that censorship during her tenure covered around 2,517 songs, 173 movies, 42 theater plays and 87 soap opera episodes.

Other artists also referenced her. Rita Lee’s song “Arrombando o Cofre” included the line, “Among the hardliners, Censorship Solange is enough.” The article also notes that references to Hernandes appeared in soap operas, including through Colonel Sinhozinho Malta, played by Lima Duarte.