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.
Graffiti
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passam o meu e o seu nomes ligados
Por uma seta de Cupido, filho de Afrodite
O nosso amor é um coração colossal de grafitti
Nos flancos de um trem de metrô
A nossa carne é toda feita de flama e de fama
O rumor do nosso caso de amor
Não se confina a boatos, bares e boates
Inflama o aconchego dos lares
Todos os satélites se viram pelo mundo afora
Para transmitir o nosso som, a nossa luz, nossa hora
E nosso beijo que sempre começa na boca e só acaba na poça
Video Clip Futurista
Porque o mundo, ele é assim, ele é nossa conquista
Andy Warhol mil vezes na TV disse:
- "No gossips, Miss"
Darling, querida
Vê se te toca
Leva tua vida sem fuxico nem fofoca
In Caetano Veloso's song "Graffiti," the lyrics speak to the rapid pace of modern life, where names are quickly passed through the connection of Cupid's arrow. The love between the two individuals in the song is described as a colossal heart of graffiti, a symbol of the ephemeral nature of love in an urban environment. The love affair between the two is not confined to gossip in bars and nightclubs but spreads throughout the city, inciting the passion of the people in the stations and inflaming the homes. The love between the couple is depicted as robust, intense, and all-encompassing, with a fiery spirit that can change the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Jogo rápido, língua ligeira, olhos arregalados
We speak quickly with agile tongues, our eyes wide with excitement.
Passam o meu e o seu nomes ligados
Our names are inextricably linked by the arrow of Cupid, son of Aphrodite.
Por uma seta de Cupido, filho de Afrodite
Our love is the product of the god of desire and attraction, Cupid, son of the goddess of love, Aphrodite.
O nosso amor é um coração colossal de grafitti
Our love is a massive, vibrant, public display of affection like a colorful heart of graffiti on the side of a subway train.
Nos flancos de um trem de metrô
On the sides of a subway train, for all to see.
A nossa carne é toda feita de flama e de fama
Our flesh and blood is made up of fire and fame, a passionate and famous couple.
O rumor do nosso caso de amor
Whispers about our love affair.
Não se confina a boatos, bares e boates
The rumors are not confined to gossip, bars, and clubs.
Conquista as estações, incendeia a praça escarlate
Our love conquers train stations, ignites the public square in passionate crimson flames.
Inflama o aconchego dos lares
Our love ignites the warmth and comfort of homes everywhere.
Todos os satélites se viram pelo mundo afora
Satellites all over the world are tuned into our love.
Para transmitir o nosso som, a nossa luz, nossa hora
Broadcasting our sound, our light, and our time to the world.
E nosso beijo que sempre começa na boca e só acaba na poça
Our kiss starts at the lips and ends in a puddle of passion.
Video Clip Futurista
A futuristic music video to showcase our famous love affair.
Porque o mundo, ele é assim, ele é nossa conquista
Our love has conquered the world because that's just the way the world is.
Andy Warhol mil vezes na TV disse:
Even Andy Warhol said a thousand times on television:
No gossips, Miss
Don't spread gossip, Miss
Darling, querida
My darling, my dear
Vê se te toca
Get a grip on yourself.
Leva tua vida sem fuxico nem fofoca
Live your life without gossip or scandal.
Contributed by Lauren J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.