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.
Cavaleiro
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quem vem lá sou eu
Cavaleiro sou eu,
Longa estrada do breu
Cavaleiro sou eu
Quem vem lá sou eu,
Quem vem lá sou eu
No caminho de deus
Cavaleiro sou eu
Sou eu
Sete léguas de estrada,
Sete noites acordada,
Sete braços de mar
Sou eu,
Sete sambas de roda,
Sete palmos pra morte,
Sete mortes no olhar
Sou eu,
Sete vidas perdidas
Sete zangas sem brigas,
Nesse canavial
Sou eu,
Vim chamar o meu povo
Trago tudo de novo,
Vamos tudo acabar
Quem vem lá sou eu,
Quem vem lá sou eu
A cancela bateu,
Madrugada rompeu
Cavaleiro sou eu
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song "Cavaleiro" suggest a traveler on a long and difficult journey, a "cavaleiro" or knight who has faced and overcome many obstacles. The repetition of the phrase "quem vem lá sou eu" reinforces the idea that the singer is announcing his own arrival, perhaps to someone who has been waiting for him. He lists his achievements, such as "sete léguas de estrada" (seven leagues of road) and "sete sambas de roda" (seven rounds of samba dance), as well as the challenges he has faced, including "sete palmos pra morte" (seven fathoms to death) and "sete mortes no olhar" (seven deaths in his eyes). The phrase "vim chamar o meu povo" (I come to call my people) implies that the singer is a leader or savior figure, bringing new hope and renewal to his community.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, but they could be seen as a commentary on the struggles and triumphs of the Brazilian people. The repeated reference to the number seven may be symbolic of a journey or transformation, as well as a nod to the seven days of creation in the Bible. The idea of a knight or hero who has braved many dangers echoes the archetypal journey of the hero in mythology, and gives the lyrics a mythic quality. The mention of a "canavial" (sugar cane field) suggests that the singer may be from a rural or agricultural background, and that his struggle is connected to the land and its demands.
Line by Line Meaning
Quem vem lá sou eu,
I am the one who is coming,
Quem vem lá sou eu
I am the one who is coming
Cavaleiro sou eu,
I am a rider, traveling long miles
Longa estrada do breu
Traveling on the long, dark road
Cavaleiro sou eu
I am a rider, traveling long miles
Quem vem lá sou eu,
I am the one who is coming
Quem vem lá sou eu
I am the one who is coming
A tarde escureceu
The evening has turned dark
No caminho de Deus
On the path of God
Cavaleiro sou eu
I am a rider, traveling long miles
Sou eu
It is I
Sete léguas de estrada,
Seven leagues of road traveled
Sete noites acordada,
Seven sleepless nights
Sete braços de mar
Crossed seven arms of the sea
Sou eu,
It is I
Sete sambas de roda,
Seven rounds of Samba danced
Sete palmos pra morte,
Seven feet under for death
Sete mortes no olhar
Seven deaths in the gaze
Sou eu,
It is I
Sete vidas perdidas
Seven lives lost
Sete zangas sem brigas,
Seven angers without fights
Nesse canavial
In this sugarcane field
Sou eu,
It is I
Vim chamar o meu povo
I came to call my people
Trago tudo de novo,
I bring everything anew
Vamos tudo acabar
Let's put an end to everything
A cancela bateu,
The gate has closed
Madrugada rompeu
Dawn has broken
Cavaleiro sou eu
I am a rider, traveling long miles
Contributed by Isaiah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.