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.
Muitos Carnavais
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Você me dá
Muita confusão e paz
Eu sou o sol
Você, o mar
Somos muitos carnavais
Nossos clarins
Sempre a soar
Bahia
Vamos viver
Vamos ver
Vamos ter
Vamos ser
Vamos desentender
Do que não carnavalizar
A vida, coração
Caetano Veloso's song Muitos Carnavais is a poetic tribute to the complex relationship between two individuals who are different yet intertwined. The first two lines, "Eu sou você/Você me dá" could be interpreted as a metaphor for their intertwined identities. The following line, "Muita confusão e paz" acknowledges the ups and downs of their relationship. The fourth and fifth lines, "Eu sou o sol/Você, o mar" continue the metaphorical language, with the sun representing a masculine energy and the sea representing a feminine energy.
The chorus, "Somos muitos carnavais/Nossos clarins/Sempre a soar/Na noite, no dia/Bahia" offers a joyful celebration of life and connection, with the "muitos carnavais" or many carnivals representing the different phases and experiences of life. The "clarins" or trumpets are a metaphor for the music that they create together, as well as the call to come together in celebration. The mention of Bahia, a region in Brazil known for its vibrant music and culture, reinforces the joyful, celebratory theme.
The final lines of the song, "Vamos desentender/Do que não carnavalizar/A vida, coração" suggest that the best way to navigate the complicated nature of their relationship is to embrace the festive, celebratory energy of carnival and let go of anything that cannot be celebrated. In this way, the song becomes a meditation on the power of joyful connection to transcend the challenges of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu sou você
I am you
Você me dá
You give me
Muita confusão e paz
A lot of confusion and peace
Eu sou o sol
I am the sun
Você, o mar
You, the sea
Somos muitos carnavais
We are many carnivals
Nossos clarins
Our clarions
Sempre a soar
Always sounding
Na noite, no dia
In the night, in the day
Bahia
Bahia
Vamos viver
Let's live
Vamos ver
Let's see
Vamos ter
Let's have
Vamos ser
Let's be
Vamos desentender
Let's misunderstand
Do que não carnavalizar
Of what not to carnivalize
A vida, coração
Life, heart
Contributed by Aaron M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.