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.
Body And Soul
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
"Body and Soul" is a ballad about unrequited love, regret, and heartbreak. The first verse sets the melancholic mood with the singer's admission that his heart is sad and lonely, and that he only longs for the person he loves. He wonders why his affection has gone unnoticed, and declares that he is willing to give himself fully to the beloved, body and soul. The second verse deepens the singer's despair as he contemplates the possibility that his feelings are not reciprocated and that his lover is “wronging” him. He asks them to give him one more chance to prove his love before it ends in tragedy.
The third and final verse emphasizes the singer's vulnerability and willingness to sacrifice everything for the object of his affection. Despite the pain and uncertainty, he would still surrender himself entirely to the beloved, even if it meant that his life would become a wreck. The repetition of the last two lines, “I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul,” underscores the intensity of the singer's devotion and the depth of his anguish.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I feel sorrowful and isolated without you
For you I sigh, for you dear only
I yearn for you deeply and exclusively
Why haven't you seen it
I'm wondering why you don't recognize my love
I'm all for you body and soul
I completely and passionately adore you
I spend my days in longing
I spend my time in a state of longing and desire
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I'm confused as to why you're treating me unfairly
I tell you I mean it
I'm genuinely expressing my feelings to you
I'm all for you body and soul
I'm completely devoted to you in every way
I can't believe it
I'm in disbelief
It's hard to conceive it
It's difficult to imagine
That you'd turn away romance
I never thought you'd reject my love
Are you pretending
I wonder if you're just pretending not to care
It looks like the ending
It seems like this is the end
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
I'm hoping for one more opportunity to show my love
My life a wreck you're making
You're causing chaos and destruction in my life
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'm yours to have and to hold
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I would enthusiastically give myself to you completely
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, John Green, Robert Sour
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind