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.

Uns
Caetano Veloso Lyrics

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Uns vão
Uns tão
Uns são
Uns dão
Uns não
Uns hão de
Uns pés
Uns mãos

Uns cabeça
Uns só coração
Uns amam
Uns andam
Uns avançam
Uns também
Uns cem
Uns sem
Uns vêm
Uns têm
Uns nada têm
Uns mal
Uns bem
Uns nada além
Nunca estão todos

Uns bichos
Uns deuses
Uns azuis
Uns quase iguais
Uns menos
Uns mais
Uns médios
Uns por demais
Uns masculinos
Uns femininos
Uns assim
Uns meus
Uns teus
Uns ateus
Uns filhos de Deus
Uns dizem fim

Uns dizem sim
E não há outros

Overall Meaning

The song "Uns" by Caetano Veloso is a simple yet powerful reflection on the diversity of human experiences and existence. It starts with the repetition of the word "uns," which means "some" or "a few" in Portuguese. Veloso uses this word to describe different aspects of people, such as their actions, body parts, emotions, and identities. He also contrasts them with their opposites, such as giving and not giving, having and not having, loving and not loving, etc.

Through these descriptions, Veloso suggests that every individual is unique and complex, with their own strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows, beliefs and doubts. He also acknowledges that no one can fully understand or represent all of humanity, as there are always "uns" left out or unknown. Therefore, the song can be seen as a humble and inclusive tribute to the diversity of humanity, urging us to respect and appreciate each other's differences.

Interestingly, the song has been interpreted in different ways by different people, depending on their cultural background and context. Some see it as a celebration of Brazil's multiculturalism and racial diversity, while others read it as a critique of oppressive social norms and hierarchies. Veloso himself has said that the song was inspired by the concept of "Ubuntu," which means "I am because we are" in some African languages, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human beings and the importance of community.

Overall, "Uns" is a poetic and thought-provoking song that invites us to reflect on the complexity and richness of human existence, and to embrace our differences as a source of strength and beauty.

Line by Line Meaning

Uns vão
Some people leave

Uns tão
Some people stay

Uns são
Some people are

Uns dão
Some people give

Uns não
Some people don't

Uns hão de
Some people will

Uns pés
Some people have feet

Uns mãos
Some people have hands

Uns cabeça
Some people have heads

Uns só coração
Some people are just heart

Uns amam
Some people love