Força

"Força"
File:Nelly6single.jpg
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Folklore
B-side	"Powerless (Say What You Want)"
Released	7 June 2004 (2004-06-07)
Format	CD single digital download maxi single
Recorded	2003
Length	2:59
Label	DreamWorks Interscope
Writer(s)	Nelly Furtado Gerald Eaton Brian West
Producer(s)	Track & Field Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"Try" (2004) "Força" (2004) "Explode" (2004) Audio sample noicon file info · help

"Força" (Portuguese for "strength") is a pop folk song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, and Gerald Eaton and Brian West for Furtado's second studio album, Folklore. It is sung mainly in English, with the chorus completely in the Portuguese language. It was produced by Track & Field and received a positive reception from music critics. Released in June 2004, the song was chosen as the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship held in Portugal.

Background and writing

Furtado said about the song: "When I was touring in Portugal, people would frequently say goodbye to me by saying "Força", which is Portuguese slang. It translates as "Keep going", or "Kick ass". It's also associated with sports, especially football. I put a feminine twist on the idea of how you feel when you’re watching your favorite team. When you tie that into nationality, it becomes pretty intense. So this is a happy song, a burst of energy. Plus, we have [banjoist] Béla Fleck playing on the song. His contribution here is amazing.".

Music video

The music video was shot in Toronto, Ontario and directed by Ulf Buddensiek. It was released in 2005 to the iTunes music Store. The music video begins with Furtado wearing a pink top and loops gold earrings, and a necklace with her hair tied back, singing in an alley way while in front of the camera. In the back drop while Furtado is singing a boy with the Portuguese national team shirt is playing with a soccer ball and doing tricks. It also shows Furtado sitting on a ledge in the video singing to the camera. In the middle of the video the boy accidentally kicks the ball too high and it gets stuck on the pipes in the corner of the apartment building where he's playing. As Furtado continues singing more and more people come to help the little boy and they end up building a human pyramid to lift and support him up the side of the building. Furtado finally joins the pyramid and the group lifts the boy up to his ball. The version of the song used in the video is different from the album version. It's the version that was prepared to be used on the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 (a.k.a. Swiss American Federation Mix Edit) in which Nelly Furtado was supposed to compete for Portugal. The second version of the video features a Radio Edit for the Album version.

Track listing

German 2-track single

1. "Força" (Radio Edit) - 2:58
2. "Força" (Swiss American Federation Mix) - 3:08

German 4-track single / UK CD single

1. "Força" (Radio Edit) - 2:58
2. "Força" (Swiss American Federation Mix) - 3:08
3. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (Spanish Version, Featuring Juanes) - 3:54
4. "Força" (Video) - 3:40

Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	5
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	14
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	76
Denmark (Tracklisten)	13
Germany (Official German Charts)	9
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	39
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	4
Norway (VG-lista)	18
Portugal (Portuguese Singles Chart)	1
Romania (Romanian Top 100)	57
Russia (EMI)	32
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	34
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	40

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Germany	7 June 2004	CD single	Universal
	14 June 2004	Maxi single
United Kingdom	12 July 2004	Digital download	Polydor
		Maxi single