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.
Pelos Olhos
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Esse Deus das avencas é a luz
Saindo pelos olhos
De minha amiguinha
O Deus que mora na proximidade do haver avencas
Esse Deus dos fetos
Das plantas pequenas é a luz
De minha amiguinha linda
De minha amiguinha
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song "Pelos olhos" depict an intimate and insightful look at the divine nature of nature itself. The Portuguese crooner contemplates the proximity of a divine force that he describes as the "God of the ferns" or the "God of small plants" living in close quarters to the delicate and colorful flowers that make up a wild garden of fragrant, swaying avencas. Veloso suggests that this power has a central role in nature, shining its light through human inspiration and artistic expression. In this particular instance, he sees it shining within the very eyes of his "amiguinha", or little friend.
Veloso's lyrics abound with imagery and metaphor, creating a symbolic language that speaks directly to the listener. He suggests that the beauty of the world is not just physical but also metaphysical, and that it can be accessed through the power of contemplation and imagination. As Veloso's voice floats over the acoustic guitar, his words take on an ethereal quality, encouraging the listener to transcend the mundane and find a path towards enlightenment. In this way, "Pelos olhos" is a deep and rewarding meditation on the power of the divine and our ability to apprehend it.
Line by Line Meaning
O Deus que mora na proximidade do haver avencas
The divine entity residing near the presence of ferns and plants
Esse Deus das avencas é a luz
This God of the ferns represents the light
Saindo pelos olhos
Radiating through the eyes
De minha amiguinha
Of my lovely friend
O Deus dos fetos
The deity of the ferns
Das plantas pequenas é a luz
Bringing illumination to the smaller plants
Saindo pelos olhos
Emerging visibly through the eyes
De minha amiguinha linda
Of my beautiful friend
De minha amiguinha
Of my lovely friend
Contributed by Isaiah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.