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.
Homem Bomba
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que não tem medo algum
Porque daqui a pouco
Vai virar egun
Mas até lá, mata um, mata dois
Mata mais de um bilhão
Não vai deixar sobrar nenhum
Sou a favor do investimento
Pra acabar com a pobreza
Sou pelo estudo e o trabalho em harmonia
O amor e o Cristo Redentor
Poesia na democracia
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's "Homem Bomba" (Bomb Man) are a powerful commentary on the social and political issues facing Brazil and the world at large. The man bomb is fearless, as he believes that soon he will become an egun, or spirit, and his current life will be over. But until then, he will kill indiscriminately, causing the deaths of millions, in a ruthless quest for power and destruction.
However, the singer of the song rejects this ideology of agony and death. He is in favor of investing in education and jobs to eliminate poverty, promoting harmony and love, and referencing the Christ the Redeemer statue, one of Brazil's most iconic and beloved symbols. He champions democracy and the power of poetry, highlighting the importance of artistic expression in a world that often prioritizes greed and violence.
Overall, "Homem Bomba" is a powerful commentary on the state of the world and the need for humanity to reject violence and embrace compassion, love, and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Lá vem o homem bomba
Here comes the suicide bomber
Que não tem medo algum
Who has no fear
Porque daqui a pouco Vai virar egun
Because soon he will become a spirit of the dead
Mas até lá, mata um, mata dois
But until then, he kills one, kills two
Mata mais de um bilhão
Kills more than one billion
Não vai deixar sobrar nenhum
Won't leave any survivors
Mas eu sou contra essa ideologia da agonia
But I am against this ideology of agony
Sou a favor do investimento
I am in favor of investment
Pra acabar com a pobreza
To end poverty
Sou pelo estudo e o trabalho em harmonia
I am for education and work in harmony
O amor e o Cristo Redentor
Love and the Christ Redeemer
Poesia na democracia
Poetry in democracy
Contributed by Annabelle L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mario Farias
muy bom tema ,,,