Posted by Patrick Fox on January 14, 2003 at 11:05:26 from 141.163.195.189 user pfox.
In Reply to: Re: RIO posted by Peter H on January 11, 2003 at 15:43:27:
> Let's look at the candidates for 'Rio Grande' as a place, rather
> than a river - my atlas lists only two:
> 1) Rio Grande in the southern tip of Brazil, on the coast (also
> once known as S. Pedro do Sul), in the area known as 'Rio Grande
> do Sul'.
> No, I don't think so.
Sorry, why not? A google search for "Rio Grande port" brings up this Rio Grande at the top of the list. The port website (http://www.portoriogrande.com.br/) emphasises the importance of the location as a port at its founding in the 18th century "The only attraction of the region in that time was a channel that could be a great port, and this channel was the only connection among the routes of marine and internal navigation of the State, from Laguna, in Santa Catarina, until Prata River in Uruguay." It goes on to comment that the port became important for immigration into the area for German, Italian and Polish settlers, "Thus, the Port of Rio Grande served as base for the settlers as a strategic geopolitical point in the fight against the Spanish, and as an important commercial point, which renewed the ideas and hopes of the immigrants."
Googling for "Rio Grande Brazil shanty" brings up this site (http://www.contemplator.com/folk5/riogrand.html) with a slightly different version of the words again, and further confirmation that it is the Brazilian Rio Grande meant by the shanty. (Also, incidentally, a comment on the golden sand, so I guess perhaps Duran Duran took their inspiration from the original shanty, not AR!).
So that seems to make Rio a perfectly reasonable name for Bowness - ok, it doesn't have a river, but that's not what's important in the shanty - the important point is that Rio is an exotic port of destination for sailors outward bound from England. As for the abbreviation to just "Rio", that too is suggested by the chorus line which does it itself - "Away for Rio"
Cheers
Patrick