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.
Os Mais Doces Bárbaros
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Preparamos a invasão
Cheios de felicidade
Entramos na cidade amada
Peixe Espada, peixe luz
Doce bárbaro Jesus
Sabe quem é otário
Alto astral, altas transas, lindas canções
Afoxés, astronaves, aves, cordões
Avançando através dos grossos portões
Nossos planos são muito bons
Com a espada de Ogum
E a benção de Olorum
Como num raio de Iansã
Rasgamos a manhã vermelha
Tudo ainda é tal e qual
E no entanto nada é igual
Nós cantamos de verdade
E é sempre outra cidade velha
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song "Os Mais Doces Bárbaros" speak of a joyful invasion of a beloved city, fueled by love in their hearts. The invaders, who refer to themselves as the Sweet Barbarians, are described as being full of happiness as they enter the city. The lyrics then shift focus to a fish called Peixe Espada, or Swordfish, which is also referred to as Peixe Luz, or Light Fish. The Sweet Barbarians compare this fish to Jesus, calling it a "sweet barbarian," and they mock those who are trapped in an aquarium, calling them "suckers."
The song then continues to describe the invasion, with the Sweet Barbarians bringing a high spirit, beautiful music, and cultural events to the city. They use the imagery of astral planes, birds, and cordons to describe their exultant procession through the city gates. The Sweet Barbarians then declare their faith in the deities Ogum and Olorum, as they break through the "red morning" with the force of a thunderbolt. The song ends with the Sweet Barbarians promising to bring a fresh perspective to the city, to sing with truth, and to continue to transform it, making it a new old city.
Overall, the lyrics of "Os Mais Doces Bárbaros" evoke a sense of joy, love, and cultural pride as the Sweet Barbarians invade an older city with a fresh perspective, bringing light and vigor to it.
Line by Line Meaning
Com amor no coração
With love in our hearts
Preparamos a invasão
We prepared for the invasion
Cheios de felicidade
Filled with happiness
Entramos na cidade amada
We entered the beloved city
Peixe Espada, peixe luz
Swordfish, fish of light
Doce bárbaro Jesus
Sweet barbaric Jesus
Sabe quem é otário
Knows who the sucker is
Peixe no aquário nada
Fish in the aquarium swims
Alto astral, altas transas, lindas canções
High spirits, great deals, beautiful songs
Afoxés, astronaves, aves, cordões
Afoxés, spaceships, birds, cords
Avançando através dos grossos portões
Advancing through the thick gates
Nossos planos são muito bons
Our plans are very good
Com a espada de Ogum
With the sword of Ogum
E a benção de Olorum
And the blessing of Olorum
Como num raio de Iansã
Like a bolt of light from Iansã
Rasgamos a manhã vermelha
We tore through the red morning
Tudo ainda é tal e qual
Everything is still the same
E no entanto nada é igual
And yet nothing is the same
Nós cantamos de verdade
We sing the truth
E é sempre outra cidade velha
And it's always another old city
Contributed by London J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.