Veloso is the fifth of the seven children born to José Telles Veloso ("Seu Zezinho") and Claudionor Vianna Telles Veloso ("Dona Canô"). His younger sister Maria Bethânia, another popular and renowned artist in Brazil, preceded him to fame as a singer in the mid-1960s. He began his career around 1965 singing bossa nova and he has cited his greatest musical influences from his early period as João Gilberto and Dorival Caymmi. (João Gilberto would say later about Caetano's contribution that it added an intellectual dimension to brazilian popular music.) But with such musical collaborators Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, Chico Buarque, and Os Mutantes, and greatly influenced by the later work of The Beatles, developed tropicalismo, which fused Brazilian pop with rock and roll and avant garde art music resulting in a more international, psychedelic, and socially aware sound. Veloso's politically active stance, unapologetically leftist, earned him the enmity of Brazil's military dictatorship which ruled until 1985; his songs were frequently censored, and some were banned. Veloso was also alienated from the socialist left in Brazil becasue of his acceptance and integration of non-nationalist influences (like rock and roll) in his music. Veloso and Gilberto Gil spent several months in jail for "anti-government activity" in 1968 and eventually exiled themselves to London. Caetano Veloso's work upon his return in 1972 was often characterized by frequent appropriations not only of international styles, but of half-forgotten Brazilian folkloric styles and rhythms as well. In particular, his celebration of the Afro-Brazilian culture of Bahia can be seen as the precursor of such Afro-centric groups as Timbalada.
In the 1980s, Veloso's popularity outside Brazil grew, especially in Israel, Portugal, France and Africa. By 2004, he was one of the most respected and prolific international pop stars, with more than fifty recordings available, including songs in soundtracks of movies such as Pedro Almodovar's Hable con Ella (Talk to Her), and Frida. In 2002 Veloso published an account of his early years and the Tropicalia movement, Tropical Truth: A Story of Music and Revolution in Brazil.
His first all-English CD was A Foreign Sound (2004), which covers Nirvana's "Come as You Are" and compositions from the Great American Songbook. Five of the six songs on his third eponymous album, released in 1971, were also in English.
Sozinho
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Eu fico imaginando nós dois
Eu fico ali sonhando acordado
Juntando o antes, o agora e o depois
Por que você me deixa tão solto?
Por que você não cola em mim?
'To me sentindo muito sozinho
Não sou nem quero ser o seu dono
É que um carinho, às vezes, cai bem
Eu tenho os meus segredos e planos
Secretos, só abro pra você, mais ninguém
Por que você me esquece e some?
E se eu me interessar por alguém?
E se ela, de repente, me ganha?
Quando a gente gosta é claro que a gente cuida
Fala que me ama só que é da boca pra fora
Ou você me engana ou não está madura
Onde está você agora?
Quando a gente gosta é claro que a gente cuida
Fala que me ama só que é da boca pra fora
Ou você me engana ou não está madura
Ei, ei, ei
Onde está você agora?
The song "Sozinho" by Caetano Veloso portrays the feeling of loneliness that arises from being apart from a loved one. The opening lines describe the singer's nocturnal reverie, which consist of imagining the two of them together, gathering memories of the past and the present, and formulating plans for the future. The singer seems to address his or her partner directly, questioning why they leave him or her feeling so loose and unconnected. The desire for physical touch and affection is plainly stated in the lines "Não sou nem quero ser o seu dono / É que um carinho, às vezes, cai bem" (I am not nor do I want to be your owner / It's just that a little affection is nice sometimes).
The chorus is a mixture of intense emotions, with the singer insisting that "Quando a gente gosta é claro que a gente cuida" (When we love someone, it's clear that we care for them), while also accusing their partner of insincerity by claiming that "Fala que me ama só que é da boca pra fora" (You say you love me, but it's just words). The song's climax centers around the question "Onde está você agora?" (Where are you now?), a plaintive cry for connection that encapsulates the sense of distance and disconnection that has been building throughout the song.
Overall, "Sozinho" is a poignant meditation on the complexities of human relationships, and it highlights the longing that arises when we are separated from those whom we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Às vezes, no silêncio da noite
Sometimes, in the silence of the night
Eu fico imaginando nós dois
I imagine us together
Eu fico ali sonhando acordado
I daydream awake
Juntando o antes, o agora e o depois
Combining the past, present, and future
Por que você me deixa tão solto?
Why do you leave me so free?
Por que você não cola em mim?
Why don't you stick to me?
'To me sentindo muito sozinho
I'm feeling very lonely
Não sou nem quero ser o seu dono
I'm not nor do I want to be your owner
É que um carinho, às vezes, cai bem
It's just that sometimes a little affection is nice
Eu tenho os meus segredos e planos
I have my own secrets and plans
Secretos, só abro pra você, mais ninguém
Secrets, only open to you, no one else
Por que você me esquece e some?
Why do you forget me and disappear?
E se eu me interessar por alguém?
And if I become interested in someone else?
E se ela, de repente, me ganha?
And if she suddenly wins me over?
Quando a gente gosta é claro que a gente cuida
When we like someone, it's evident that we care
Fala que me ama só que é da boca pra fora
You say you love me, but it's just lip service
Ou você me engana ou não está madura
Either you're deceiving me, or you're not mature
Onde está você agora?
Where are you now?
Ei, ei, ei
Hey, hey, hey
Lyrics © Tratore, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Aroldo Alves Sobrinho (Peninha)
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind