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.
Araçá Azul
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
É sonho-segredo
Não é segredo
Araçá Azul fica sendo
O nome mais belo do medo
Com fé em Deus
Eu não vou morrer tão cedo
Eu não vou morrer tão cedo
Com fé em Deus
Eu não vou morrer tão cedo
Araçá Azul é brinquedo
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song "Araçá Azul" are symbolic and open to interpretation. The title itself, "Araçá Azul," refers to a fruit native to Brazil that is known for its vivid blue color. The fruit serves as a metaphor throughout the song for the unreal, elusive aspects of life. The phrase "É sonho-segredo, não é segredo," translates to "It is a secret dream, not a secret." This line suggests that the beauty and mystery of the fruit or the dream is universally acknowledged, but that it remains difficult to capture or explain.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of mortality. The line "O nome mais belo do medo" translates to "The most beautiful name for fear." This line refers to the idea that fear can be both beautiful and terrifying, and that the fear of the unknown is often the most powerful fear of all. The repetition of the phrase "Com fé em Deus" (With faith in God) in the chorus suggests that despite the fear and uncertainty, the singer has faith and will not die anytime soon.
Overall, "Araçá Azul" is a complex and multi-layered song that explores themes of beauty, mystery, and mortality, and invites listeners to reflect on the hidden meanings of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Araçá Azul
Refers to a mysterious and abstract concept
É sonho-segredo
It is a secret that is dreamed of
Não é segredo
Although it is a secret, it is not truly hidden
Araçá Azul fica sendo
Araçá Azul remains as an abstract concept
O nome mais belo do medo
It is the most beautiful name for fear
Com fé em Deus
With faith in God
Eu não vou morrer tão cedo
I won't die soon
Com fé em Deus
With faith in God
Eu não vou morrer tão cedo
I won't die soon
Com fé em Deus
With faith in God
Araçá Azul é brinquedo
Araçá Azul is a toy
Contributed by Anthony B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mavalerio28
Uma das obras mais instigantes da música brasileira. Maravilhas !!!!!
@joaoaraujo8769
O disco cult mais foda do mundo!!!! Tenho o CD original me falta o LP,tá faltando a faixa título no fim do disco
@culturalivrebr
Inteligentíssimo msm!
@wladimircaze7517
Estou enganado ou nesta versão do disco ficou faltando a faixa título, a última, que se segue a "Épico"?
@roselitooliveira17
Experimentalismos q n mais ocorreram~~~~ o q é uma ~pena~~
@sergiovieira8877
Coisa tosca