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.
Lost in the Paradise
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Airplane cannot fly very high
I find you so far from my side
I’m lost in my old in my own green light
Don’t help me, my love
My brother, my girl
Just tell her name
Her big white plastic finger
Surrounds my dark green hair,
But it’s not your unknown right hand
But it’s not your unknown right hand
Oh, don’t help me, my love
My brother, my girl
Just tell her name
Just let me say who am I
I am the sun, the darkness,
My name is green wave death, salt
South America’s my name
World is my name, my size
And honor my name
Hear my
My little grasshopper airplane
Cannot fly very high
Oh, don’t help me, my love
My brother, my girl
Just tell her name
Just let me say who am I
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song Lost in the Paradise are poetic and somewhat abstract, but they convey a sense of longing and confusion. The phrase "lost in my own green light" suggests the singer is struggling to find his way, perhaps feeling overwhelmed by his own emotions. He asks his loved ones not to help him, but rather to "just tell her name" so that he can ground himself in his identity. The image of the "big white plastic finger" surrounding his "dark green hair" is mysterious, but it seems to suggest a feeling of being trapped or held back by external forces.
As the lyrics continue, the singer begins to assert his identity more boldly. He proclaims himself to be "the sun, the darkness," and goes on to claim various names that suggest he is connected to a larger, cosmic identity. He is "green wave death, salt," and he is also "South America's my name, the world is my name, my size, and honor my name." This last phrase is particularly interesting, as it suggests that the singer is not just claiming his own identity, but also staking a claim for what he believes is right and honorable in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
My little grasshopper
My dear one, my love
Airplane cannot fly very high
I feel limited and unable to reach new heights
I find you so far from my side
I feel like you're distant from me, not by physical distance but by emotional distance
I’m lost in my old in my own green light
I am lost in my own thoughts and imagination
Don’t help me, my love
Please don't try to help me when I'm in my own world
My brother, my girl
My close ones
Just tell her name
Just let me speak and express my true identity
Just let me say who am I
Let me say who I truly am
Her big white plastic finger
An artificial or materialistic force
Surrounds my dark green hair
Restrains my creative energies
But it’s not your unknown right hand
But it's not what you do to me directly, it's my own limitations
Oh, don’t help me, my love
Please don't try to help me when I'm in my own world
My brother, my girl
My close ones
Just tell her name
Just let me speak and express my true identity
Just let me say who am I
Let me say who I truly am
I am the sun, the darkness,
I am everything, including the light and dark
My name is green wave death, salt
My identity is complex, fluid and constantly changing
South America’s my name
I am from South America, reflecting its culture and identity
World is my name, my size
I am part of the world, and my identity is not limited by my physical size
And honor my name
Respect and acknowledge my true identity
Hear my
Listen to my voice and my message
Oh, don’t help me, my love
Please don't try to help me when I'm in my own world
My brother, my girl
My close ones
Just tell her name
Just let me speak and express my true identity
Just let me say who am I
Let me say who I truly am
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.