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.

Sophisticated Lady
Caetano Veloso Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

they say into your early life romance came
and in this heart of yours burnt a flame
a flame that flickered one day and died away
then, with disillusion deep in your eyes
you learned that fools in love soon grow wise
the years have changed you somehow
i see you now
smoking, drinking

never thinking of tomorrow
nonchalant
diamonds shining
dancing, dining
with some man in a restaurant
is that all you really want
no, sophisticated lady, i know
you miss the love you had long ago

and when nobody is nigh
you cry

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song, "Sophisticated Lady," seem to be a commentary on the idea of women growing older and becoming jaded by life's experiences. The singer of the song is described as having once been a romantic, with a burning flame in her heart that eventually flickered and died. Through the years, she has become someone who smokes, drinks, and doesn't think about tomorrow. She wears diamonds, dances, and dines with men in fancy restaurants, but deep down, she misses the love she once had.

The lyrics are a stark reminder of how time changes people, and the ways in which we try to cope with the disappointments of life. The use of the word "sophisticated" in the title of the song is particularly telling, as it suggests a certain level of worldliness that has come at a cost. The singer may have lost the innocence and passion of her youth, but she has gained a veneer of sophistication that masks her true feelings.

Overall, the lyrics to "Sophisticated Lady" are a poignant exploration of the human experience, specifically the ways in which we change and grow over time. They remind us that everyone has a story to tell, and that we should never judge someone based on outward appearances. The song is a beautiful example of Veloso's songwriting ability, and the unique perspective he brings to his music.

Line by Line Meaning

they say into your early life romance came
People say that you experienced love early on in your life.

and in this heart of yours burnt a flame
Within your heart, you had a passionate flame.

a flame that flickered one day and died away
The flame flickered briefly and then vanished.

then, with disillusion deep in your eyes
Afterwards, you had a deep-seated sense of disappointment in your eyes.

you learned that fools in love soon grow wise
You learned that people in love quickly become sensible and realistic.

the years have changed you somehow
Over time, you changed in some way.

i see you now
I now observe you.

smoking, drinking
You are smoking and drinking.

never thinking of tomorrow
You do not plan for the future.

nonchalant
You have a casual and indifferent attitude.

diamonds shining
Your diamonds are shining.