Toni Garrido changes lyrics of Cidade Negra’s song ‘Girassol’ and explanation sparks controversy: ‘Wrong activism’

Toni Garrido has modified a section of the lyrics in the popular song, which originally read: ‘The truth shows that time is the master of both destinies, of both destinies… To be a man, one must have the greatness of a boy, of a boy.’ In the new version, the lyrics have been changed to: ‘The truth shows that time is the master of both destinies, of both destinies… To be a man, one must have the greatness of a girl, of a woman.’ But what prompted this change? When addressing the subject for the first time, Toni Garrido emphasized that the alteration was made because the original lyrics were seen as ‘hetero and macho,’ as he pointed out. The song was co-written by him along with colleagues Bino Farias, Lazão, Da Gama, and Pedro Luís.