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.
São João Xangô Menino
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Da fogueira de São João
Quero ser sempre o menino, Xangô
Da fogueira de São João
Céu de estrela sem destino
De beleza sem razão
Tome conta do destino, Xangô
Viva São João, viva o milho verde
Viva São João, viva o brilho verde
Viva São João das matas de Oxóssi
Viva São João!
Olha pro céu, meu amor
Veja como ele está lindo
Noite tão fria de junho, Xangô
Canto tanto canto lindo
Fogo, fogo de artifício
Quero ser sempre o menino
As estrelas deste mundo, Xangô
Ai, São João, Xangô Menino
Viva São João, viva Refazenda
Viva São João, viva Dominguinhos
Viva São João, viva Qualquer Coisa
Viva São João, Gal canta Caymmi
Viva São João, Pássaro Proibido
Viva São João!
Ai, Xangô, Xangô menino
Da fogueira de São João
Quero ser sempre o menino, Xangô
Da fogueira de São João
Céu de estrela sem destino
De beleza sem razão
Tome conta do destino, Xangô
Da beleza e da razão
Viva São João, viva o milho verde
Viva São João, viva o brilho verde
Viva São João das matas de Oxóssi
Viva São João!
Olha pro céu, meu amor
Veja como ele está lindo
Noite tão fria de junho, Xangô
Canto tanto canto lindo
Fogo, fogo de artifício
Quero ser sempre o menino
As estrelas deste mundo, Xangô
Ai, São João, Xangô Menino
Viva São João, viva Refazenda
Viva São João, viva Dominguinhos
Viva São João, viva Qualquer Coisa
Viva São João, Gal canta Caymmi
Viva São João, Pássaro Proibido
Viva São João!
Viva São João!
Viva São João!
Viva São João! (Vii)
Viva São João! (Viva São João)
Viva São João! (ê!)
Viva São João!
Viva São João!
(Xangô, Xangô, Xangô, Xangô)
In "São João Xangô Menino", Caetano Veloso pays tribute to two important deities of the Afro-Brazilian religion, Xangô and São João. The song is a celebration of the traditional festivity of São João, one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Brazil, and the birth of Xangô, the deity of justice, thunder, and fire, known as the "child Xangô".
The song opens with the line "Ai, Xangô, Xangô menino" which expresses the singer's desire to always be a child, representing the purity, innocence, and joy of the São João celebration. Veloso's admiration for the beauty of the night sky filled with stars is also revealed in the song, as well as his belief that Xangô has control over the destiny, reason, and beauty of the world. The repetition of the line "Viva São João" emphasizes the festive spirit of the celebration.
The mention of other Brazilian artists such as Refazenda, Dominguinhos, and Caetano's own song "Qualquer Coisa" in the lyrics shows the importance of music and art in the São João celebration, as well as the rich cultural diversity of Brazil.
Line by Line Meaning
Ai, Xangô, Xangô menino
Da fogueira de São João
Quero ser sempre o menino, Xangô
Da fogueira de São João
The singer is calling upon Xangô, the youthful god of thunder and justice, asking to remain forever young just like the fire of São João festival.
Céu de estrela sem destino
De beleza sem razão
Tome conta do destino, Xangô
Da beleza e da razão
Contemplating the aimless beauty of the starry night sky, the singer invokes Xangô's protection over the elements of fate and reason.
Viva São João, viva o milho verde
Viva São João, viva o brilho verde
Viva São João das matas de Oxóssi
Viva São João!
Celebrating the traditional feast of São João, the lyrics exult the green corn, the sparkles and the ravishing festival of the god of the hunt Oxóssi.
Olha pro céu, meu amor
Veja como ele está lindo
Noite tão fria de junho, Xangô
Canto tanto canto lindo
The singer invites his beloved to gaze at the enchanting beauty and chill of the June night sky and praises Xangô for the charming song it inspires.
Fogo, fogo de artifício
Quero ser sempre o menino
As estrelas deste mundo, Xangô
Ai, São João, Xangô Menino
Amidst the fireworks display, the singer wishes to remain forever young and Xangô to safeguard the stars of this world, calling out to the youthful god of São João festival.
Viva São João, viva Refazenda
Viva São João, viva Dominguinhos
Viva São João, viva Qualquer Coisa
Viva São João, Gal canta Caymmi
Viva São João, Pássaro Proibido
Viva São João!
The lyrics pay tribute to various artists and songs that celebrate the São João festival, highlighting the cultural richness and diversity of the traditional festivity.
Viva São João!
A repeated exclamation that affirms the joy and festivity of São João and invites everyone to celebrate.
Xangô, Xangô, Xangô, Xangô
A refrain that reaffirms the presence and invocation of the youthful god Xangô, the protector of São João festival.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Caetano Emmanuel Viana Teles Veloso, Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind