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.
Stardust
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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the lonely nights
dreaming of a song
that melody haunts my reverie
and i am once again whith you
when our love was new
and each kiss an inspiration
but that was long ago
is in the stardust of a song
beside a garden wall
where stars are bright
you are in my arms
the nightingale tells his fairy tale
of paradise where roses grew
though i dream in vain
in my heart it will remain
my stardust melody
the memory of love's refrain
The song Stardust by Caetano Veloso is a melancholic and nostalgic tune that reflects on the power of music in triggering memories of past loves. The singer of the song confesses to spending many lonely nights dreaming of a song that reminds him of a former lover. The melody of this song haunts his reverie and takes him back to a time when their love was new, and every kiss was an inspiration. The song invokes bittersweet emotions in the singer, who acknowledges that this love is long gone but finds consolation in the stardust of a song.
The ‘Stardust’ is a metaphor that represents the power of music to keep hope alive and help us cherish memories of past loves. The singer takes us on a poetic journey that is fueled by an imaginary garden wall, bright stars, and a nightingale's song. The song becomes a trigger for his imagination, slowly transporting him back to a time when love was in full bloom. We get a sense that the singer knows that his dream is in vain, but he chooses to hold on to the memory of love's refrain that lives in his heart.
Overall, Stardust is a beautiful and evocative song that speaks to the universal human experience of love and memory.
Line by Line Meaning
sometimes i wonder why i spend
I often question why I waste my time
the lonely nights
During these nights when I am alone
dreaming of a song
I dream about a particular melody
that melody haunts my reverie
This tune keeps haunting my daydreams
and i am once again whith you
When I recall those days spent with you
when our love was new
Back when our love had just started
and each kiss an inspiration
When every kiss made me feel inspired
but that was long ago
But those memories are now from a distant past
and now my consolation
My only comfort or relief
is in the stardust of a song
Is found in this song's stardust quality, something unexplainable and beautiful
beside a garden wall
Next to a garden wall
where stars are bright
Where the shining stars illuminate
you are in my arms
I can hold you again in my mind
the nightingale tells his fairy tale
A bird sings a fairy tale story
of paradise where roses grew
Of a heavenly place where roses bloomed
though i dream in vain
Although my dreams are futile
in my heart it will remain
But in my heart, these cherished memories will always be present
my stardust melody
This song's magical quality
the memory of love's refrain
Memories of love's permanent melody
Contributed by Jeremiah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.