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.
Oba-La-La / Bim Bom
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oba - lá - lá
Uma canção
Quem ouvir o oba - lá - lá
Terá feliz o coração
O amor encontrará
Ouvindo esta canção
Alguém compreenderá
Vem ouvir o oba - lá - lá
Oba - lá - lá
Esta canção
Bim bom
Bim bom
É só isso meu baião
E não tem mais nada não
O meu coração pediu assim
Só...
Bim bom
Bim bom
É só isso meu baião
E não tem mais nada não
O meu coração pediu assim
Só bim , bom
Bim bom
Bim bom
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song "Oba-La-La/Bim Bom" express the idea that listening to a happy and upbeat song can bring love into one's life. The repeated phrase "oba-la-la" serves both as a sense of celebration and as an invitation to join in. The lyrics promise that if one listens to this song, they will be filled with happiness and love, and perhaps even understand their own heart better. The second half of the song, "Bim Bom," is even simpler, with its repetitive refrain and its acknowledgement that when the heart desires only simplicity and joy, it is enough.
In essence, these lyrics speak to the power of music to connect us with our emotions and to bring us joy. The language of the lyrics is straightforward and rhythmic, matching the simple but prominent melody of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
É amor oba - lá - lá
This song is about love and happiness
Oba - lá - lá
The song title is a joyful expression that evokes fun and good vibes
Uma canção
This is just a song, but it has a special power
Quem ouvir o oba - lá - lá
Whoever listens to this song
Terá feliz o coração
Will have a happy heart filled with joy and love
O amor encontrará
May find love or feel more in love by hearing this song
Ouvindo esta canção
While listening to this song
Alguém compreenderá
Someone may understand
Seu coração
Their own heart better
Vem ouvir o oba - lá - lá
Come and listen to this joyful song
Bim bom
An onomatopoeic expression of drum beats for a Brazilian rhythm known as 'Baião'
É só isso meu baião
This is all there is to it, my baião is simple and lovely
E não tem mais nada não
There's nothing else needed, this music is complete as it is
O meu coração pediu assim
This is what my heart asked for, a simple rhythm that brings joy
Só...
Just this, nothing more
Bim bom
The song ends with the joyful and rhythmic beats of the baião, leaving the listener happy and satisfied
Bim bom
The song ends with the joyful and rhythmic beats of the baião, leaving the listener happy and satisfied
Bim bom
The song ends with the joyful and rhythmic beats of the baião, leaving the listener happy and satisfied
Contributed by Zoe N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.