These 'Happy' Parodies Capture All The Angst And Joy Of Hosting The World Cup

While plenty of soccer fans are excited for Brazil to stage the World Cup in less than three months, not everyone in one host city is happy about the state of preparations—and there's video evidence to prove it.

Porto Alegre, which means "Happy Port" in Portuguese, has seen two parodies of Pharrell Williams' hit song "Happy" emerge online, each presenting a radically different face of the World Cup venue.

The first video, called "Porto un(Happy)," features students from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre dancing in unfinished construction sites, including the city's World Cup stadium, according to The Independent.

Global Voices reports the creators clarified the video's message in a Facebook post, writing: "Our protest is NOT against the World Cup, but against the delayed construction works and the lack of care towards the population!"

Porto Alegre nearly had to pull out of the tournament due to a funding shortfall, until the state government stepped in with tax incentives for more construction last week, according to the BBC.

But others in the Brazilian city see things in a rosier light. A day after "Porto (un)Happy" was posted online, Porto Alegre's city administration circulated its own parody showing a different viewpoint.

The creators of this actually happy video, which shows gleaming foundations and jolly municipal workers, said it was not in response to the protest parody, but simply a celebration of the city's 242nd anniversary, according to The Independent.

Nonetheless, the contrasting parodies anticipate the range of emotions that come with the world's largest sporting event, from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat—and in this case, the happy and unhappy sides of playing host.