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.
Outro Retrato
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Música da poesia de um poeta João que
Não gosta de música
Minha poesia vem
Da poesia da música de um João músico que
Não gosta de poesia
A descoberta de Donato
O fato, o sinal
O sal, o ato, o salto:
Meu outro retrato
Caetano Veloso's "Outro Retrato" is a song that delves into the intricacies of music and poetry. The lyrics present a paradoxical situation where the music of the poet João comes from the poetry of the musician João who doesn't have a liking for poetry. Similarly, Veloso's poetry is inspired by the music of João, who's primarily a poet.
The use of João's name and the clear separation of his identity as a poet and as a musician is a clever way of presenting the influence of music and poetry in one's art. While the two art forms may seem distinct, they are often interdependent, and this song highlights that relationship. The use of paradox is also essential in emphasizing the idea that inspiration for one's art can come from unlikely places.
The second half of the song goes on to mention "O dado de Cabral" and "A descoberta de Donato" – this references the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who discovered Brazil, and João Donato, a Brazilian artist who revolutionized the Brazilian jazz scene. The phrases "O fato, o sinal/ O sal, o ato, o salto" translate to "The fact, the sign/ The salt, the act, the leap." These lines are a nod to the evolution of Brazilian music and how it has been shaped by various factors such as history, culture, and individual artists' innovations.
Line by Line Meaning
Minha música vem da
Minha música é inspirada em
Música da poesia de um poeta João que
A música que crio é inspirada na poesia de um poeta chamado João, que
Não gosta de música
não é afeito a música em si
Minha poesia vem
Minha poesia é influenciada
Da poesia da música de um João músico que
pela poesia presente na música de um João músico, que
Não gosta de poesia
apesar de não ser um grande apreciador de poesia
O dado de Cabral
A vinda de Cabral ao Brasil
A descoberta de Donato
A descoberta musical de Donato
O fato, o sinal
Os acontecimentos, os sinais
O sal, o ato, o salto:
A carga, a ação, o salto em frente
Meu outro retrato
O meu segundo retrato, que representa quem eu sou musicalmente.
Contributed by Dominic A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.