Abstract
Samba and pagode are musical practices that deal frequently with the idea of happiness. Through the tambourine beat and other instruments that shape its characteristic sound, the imagination of a certain popular culture evokes in a positive way the lifestyle of popular classes, through a narrative of joy, community meetings and happiness. From a bibliographical research and an analysis of repertory related to what we classify as pagode carioca, a hegemonic samba style that achieved a high cultural circulation in music market since the mid-1990s, we try to understand how this contemporary musical production consolidates the construction and reaffirmation of a "popular" stereotype, linked to the valuation of certain peripheral geographical areas (the hill, the slum suburb) and to a project of happiness of the popular classes.
Keywords:
Popular music; Popular culture; Samba; Pagode; Happiness