The band name is Portuguese for “Tired of Being Sexy” (taken from something Beyoncé once commented to the press: “I am tired of being sexy”).
The members are: Lovefoxxx (vocals), Luiza Sá (guitar, drums and keys), Ana Rezende (guitar and harmonica) and Carolina Parra (guitar and drums). Former members are Iracema Trevisan (bass) and Adriano Cintra (drums, guitar, vocals and production).
In an interview, guitarist/harmonica player Ana Rezende explains the band's name: "[...] we heard that Beyoncé had said that she was really tired of being sexy, which is a really retarded thing to say. It's like saying, "Oh, I'm tired of being rich." So "tired of being sexy" in Portuguese is cansei de ser sexy, so we put it on the flyer to promote the show that we were playing and we kind of got stuck with that name. It was just the stupidest name that we could have ever come up with, but it's funny and I love it. But sometimes people think that we're serious and we're tired of being recognized for our bodies or something like that, and it's nothing like that at all.."
CSS owes a lot of its success to word-of-mouth promotion on the internet, starting with the Trama Virtual website, a kind of Brazilian MySpace. A live performance in 2004 at Tim Festival on the same stage as 2 Many DJs and Kraftwerk increased their fanbase.
In 2005, they signed with Trama Virtual and in October of the same year their first album was released in Brazil.
At the beginning of 2006, CSS signed with Sub Pop to release their first international album and in July they made a thirty-gig tour through USA and Canada along with DJ Diplo and Bonde do Rolê.
The live performance CSS offers is uniquely energetic and entertaining. Lovefoxxx dodges among her bandmates and involves the audience in virtually every song. Sá, Cintra, and Parra switch instruments so often it's easy to forget where they started.
Tours of the US and Europe with Ladytron and Basement Jaxx in 2006 were followed by gigs in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
In 2007 18 year old student and Apple fan Nick Haley created a home made iPod Touch commercial by piecing together various clips found at apple.com and adding the fast paced and catchy CSS song "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" as the soundtrack.
After uploading the home made commercial to YouTube Haley was contacted by Apple agency TBWA/Chiat/Day who was allowed to create a TV commercial based on his original spot, claiming instant fame for the CSS tune as well as for the user generated commercial.
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How I Became Paranoid
Cansei de Ser Sexy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I looked above and stepped aside
Astrology is not my cup of tea
I'd rather go inside and watch some TV
What about clouds?
I think you should give it a try
But watching clouds is something you'll want to do tonight
But it's not for me
No, it's not for me
Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting
Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy
We walked inside and watched TV for a while
The news crept me out, the X put me down
I got so bored to death
And then outside, the bugs starting eating me up
I felt so bad
I looked up to the sky
The stars, the clouds, the moon!, the beautiful light
It all made sense, but just for a while
But it's not for me
No, it's not for me
Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting
Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy
Times like this
Pictured perfectly
Times like this
I'm nervous breaking
And who's got the nerves to let loose?
Times like this
Times like this
Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting
Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy
The lyrics to Cansei de Ser Sexy's song How I Became Paranoid depict the inner dilemma of wanting to enjoy the beauty of the stars and nature but feeling restless and anxious. The first verse begins with a girl talking about how stars are fun and looking up at the sky, but the singer is hesitant and would rather watch TV. The girl then suggests looking at the clouds, but the singer is preoccupied with a bad week and cannot fully appreciate the beauty of the night sky.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more agitated and restless, feeling a sense of discomfort and boredom with daily life. They turn on the TV, only to be frightened by the news and then ultimately bothered by bugs outdoors. Looking up at the sky, the beauty and wonder of the stars, clouds, and moon give them a brief sense of clarity and understanding before the restlessness and anxiety overtake them once more.
The chorus repeats the lines "Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting/Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy," which reveals the underlying frustration and sense of unease that the singer feels in their life. The song ends with the repeated phrase, "Times like this," emphasizing the singer's unsettled state of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars are fun, she said with a beautiful smile
She finds enjoyment in looking at the stars and expresses this with a smile.
As I looked above and stepped aside
While she was looking at the stars, he moved aside to let her have a better view.
Astrology is not my cup of tea
He does not have an interest in astrology.
I'd rather go inside and watch some TV
He prefers to watch TV inside than look at stars outside.
What about clouds? I think you should give it a try
She suggests he should try watching clouds instead of stars.
But watching clouds is something you'll want to do tonight
She thinks it would be a good idea to watch clouds later tonight.
I hope you understand it's been a bad week
She hopes he understands that she's had a rough week.
But it's not for me, No, it's not for me
Looking at clouds is not his thing.
Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting
He has been waiting for something for a while, possibly a change.
Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy
He wants a change in the situation and is willing to either end things or be viewed as crazy.
We walked inside and watched TV for a while
They went inside and watched TV together.
The news crept me out, the X put me down
The news made him uncomfortable and something about an ex negatively affected him.
I got so bored to death
He was extremely bored.
And then outside, the bugs starting eating me up
When he went outside, he was getting bitten by bugs.
I felt so bad
He felt terrible.
I looked up to the sky, The stars, the clouds, the moon!, the beautiful light
As he looked up, he saw the stars, clouds, moon, and beautiful light.
It all made sense, but just for a while
For a brief moment, it all seemed clear to him.
Times like this, Pictured perfectly
These specific moments were perfectly captured.
Times like this, I'm nervous breaking
During these moments, he feels extremely nervous and on-edge.
And who's got the nerves to let loose? Times like this, Times like this
He wonders who is brave enough to let go and enjoy these types of moments.
Maybe it's been so long I've been waiting
He has been waiting for something for a while, possibly a change.
Oh baby, just call it off or call me crazy
He wants a change in the situation and is willing to either end things or be viewed as crazy.
Contributed by London P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.