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.
Capullito De Aleli
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Si tú supieras mi dolor
Correspondieras a mi amor
Y calmaras mi sufrir
Porque tú sabes que sin tí
La vida es nada para mí
Tú bien lo sabes,
Capullito de aleli.
No hay en el mundo para mí
Otro capullo de alelí
Que yo le brinde mi pasión
Y que le dé mi corazón
Porque tú eres la mujer
A quien he dado mi querer
Y te juré lindo alelí
Fidelidad hasta morir.
Por eso yo te canto a tí
Mi capullito de alelí
Dame tu aroma seductor
Y un poquito de tu amor
Porque tú sabes que sin tí
La vida es nada para mí
Tú bien lo sabes
Capullito de alelí
In Caetano Veloso's song Capullito De Aleli, the singer addresses a beautiful bouquet of aleli flowers, expressing his deep longing for a love that he feels can only be reciprocated by these inanimate objects. He begs the flowers to understand his pain and return his affections, promising to be faithful to them until death. In this way, the lyrics can be read as a commentary on the fleeting nature of human love, which often fails to live up to our expectations or withstand the tests of time.
At the same time, the song has a playful, almost surreal quality to it, as the singer imbues the flowers with human-like qualities and treats them as if they were a person that he has fallen in love with. This makes for a whimsical and charming piece of music, which has captured the hearts of listeners across the world.
Overall, Capullito De Aleli is a poignant and poetic reflection on the many facets of love, from its joys and sorrows to its transience and its ability to transform us in unexpected ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Lindo capullo de aleli
Beautiful lilac flower bud
Si tú supieras mi dolor
If you only knew my pain
Correspondieras a mi amor
You would reciprocate my love
Y calmaras mi sufrir
And ease my suffering
Porque tú sabes que sin tí
Because you know that without you
La vida es nada para mí
Life means nothing to me
Tú bien lo sabes, Capullito de aleli.
You know it well, lilac flower bud.
No hay en el mundo para mí
There is nothing in the world for me
Otro capullo de alelí
Other than another lilac flower bud
Que yo le brinde mi pasión
To whom I can give my passion
Y que le dé mi corazón
And give my heart to
Porque tú eres la mujer
Because you are the woman
A quien he dado mi querer
Whom I have given my love to
Y te juré lindo alelí
And I swore to you, beautiful lilac flower bud,
Fidelidad hasta morir.
Fidelity until death.
Por eso yo te canto a tí
That's why I sing to you
Mi capullito de alelí
My lilac flower bud
Dame tu aroma seductor
Give me your seductive fragrance
Y un poquito de tu amor
And a little bit of your love
Porque tú sabes que sin tí
Because you know that without you
La vida es nada para mí
Life means nothing to me
Tú bien lo sabes, Capullito de alelí.
You know it well, lilac flower bud.
Contributed by Luke W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@orlandovera1815
La canción, un clásico, hermosa canción de Rafael Hernandez Marín, Puertoririqueño autor de muchos exitos inolvidables y la interpretación exquisita de Caetano Veloso. No es fácil cantar así de bien ésta melodía. Bendiciones.
@fatimadouro8948
El SEÑOR caetano veloso es una persona muy buena, corazon, alegria. Un gran cantautor. Sus canciones siempre con mensajes para su pais: Brasil. Un pais con corrupcion, pobleza, sin salud, sin educacion. Caetano siempre en las palabras de las canciones con mensaje de amor, respeto, alegria. Un hombre de bueno corazon.
Conoce muy bien a su idioma y escribe siempre perfecto.
Conoce canciones de muchos paises y tiene respeto por todos
Sin duda, una gran persona..
@mirtadiaz497
SIEMPRE ME ENCANTÓ ESTÁ CANCIÓN MARAVILLOSA LLEGA A EL ALMA ❤️ SALUDOS CORDIALES DESDE ARGENTINA 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷 FELICITACIONES MARAVILLOSO VIDEO ❤️❤️❤️
@claudiaroxanarodriguez4551
Desde chiquita m gusta esta canción y como la interpreta Caetano ❣️
@DAMIBASSIST
Sou brasileiro, e orgulho-me de ter Caetano Veloso, como um representante da música latina, em meio a tantos outros nomes importantes em América do Sul, Central e Espanha. BRAVO!!!
@martinjara6637
Voce teim muita razón Caetano voz encantadora poesía pura!!!
@oscaromaririarte4899
Hermosa canción,la adoro,hace años k es 1 d mis preferidas🥰
@pablotorres7436
Que lindas imágenes 🌻🌻☀️💃♑🕺♋♾️💓
@svs8296
Me en canta la cancion y aparte yo mellamo aleli
@Lourdesponce
Esta hermosa letra fue escrita por el compositor puertorriqueño don Rafael Hérnandez. Escribió esta canción y muchas otras hermosas letras que fueron cantadas por diferentes intérpretes. Es un clásico, CAPULLITO DE ALEHí. Es uno de nuestros orgullos en el campo de la música, Saludos desde Puerto Rico.