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.
Aquarela do Brasil
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meu mulato inzoneiro
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos
O Brasil, samba que dá
Bamboleio que faz gingar
O Brasil do meu amor
Terra de Nosso Senhor
Brasil! Brasil!
Ô, abre a cortina do passado
Tira a mãe preta do cerrado
Bota o rei congo no congado
Brasil! Brasil!
Deixa cantar de novo o trovador
À merencória luz da lua
Toda a canção do meu amor
Quero ver essa dona caminhando
Pelos salões arrastando
O seu vestido rendado
Brasil! Brasil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
Brasil, terra boa e gostosa
Da morena sestrosa
De olhar indiscreto
O Brasil verde que dá
Para o mundo se admirar
O Brasil do meu amor
Terra de Nosso Senhor
Brasil! Brasil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
Ô, esse coqueiro que dá coco
Oi onde amarro minha rede
Nas noites claras de luar
Brasil! Brasil!
Ô, oi essas fontes murmurantes
Oi onde eu mato a minha sede
E onde a lua vem brincar
Oi, esse Brasil lindo e trigueiro
É o meu Brasil brasileiro
Terra de samba e pandeiro
Brasil! Brasil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
The song Aquarela do Brasil by Caetano Veloso is a love letter to Brazil, praising its beauty, culture, and people. The first stanza starts with a reference to the country's mixed-race identity, with the singer describing himself as a "mulato inzoneiro" - a lively and carefree man of mixed race. He then sings of the samba and bamboleio that make Brazil's music and dancing so unique and captivating. The second half of the stanza mentions Brazil's religious heritage, describing it as the land of Our Lord.
The second stanza asks Brazil to open the curtains of its past and bring back the traditions and culture of its African heritage, mentioned in the reference to the "mãe preta" (black mother) and "rei congo" (King of Congo). The singer writes of wanting to hear the troubadour singing under the melancholic light of the moon and seeing his love dressed in a lace dress, dancing around the ballroom. The third and final stanza talks about the natural beauty of Brazil, from the lovely and seductive brown-skinned women to the coconut trees and the clear moonlit nights. It ends with a declaration of love for this country full of life and rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro
Oh Brazil, my Brazilian Brazil
Meu mulato inzoneiro
My sweltering mulatto
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos
I will sing to you in my verses
O Brasil, samba que dá
Oh Brazil, the samba that gives
Bamboleio que faz gingar
Swinging that makes you sway
O Brasil do meu amor
The Brazil of my love
Terra de Nosso Senhor
Land of our Lord
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
For me... For me...
Ô, abre a cortina do passado
Oh, open the curtain of the past
Tira a mãe preta do cerrado
Take the black mother from the savannah
Bota o rei congo no congado
Put the king of Congo in the congado
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Deixa cantar de novo o trovador
Let the troubadour sing again
À merencória luz da lua
In the melancholy light of the moon
Toda a canção do meu amor
All the song of my love
Quero ver essa dona caminhando
I want to see that lady walking
Pelos salões arrastando
Dragging her dress through the halls
O seu vestido rendado
Her lacy dress
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
For me... For me...
Brasil, terra boa e gostosa
Brazil, good and tasty land
Da morena sestrosa
Of the lascivious brunette
De olhar indiscreto
With an indiscreet gaze
O Brasil verde que dá
The green Brazil that gives
Para o mundo se admirar
For the world to admire
O Brasil do meu amor
The Brazil of my love
Terra de Nosso Senhor
Land of our Lord
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
For me... For me...
Ô, esse coqueiro que dá coco
Oh, that coconut tree that gives coconuts
Oi onde amarro minha rede
Where I tie my hammock
Nas noites claras de luar
In the clear moonlit nights
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Ô, oi essas fontes murmurantes
Oh, those murmuring fountains
Oi onde eu mato a minha sede
Where I quench my thirst
E onde a lua vem brincar
And where the moon comes to play
Oi, esse Brasil lindo e trigueiro
Oh, this beautiful and tanned Brazil
É o meu Brasil brasileiro
It is my Brazilian Brazil
Terra de samba e pandeiro
Land of samba and pandeiro
Brasil! Brasil!
Oh Brazil, Brazil!
Pra mim... Pra mim...
For me... For me...
Contributed by Peyton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ecapessoa8191
Aplausos para Caetano Jóia da Música Popular Brasileira!
@marcosfarias6006
O que mais ressalta é a interpretação triste de um samba exaltação em plena ditadura militar. Soberbo Caetano!!! Fez paródia sem fazer paródia. Divino, maravilhoso!!!
@evandaloamaral6434
Adiantou nada fez o L e se vendeu como um bom traidor
@000ricardoaguiar8
Ruim este ai
@anabelaresende1
O músico mais bonito do Brasil ❤
@fabiobustos2877
Gracias a la Vida por habernos regalado a Caetano.
@user-bk5nu7og6e
Isso faz bem pra alma💐
@cebolinha198
Que belezura! ❤️
@marcelonascimento2657
Divino, maravilhoso ❤
@thegreatagnesbaltsa3948
Obrigada!!!