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.
Um Frevo Novo
Caetano Veloso Lyrics
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Como o céu é do avião
Um frevo novo
Eu peço um frevo novo
Todo mundo na praça
E muita gente sem graça no salão
Mete o cotovelo
Pegue no meu cabelo
Pra não se perder
E terminar sozinho
O tempo passa mas
Na raça eu chego lá
É aqui nessa praça
Que tudo vai ter de pintar
A praça Castro Alves é do povo
Como o céu é do avião
Um frevo novo
Eu peço um frevo novo
Todo mundo na praça
E muita gente sem graça no salão
Mete o cotovelo
E vai abrindo o caminho
Pegue no meu cabelo
Pra não se perder
E terminar sozinho
O tempo passa mas
Na raça eu chego lá
É aqui nessa praça
Que tudo vai ter de pintar
The lyrics to Caetano Veloso's song "Um Frevo Novo" are a call to action for the people of Salvador, Brazil to come together and create something new and exciting. The song references the Praça Castro Alves, a famous public square in Salvador, which the singer refers to as belonging to the people, much like the sky belongs to airplanes. He urges everyone to come together and dance a new kind of frevo, a fast and rhythmic dance style that originated in northeast Brazil. The lyrics also speak to the idea of pushing through obstacles and celebrating the power of perseverance, as the singer encourages listeners to elbow their way through the crowd and grab onto his hair to avoid getting lost in the excitement.
Overall, the song's lyrics are a celebration of community, creativity, and the power of music and dance to bring people together. By invoking the spirit of Salvador and its vibrant cultural scene, the singer encourages listeners to release their inhibitions and get lost in the music, embracing the energy and passion of the frevo dance.
Line by Line Meaning
A praça Castro Alves é do povo
The square Castro Alves belongs to the people
Como o céu é do avião
Like the sky belongs to the airplane
Um frevo novo
A new frevo
Eu peço um frevo novo
I ask for a new frevo
Todo mundo na praça
Everyone in the square
E muita gente sem graça no salão
And many people feeling awkward in the ballroom
Mete o cotovelo
Put your elbow in
E vai abrindo o caminho
And go opening the way
Pegue no meu cabelo
Grab my hair
Pra não se perder
So you don't get lost
E terminar sozinho
And end up alone
O tempo passa mas
Time passes but
Na raça eu chego lá
I'll get there through perseverance
É aqui nessa praça
It's here in this square
Que tudo vai ter de pintar
That everything will have to happen
Contributed by Makayla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.