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.
Hora Da Razão
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar
Se eu deixar se sofrer como é que vai ser para me acostumar
Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar
Sofrer também é mericimento
Cada um tem seu momento
Quando a hora é da razão
E o nome eu nao digo
Guardo tudo no caração
Sofrer também é mericimento
Cada um tem seu momento
Quando a hora é da razão
Alguem vai sambar comigo
E o nome eu nao digo
Guardo tudo no caração
Se eu deixar de sofrer como é que vai ser pa me acostumar
Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar
Se eu deixar se sofrer como é que vai ser para me acostumar
Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar
The song "Hora Da Razão" by Caetano Veloso is a reflection on the nature of suffering and the importance of facing reality. The lyrics describe the fear of letting go of pain and the difficulty of moving on from it. The repeated lines "Se eu deixar de sofrer como é que vai ser pa me acostumar" and "Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar" suggest that the singer is resistant to the idea of letting go of their suffering and feels that it is necessary for them to find themselves.
The song also touches on the idea that suffering is a necessary part of life and that everyone experiences it at some point. The lines "Sofrer também é mericimento/Cada um tem seu momento" suggest that suffering is a deserved experience and that it is different for everyone. The singer understands that there is a time to let go and move on, but they are not quite ready to do so. The final lines "Alguem vai sambar comigo/E o nome eu nao digo/Guardo tudo no caração" suggest that the singer is open to the idea of sharing their pain, but is hesitant to reveal the identity of the person who will dance with them through it.
Line by Line Meaning
Se eu deixar de sofrer como é que vai ser pa me acostumar
If I stop suffering, how will I adapt to it?
Se tudo é carnaval eu não devo chorar pois eu preciso me encontrar
If everything is a Carnival, I shouldn't cry because I need to find myself
Sofrer também é mericimento
Suffering is also merit
Cada um tem seu momento
Everyone has their moment
Quando a hora é da razão
When the time is right
Alguem vai sambar comigo
Someone will dance the samba with me
E o nome eu nao digo
And I won't say the name
Guardo tudo no caração
I keep everything in my heart
Contributed by Tyler K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.