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.
Help!
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Help not just anybody
Help you know I need someone help
When I was younger so much younger than today
I never needed anybody's help in any way
But now these days are gone I'm not so self assured
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors
Help me if you can I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please please help me
And now my life has changed in oh so many ways
My independence seems to vanish in the haze
But every now and then I feel so insecure
I know that I just need you like I've never done before
Help me if you can I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please please help me
When I was younger so much younger than today
I never needed anybody's help in any way
But now these days are gone I'm not so self assured
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors
Help me if you can I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please please help me help me help me oh
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso’s song “Help!” express a plea for assistance during a time of emotional turmoil. The song begins with a cry for help from someone who is feeling lost and in need of support. As the lyrics progress, it becomes clear that the singer is experiencing a transition from independence to a state of vulnerability, which has left them feeling insecure and uncertain. The repetition of “Help me if you can, I’m feeling down” throughout the lyrics emphasizes the singer’s desperation and highlights the importance of support in difficult times.
The second stanza highlights the inevitability of change in life, as the singer reflects on how they were once self-assured but now their independence seems to have vanished. However, despite this loss, the singer realizes that they need support from others now more than ever, and they plead with the listener to help them “get [their] feet back on the ground.” The closing stanza repeats the sentiment expressed in the beginning of the song, emphasizing the singer’s need for assistance.
Overall, the lyrics of “Help!” showcase the power of vulnerability and the importance of asking for help during times of struggle. The singer’s journey from self-assuredness to vulnerability and back again shows that it is okay to seek support, and that there is strength in admitting that we cannot always handle everything on our own.
Line by Line Meaning
Help I need somebody
The singer is expressing his need for assistance from someone
Help not just anybody
He clarifies that he doesn't just need any kind of help
Help you know I need someone help
He strengthens the importance of the help from a specific someone in his life
When I was younger so much younger than today
The singer reflects on his past where he was more independent and didn't require anyone's help
I never needed anybody's help in any way
He reiterates the fact that he used to be self-sufficient
But now these days are gone I'm not so self assured
The present time is different and he feels less confident in himself
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors
However, he's now more receptive to receiving help from others
Help me if you can I'm feeling down
He's expressing his current emotional state and asking for help to lift him up
And I do appreciate you being round
He's grateful for the people in his life who are there to support him
Help me get my feet back on the ground
He's asking for assistance in regaining his stability and balance
Won't you please please help me
He emphasizes the importance of the help he's requesting
And now my life has changed in oh so many ways
He reflects on how his life has evolved and transitioned
My independence seems to vanish in the haze
He feels like his independence is fading and becoming unclear
But every now and then I feel so insecure
He expresses his vulnerability and insecurities which require help to overcome
I know that I just need you like I've never done before
He acknowledges his current need for a specific person's help is more intense than ever before
Help me help me help me oh
He repeats his plea for help, emphasizing its importance and urgency
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Abluba Desenhos Animados
A letra é triste, merecia uma versão compatível. Caetano fez.
Paulom Barba1
Abluba Desenhos Animados por isso e que pra mim e a maior versao da cançao Help.
Pedro Don lll
Abluba Desenhos Animados versão espetacular, traduz o verdadeiro sentimento da letra.
Paulom Barba1
Gracias totales !!!
La mejor versión de este gran clásico e interpretada de la forma más sencilla y expresiva con la letra y su mensaje.
Lucía Viento
que buena versión... me llega a lo profundo del corazón, es lo que necesita mi alma en este oscuro día
Dayana Correa da Cunha
engraçado como as coisas mudam, vi esse vídeo uns 2 anos atrás e critiquei quem falou que era legal, agora que revejo, enxergo a qualidade que ele tem
Dayana Correa da Cunha
@Paulinho Meira Meira Eu que lhe agradeço por compartilhar e ajudar mais pessoas a conhecer e evoluir, quebrando preconceitos que cercam a música brasileira. Muito Obrigada :)
Paulinho Meira
Que legal ! É bem recompensador, fazermos uma coisa virtual sem nenhum fim lucrativo e ter o reconhecimento e esse tipo acompanhamento "indo e vindo" visitando e revisitando...Muito Obrigado!!! É isso que nos move...Valeu!!!
Prof. Fabiano Meira
Achei esse arranjo melhor que o original!
shiresk
Opa valew! MInha mãe e eu tava atras dessa música! É linda ^_^