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.
Love for Sale
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Appetizing young love for sale
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Love that's just slightly soiled
Love for sale
Who will buy?
Who would like to sample my supply?
For a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love, in their childish way
I know every type of love, better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love, every love but true love
Love for sale
Appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares
Follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song "Love For Sale" are a commentary on the commodification of love and how it has become a marketable product in modern society. The first line, "Love for sale," sets the tone for the rest of the song as Veloso sings about how love is being marketed as an appetizing, fresh commodity that is for sale to anyone willing to pay the price.
The next line, "Appetizing young love for sale," portrays the idea of youth and beauty being highly valued in our society, which is reflected in the fact that people are willing to pay for it. Veloso goes on to sing about how different types of love can be found for sale, including love that is fresh and unspoiled, as well as love that is slightly soiled.
The chorus of the song, "Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply? Who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise? Love for sale," portrays the idea that love has become a product that people are willing to buy and try out for themselves, with the ultimate goal of achieving a feeling of paradise. Veloso then goes on to criticize the simplistic poetry that commonly praises love, instead stating that he knows every type of love better than them, including old love, new love, and every love but true love.
In the end, Veloso encourages anyone interested in purchasing his version of love to follow him and climb the stairs to obtain it. Overall, the lyrics of "Love For Sale" provide a cynical, yet thought-provoking commentary on how society has turned something as complex and personal as love into a marketable product.
Line by Line Meaning
Love for sale
The singer is advertising that love is available for purchase.
Appetizing young love for sale
The singer is advertising that young and attractive love is available for purchase.
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
The love being sold is new and unspoiled by previous relationships or experiences.
Love that's just slightly soiled
The love being sold may have been slightly tarnished by previous relationships or experiences.
Love for sale
The artist repeats that love is available for purchase.
Who will buy?
The singer is asking who is interested in purchasing love.
Who would like to sample my supply?
The singer is asking who wants to try their love before committing to purchasing it.
Who's prepared to pay the price
The artist is asking who is willing to pay the cost of purchasing love.
For a trip to paradise?
The artist is asking if the purchaser is willing to buy love in order to experience the feelings of paradise.
Love for sale
The artist repeats that love is available for purchase.
Let the poets pipe of love, in their childish way
The singer is dismissing the idea that love is romanticized and portrayed in a simple or naive manner by poets.
I know every type of love, better far than they
The artist is claiming to have more knowledge and experience than poets when it comes to understanding love.
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
The singer is suggesting that if someone wants to experience the excitement of love, they should trust someone who has been through numerous relationships.
Old love, new love, every love but true love
The singer is suggesting that they have experienced every kind of love except for true love, which may not even exist.
Love for sale
The singer repeats that love is available for purchase.
Appetizing young love for sale
The artist repeats that young and attractive love is available for purchase.
If you want to buy my wares
The artist is addressing anyone who is interested in purchasing love.
Follow me and climb the stairs
The singer is leading the purchaser to a place where they can purchase love.
Love for sale
The singer repeats that love is available for purchase.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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