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.
Candeias
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ainda hoje meu amor eu vou voltar
Da terra nova nem saudade vou levando
Pelo contrário pouca história pra contar
Quero ver a lua vindo
Por detrás da samambaia
Rede de palha se abrindo
Em cada palmo de praia
E nos teus olhos de espanto
Tudo quanto eu mais queria
Ainda hoje vou me embora pra Candeias
Ainda hoje meu amor eu vou voltar
Da terra nova nem saudade vou levando
Pelo contrário pouca história pra contar
E nas sombras lá de longe
Lá onde o céu principia
Quero ver mestre proeiro
No remo e na valentia
Procissão de velas brancas
No sentido da Bahia
Procissão de velas brancas
No sentido da Bahia
Da Bahia
Bahia
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa's song Candeia speak of a desire to return to the nostalgia of the past, specifically to the place of Candeias. The singer expresses a longing to see the moon rising behind the samambaia, and to witness the beauty of the white moon illuminating the surroundings. The singer is leaving a new land behind, without any nostalgia or memorable experiences, instead seeking the familiar beauty of Candeias.
The reference to "mestre proeiro," translates to "master steersman," speaking to the singer's desire to witness the skilled steering and courage of a seafarer. The mention of "procissão de velas brancas," or "procession of white candles," is symbolic of a spiritual journey or pilgrimage towards Bahia. The repetition of the word "Bahia" in the end emphasizes the significance of this place to the singer.
Overall, the lyrics of Candeia evoke a deep sense of nostalgia for a place that holds sentimental value to the singer, while also expressing a reverence for the natural and spiritual world.
Line by Line Meaning
Ainda hoje vou me embora pra Candeias
I will leave for Candeias today
Ainda hoje meu amor eu vou voltar
But I will return to my love today
Da terra nova nem saudade vou levando
Leaving behind nothing, not even nostalgia
Pelo contrário pouca história pra contar
On the contrary, there is little to tell
Quero ver a lua vindo
I want to see the moon rising
Por detrás da samambaia
Behind the ferns
Rede de palha se abrindo
Hammocks made of straw unfolding
Em cada palmo de praia
On every inch of the beach
Quero ver a lua branca clareando como um dia
I want to see the white moon shining as bright as the day
E nos teus olhos de espanto
And in your eyes of wonder
Tudo quanto eu mais queria
Is everything I ever wanted
E nas sombras lá de longe
And in the shadows far away
Lá onde o céu principia
Where the sky begins
Quero ver mestre proeiro
I want to see the master sailor
No remo e na valentia
In the oars and in the courage
Procissão de velas brancas
Procession of white candles
No sentido da Bahia
Toward Bahia
Procissão de velas brancas
Procession of white candles
No sentido da Bahia
Toward Bahia
Da Bahia
Of Bahia
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sheiladomingos415
Minha Candeias, composição do genial Edu Lobo, inigualável ! Mais uma linda versão, com Gal !
@lolita29764
気怠い日曜日の午後 白昼夢 既視感 霧雨 Edu Lobo
@amarelinhokeyboards
Só uma OBS: Gal Costa NÃO é irmã do Caetano.
No mais:
Adoro essa bossa triste....música pra ouvir num de fim de tarde, olhando o mar.
Salve Gal!
@johehisma
Verdade! Deveria estar meio aéreo quando escrevi aquilo rs
@silvaneinascimento
Alguém sabe dizer, se essa Candeias é uma cidade do recôncavo baiano?
@MrEliasMarques
Tem um bairro em Piedade (PE) que se chama Candeias. Mas deve ser somente uma coincidência.
@osvaldoalmeidagoncalves311
Sim, fica muito próximo de Santo Amaro da Purificação cidade natal de caetano muito religiosa onde tem um milagre e uma tradicional procissão que percorre cidades vizinhas como relata a musica na mesma região aonde resido
@silvaneinascimento
@@osvaldoalmeidagoncalves311 Nossa, que maravilha!
Sou de Candeias, mas atualmente moro no Rio de janeiro, adorei a música em homenagem a minha terra amada.
@Wolfb1653
@@osvaldoalmeidagoncalves311 quem sabe se uma cidade como essa inspirou a criação da novela Roque Santeiro. A bossa que tem o nome de candeias é uma maravilha
@savioaugusto7357
No livro escrito por Caetano Veloso intitulado verdade tropical ele relata que essa canção foi composta por Edu lobo remetendo a lembranças de suas férias em Pernambuco!