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.
Baião da Penha
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vou subir a Penha a p
Pra fazer uma orao
Vou pedir padroeira
Numa prece verdadeira
Que proteja o meu baio
Penha, Penha
Eu vim aqui me ajoelhar
Trazer paz para o meu lar
Nossa Senhora da Penha
Minha voz talvez no tenha
O poder de te exaltar
Mas d bno, padroeira
Pra essa gente brasileira
Que quer paz pra trabalhar
Penha, Penha
Eu vim aqui me ajoelhar
Venha, venha
Trazer paz para o meu lar
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song "Baião da Penha" convey the singer's intention to go up to Penha, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, to offer a prayer to the patron saint of the area, Nossa Senhora da Penha. Caetano expresses his desire for the protection and blessing of his homeland, his "baio," which could also be interpreted as his cultural roots or the people of Brazil as a whole. The overall theme of the song is to seek peace and tranquility, both for himself and for the Brazilian people, who long for a peaceful environment to be able to work and thrive.
In the verses, Caetano calls upon Nossa Senhora da Penha to come and bring peace to his home. He acknowledges that his voice may not have the power to exalt her as she deserves, but he asks for her blessing for the Brazilian people who seek peace in their everyday lives. The repetition of the lines "Penha, Penha / Eu vim aqui me ajoelhar / Venha, venha / Trazer paz para o meu lar" emphasizes the singer's humility in approaching the patron saint and his longing for peace to reign in his home and country.
Line by Line Meaning
Demonstrando a minha f
Expressing my faith
Vou subir a Penha a p
I will climb to Penha by foot
Pra fazer uma orao
To make a prayer
Vou pedir padroeira
I will ask the patron saint
Numa prece verdadeira
In a sincere prayer
Que proteja o meu baio
To protect my Baião (a traditional Brazilian dance)
Penha, Penha
Penha, Penha
Eu vim aqui me ajoelhar
I came here to kneel
Venha, venha
Come, come
Trazer paz para o meu lar
To bring peace to my home
Nossa Senhora da Penha
Our Lady of Penha
Minha voz talvez no tenha
My voice may not have
O poder de te exaltar
The power to exalt you
Mas d bno, padroeira
But give your blessing, patron saint
Pra essa gente brasileira
To this Brazilian people
Que quer paz pra trabalhar
Who want peace to work
Penha, Penha
Penha, Penha
Eu vim aqui me ajoelhar
I came here to kneel
Venha, venha
Come, come
Trazer paz para o meu lar
To bring peace to my home
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: David Nasser, Guiomarino Rubens De Duarte
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stefânia Sant' Ana Borges
Sou devota de Nossa Senhora da Penha ela me protege muito no trabalho! Salve Nossa Senhora da Penha! Sou de Minas Gerais, um dia Roguei a Nossa Senhora da Penha e daí por diante ela me ajuda, sou grata, um dia ainda quero subir a escadaria da Penha!
Suely Almeida
BELÍSSIMO!!!
claudio ferreira
Bela versão!
Y. Lins
Melhor versão