Caetano Emanoel Viana Teles Veloso (born August 7, 1942 in Santo Amaro, Bah… Read Full Bio ↴Caetano Emanoel Viana Teles Veloso (born August 7, 1942 in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil), professionally known as Caetano Veloso, is a singer, composer, musician, producer, arranger, writer and political activist, being one of the most popular and influential Brazilian MPB artists of all time. With a career that exceeds five decades, Caetano has built a musical work marked by renewal and widely considered to possess great intellectual and poetic value.

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.

Qualquer Coisa
Caetano Veloso Lyrics

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Esse papo já 'tá qualquer coisa
Você já 'tá pra lá de Marrakesh
Mexe qualquer coisa dentro doida
Já qualquer coisa doida, dentro, mexe

Não se avexe não, baião de dois
Deixe de manha, deixe de manha
Pois, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha

Nem a sanha arranha o carro
Nem o sarro arranha a Espanha
Meça tamanha, meça tamanha
Esse papo seu já 'tá de manhã

Berro pelo aterro, pelo desterro
Berro por seu berro, pelo seu erro
Quero que você ganhe, que você me apanhe
Sou o seu bezerro gritando mamãe
Esse papo meu 'tá qualquer coisa e você 'tá pra lá de Teerã

Qualquer coisa
Você já 'tá pra lá de Marrakesh
Mexe qualquer coisa dentro doida
Já qualquer coisa doida, dentro, mexe

Não se avexe não, baião de dois
Deixe de manha, deixe de manha
Pois, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha
Nem a sanha arranha o carro
Nem o sarro arranha a Espanha
Meça tamanha, meça tamanha
Esse papo seu já 'tá de manhã

Berro pelo aterro, pelo desterro
Berro por seu berro, pelo seu erro
Quero que você ganhe, que você me apanhe
Sou o seu bezerro gritando mamãe
Esse papo meu 'tá qualquer coisa e você 'tá pra lá de Teerã

Qualquer coisa
Você já 'tá pra lá de Marrakesh
Mexe qualquer coisa dentro doida
Já qualquer coisa doida, dentro, mexe

Não se avexe não, baião de dois
Deixe de manha, deixe de manha
Pois, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha
Nem a sanha arranha o carro
Nem o sarro arranha a Espanha
Meça tamanha, meça tamanha
Esse papo seu já 'tá de manhã

Berro pelo aterro, pelo desterro
Berro por seu berro, pelo seu erro
Quero que você ganhe, que você me apanhe

Sou o seu bezerro gritando mamãe
Esse papo meu 'tá qualquer coisa e você 'tá pra lá de Teerã

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song Qualquer Coisa are a bit enigmatic and open to interpretation, combining seemingly unrelated phrases and images. However, a possible interpretation is that the song is about a relationship or a conversation that has become confused, chaotic, or aimless. The opening lines describe the situation as "qualquer coisa," which can be translated as "anything" or "something." The repetition of the phrase suggests that the singer or the singer is trying to make sense of what is going on but can't quite put their finger on it. The image of Marrakesh adds to the sense of disorientation, as it is a city known for its exoticism and labyrinthine streets.

The second stanza introduces a soothing element in the form of the baião de dois, a traditional Brazilian dish made of rice, beans, and other ingredients. The singer advises the other person to relax and let go of their worries or manipulations ("deixa de manha"). The repetition of "sem essa aranha" (without this spider) and "sem essa sanha" (without this rage) reinforces the idea of letting go of negative emotions and thoughts.

However, the third stanza changes the tone again, with the singer "berro"ing (shouting) for different reasons. The words "pelo desterro" can be interpreted as a reference to displacement, exile, or estrangement, and "pelo seu erro" can mean "because of your mistake." The desire to win and to catch the other person ("quero que você ganhe, que você me apanhe") could be seen as a way to reestablish some kind of connection or communication. However, the last line confirms that the situation is still confusing and chaotic ("esse papo meu tá qualquer coisa").

Overall, the lyrics to Qualquer Coisa seem to express a mix of frustration, yearning, and playfulness. The use of idiomatic expressions, mixed with occasional English words like "mamãe," adds to the quirky and unpredictable character of the song. The music, with its upbeat rhythms and eclectic instrumentation, complements the lyrics in creating an atmosphere of spontaneity and experimentation.

Line by Line Meaning

Esse papo já tá qualquer coisa
This conversation is getting out of hand

Você já tá pra lá de Marrakesh
You are too far gone

Mexe qualquer coisa dentro, doida
Something wild is stirring within

Já qualquer coisa doida, dentro, mexe
Something crazy is already stirring within

Não se avexe não, baião de dois
Don't worry, just relax

Deixe de manha, deixe de manha
Stop being stubborn

Pois, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha, sem essa aranha
Without this trouble, without this trouble, without this trouble

Nem a sanha arranha o carro
Even rage won't scratch the car

Nem o sarro arranha a Espanha
Even sarcasm won't harm Spain

Meça tamanha, meça tamanha
Measure your actions carefully

Esse papo seu já tá de manhã
Your stubbornness is already getting tiresome