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.
Atrás Do Trio Elétrico
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Só não vai quem já morreu
Quem já botou pra rachar aprendeu
Que é do outro lado, do lado de lá
Do lado que é lá do lado de lá
O sol é seu, o som é meu
Quero morrer, quero morrer já
Quero viver, quero viver lá
Nem quero saber
Se o día bo nasceu foi na Bahi-
Foi na Bahia
O trio eletro-sol rompeu no meio-di-
No meio-día
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song Atrás Do Trio Elétrico hold multiple meanings and interpretations. On a basic level, the song is a celebration of the Brazilian carnival tradition of following the trio elétrico, which is a large truck equipped with sound equipment that drives through the streets during the festivities. The lyrics suggest that only those who have already died would choose not to join in on the excitement of following the trio elétrico. The phrase "quem já botou pra rachar aprendeu" translates to "those who have already gotten into the groove have learned," indicating that once you join in on the fun, you won't want to stop.
The second half of the lyrics become more ambiguous, expressing desires to both live and die within the scene of the carnival. The lines "o sol é seu, o som é meu" and "o som é seu, o sol é meu" suggest a sharing of ownership between the natural elements of the sun and the sound. The repeated lines "quero morrer, quero morrer já" and "quero viver, quero viver lá" evoke feelings of being so consumed by the moment that one would be happy to stay in it forever. The final line "o trio eletro-sol rompeu no meio-di-" suggests a rupture or break within the driving force of the party, potentially indicating that the carnival must come to an end eventually.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of joyful abandon and complete immersion into the carnival experience, while also exploring the complexities of being fully present in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Atrás do trio elétrico
Following the electrified bandwagon
Só não vai quem já morreu
Only the deceased won't join in
Quem já botou pra rachar aprendeu
Those who've gone all out have learned
Que é do outro lado, do lado de lá
That the grass is greener on the other side
Do lado que é lá do lado de lá
On the side that's beyond the other side
O sol é seu, o som é meu
The sun is yours, the sound is mine
Quero morrer, quero morrer já
I want to die, I want to die right now
O som é seu, o sol é meu
The sound is yours, the sun is mine
Quero viver, quero viver lá
I want to live, I want to live there
Nem quero saber
I don't want to know
Se o día bo nasceu foi na Bahi-
If the day was born in Bahia-
Foi na Bahia
It was in Bahia
O trio eletro-sol rompeu no meio-di-
The electro-sun trio broke midday-
No meio-día
Midday
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SANTAMARIA DE NIGRIS
Caetano é lindo!
Bosco Paulo
Massa, Caetano! De mais! Acho q Caê nunca devia ter deixado de fazer músicas assim. Fez muita falta ao Carnaval de todos nós!
Jose Saulo de Almeida
O hino oficial do maior carnaval do mundo. O da cidade de São Salvador da Bahia de Todos Santos.
Ethel Maribondo
Essa música é expressiva do Carnaval da Bahia!
Rita Oliveira
Caetano tu és D++++
Lucelia Costa
Já é carnaval cidade 💃🎊🎉🍻
mama mia
very nice!!!!!!
Lais Gonçalves
Se liga meu povo, carnaval é alegria! Folia de rua em Sampa! OOOOOOOOOOObaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Antonia Santos
isso é que era carnaval de verdade. só soldade de um tempo que não volta mais
Valentina khalil
Atrás do trio elétrico só n vai qm já morreu uuuuuuuuud+