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.
Pipoca Moderna
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E era nê de nunca mais
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
E era nem de negro não
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
De parecer poder
E era não de nada nem
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Tudo mudou
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Desanoitece a manhã
Tudo mudou
E era nada de nem noite de negro não
E era nê de nunca mais
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
E era nem de negro não
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
De parecer poder
E era não de nada nem
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Desanoitece a manhã
Tudo mudou
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Desanoitece a manhã
Tudo mudou
E era nada de nem noite de negro não
E era nê de nunca mais
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
E era nem de negro não
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
De parecer poder
E era não de nada nem
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Desanoitece a manhã
Tudo mudou
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Desanoitece a manhã
Tudo mudou
The lyrics of Caetano Veloso's song Pipoca Moderna seem to suggest a sense of confusion and disorder. The opening lines of the song ("E era nada de nem noite de negro não / E era nê de nunca mais") create an atmosphere of ambiguity and uncertainty, indicating that anything can happen. The repetition of "nem" and "nê" further emphasizes the absence of clarity and certainty in the situation. As the song continues, phrases like "De parecer poder" and "Tudo mudou" suggest a shift in power dynamics and an upheaval of the norm.
The title of the song, "Pipoca Moderna" which means "modern popcorn" in English, further adds to the sense of chaos and unpredictability. Popcorn, while a symbol of entertainment and amusement, also represents the unexpected, where every kernel can pop in a unique and different way. The use of the word "desanoitece" which means "dawn breaks" adds to the notion of change and transformation, as if a new day has dawned and with it, everything has been transformed.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a commentary on the fickleness of power and the unpredictability of life, where anything can happen at any time and those in charge can fall from grace just as quickly.
Line by Line Meaning
E era nada de nem noite de negro não
It was neither a dark night nor nothingness
E era nê de nunca mais
It was a future that was never going to come
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
It was a night that was never going to be anything else
E era nem de negro não
It was neither darkness nor blackness
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
But it seems there are blows of letter P, of foot, of bread
De parecer poder
That appear to have power
E era não de nada nem
It was neither anything nor nothing
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
E era nada de nem noite de negro não
It was neither a dark night nor nothingness
E era nê de nunca mais
It was a future that was never going to come
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
It was a night that was never going to be anything else
E era nem de negro não
It was neither darkness nor blackness
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
But it seems there are blows of letter P, of foot, of bread
De parecer poder
That appear to have power
E era não de nada nem
It was neither anything nor nothing
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
E era nada de nem noite de negro não
It was neither a dark night nor nothingness
E era nê de nunca mais
It was a future that was never going to come
E era noite de nê nunca de nada mais
It was a night that was never going to be anything else
E era nem de negro não
It was neither darkness nor blackness
Porém parece que há golpes de pê, de pé, de pão
But it seems there are blows of letter P, of foot, of bread
De parecer poder
That appear to have power
E era não de nada nem
It was neither anything nor nothing
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
Pipoca ali, aqui, pipoca além
Popcorn here, there, popcorn everywhere
Desanoitece a manhã
The morning darkens
Tudo mudou
Everything has changed
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Caetano Veloso, Sebastiao Biano
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind