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.
The Man I Love
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong
The man I love
And when
He comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay
He'll look at me and smile
And in a little while
He'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday
Maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday
Will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two
From which
I'd never roam
Who would, would you?
And so all else above
I'm wating for the man I love
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso’s song, The Man I Love, portrays the strong desire and hope for one day finding true love. The opening lines, “Someday he’ll come along, the man I love, and he’ll be big and strong, the man I love” highlights the specific qualities the singer is looking for in a partner, using physical strength as a measure of emotional strength. As the lyrics proceed, the singer expresses the effort she will put in to keep the man who fits her ideal type by doing her best to make him stay.
The lyrics also convey a sense of uncertainty and longing for the man she hopes to meet "Maybe I shall meet him Sunday, maybe Monday or maybe not". The singer seems unsure of when she'll meet her love but is optimistic and hopeful that "one day maybe Tuesday" she'll finally meet him. The imagery of building a home "just meant for two" symbolizes the singer's desire for stability in her romantic life.
Overall, the lyrics illustrate the universal longing for love and a sense of companionship. Interestingly, the song can also be interpreted as a tribute to George Gershwin's seminal jazz standard composition "The Man I Love."
Line by Line Meaning
Someday he'll come along
At some point in the future, the man I long for will appear
The man I love
The person that I deeply care about
And he'll be big and strong
He will be a physically imposing person who I can rely on and feel safe with
And when
He comes my way
When he finally arrives in my life
I'll do my best to make him stay
I will endeavor to make sure that he doesn't leave me, and that we can build a life together
He'll look at me and smile
When he sees me, he will be happy and content
I'll understand
I will recognize the look in his eyes, and feel the depth of his emotions
And in a little while
After a short time has passed
He'll take my hand
He will reach out and touch me, symbolizing the beginning of our relationship
And though it seems absurd
Even if it seems unlikely or unrealistic
I know we both won't say a word
Neither of us will need to say anything - our feelings will be evident in our actions and expressions
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday
Maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday
Will be my good news day
Although I am unsure when we will meet, I am confident that it will happen - perhaps tomorrow, maybe not for years
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two
From which
I'd never roam
Who would, would you?
Together we will build a cozy, intimate space where we can spend our days together. I am certain that neither of us would want to leave that space, as we will be more content there than anywhere else in the world
And so all else above
I'm waiting for the man I love
Above all else, my heart longs for the man I love, and I am patiently waiting for him to appear in my life
Lyrics © RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maria Guedes
O Caetano, com a sua voz de veludo, fez e faz parte do meu mundo para sempre. É um pilar... de beleza e sensibilidade e poesia.
Isabelle Neri
Caetano, você é um dos melhores presentes e orgulho do nosso Brasil. Alegria de te escutar e dizer: "é brasileiro".
Elizabeth Fonseca
Belíssima interpretação desta maravilha de George Gershwin.
The Man I Love é daquelas músicas que deixam a gente derretida de tanto amor.
Obrigada, Caetano amado❤
maria antonieta pantoja mansilla
Y lo i
Portante es para el que no puede escuchar la melodía.🥰🤷♀️💙💙🇨🇱🇨🇱🇨🇱
eusebio savage
@caetanovelosomusicspotgmail É uma alegria alegria podermos conversar. Ou não!
Rosemary Andrade
GRANDISSIMO! CAETANO! ORGULHO INTERNACIONAL! !!
stella V.M.
Pour moi il y a deux genies dans la musique brésilienne => CAETANO & DJAVAN (bien sur considerant tous les autres mais ceux-ci sont d'une noblesse extraordinaire ) !!! 💞💓💝
Alice&CrisOliveira
E Chico Buarque. ❤
stella V.M.
@Alice&CrisOliveira grande autor,grande poeta, mas nao tem a DOÇURA dos dois mencionados antes
Dell Capistrano
Chico também é cura ! Todos eles nos salvam com suas canções ❤