The band is considered one of the main groups in Brazilian rock. Like most groups from the 1960s, Os Mutantes were heavily influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone. However, Brazilian musicians were also immersed in their local culture, exercising their own creativity in the use of feedback, distortion and studio tricks of all kinds, just as was done by the Liverpool quartet and the group The Beach Boys. In this sense, Mutantes were pioneers in mixing rock and roll with Brazilian musical and thematic elements. Another characteristic of the group was irreverence. Like Os Mutantes, there began to be a kind of mixture of foreign and Brazilian music and the addition of new ideas, with doses of experimentalism, thus opening the way for musical hybridism.
Os Mutantes began their activities in 1966, as a trio, when they performed on the program O Pequeno Mundo de Ronnie Von on TV Record. On the eve of the program's premiere, the trio had the name "Os Bruxos", but neither Rita Lee nor the Dias Baptista brothers (Arnaldo and Sérgio) were satisfied with that name and wanted to change it. According to Carlos Calado,[2] the idea for the name "Os Mutantes" came from an ironic joke between Alberto Helena Júnior, the program's producer, and Ronnie Von, who, at the time, was reading O Império dos Mutantes, by Stefan Wul, and did not talk about any other subject. "Are you guys still looking for a name for the boys ensemble? Why not The Mutants?" Ronnie Von liked Alberto Helena's idea and took it to the group, who approved it immediately.
The group soon became one of the main exponents of the new MPB, influenced by Tropicália, until it dissolved in 1978. Over these twelve years, nine albums were recorded, two of which - O A e o Z and Tecnicolor - were only released on 1990s, when the group began to be recognized, on the national and international rock scene, as one of the most creative, dynamic, radical and talented of the psychedelic era and the history of world rock. In 2006, the band reunited, without Rita Lee or Liminha, but with the presence of Arnaldo Baptista and Zélia Duncan on vocals. The following year, Arnaldo and Zélia left the band, which was recomposed with other musicians and continues to perform under the leadership of Sérgio Dias, the only remaining member of the original lineup.
Caminhante Noturno
Os Mutantes Lyrics
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Eco, um sapato
Pisa o silêncio caminhante noturno
Fúria de ter nas suas mãos dedos finos de alguém
A apertar, a beijar
Vai caminhante
Antes do dia nascer
Antes da noite morrer
Vai caminhante
Luzes câmera
Canção que horas são
Sombra na esquina
Alguém, Maria
Sente a pulsar um amor musculoso
Vai encontrar esta noite o amor
Sem pagar, sem falar, a sonhar
Vai caminhante
Antes do dia nascer
Vai caminhante
Antes da noite morrer
Vai caminhante
No chão, vê folhas
Secas de jornal
Sombra na esquina
Alguém, Maria
Pisa o silêncio caminhante noturno
Foge do amor
Que a noite lhe deu sem cobrar
Sem falar, sem sonhar
Vai, vai, vai
Vai, vai, vai
Vai, vai, vai
Vai, vai, vai
The lyrics in Os Mutantes's song "Caminhante Noturno" depict a wandering character, a "caminhante noturno" or "nighttime walker," who roams the city streets alone and encounters different experiences along the way. The opening verse sets the scene with the sounds of footsteps on the pavement, highlighting the character's isolation and the hushed atmosphere of the night. The following line hints at a potential romantic encounter, where the singer experiences a "fury" of wanting to touch the "thin fingers" of someone else.
As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the refrain "Vai caminhante," which translates to "Go walker" in English. This directive creates an urgency in the character's actions and emphasizes their transient nature. The lyrics mention various urban elements such as "lights, camera," and "someone, Maria," which add to the atmosphere of the city at night. The second verse speaks of the character's yearning for a "muscular love" and the hope of finding it that night.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics take a darker turn, as the character attempts to flee from a love that the night has given them "without charging." The repetition of "vai, vai, vai" at the end of the song indicates a sense of restlessness and the need to keep moving. Overall, the lyrics of "Caminhante Noturno" paint a picture of a character who is searching for connection and meaning in the urban landscape they roam.
Line by Line Meaning
No chão de asfalto
On the asphalt ground
Eco, um sapato
An echo, a shoe
Pisa o silêncio caminhante noturno
The nocturnal walker steps on the silence
Fúria de ter nas suas mãos dedos finos de alguém
The rage of having someone's slender fingers in their hands
A apertar, a beijar
Holding tight, kissing
Vai caminhante
Go, walker
Antes do dia nascer
Before the day dawns
Antes da noite morrer
Before the night dies
Luzes câmera
Lights, camera
Canção que horas são
Song, what time is it?
Sombra na esquina
Shadow on the corner
Alguém, Maria
Someone, Maria
Sente a pulsar um amor musculoso
Feels a muscular love pulsating
Vai encontrar esta noite o amor
They will find love tonight
Sem pagar, sem falar, a sonhar
Without paying, without talking, dreaming
No chão, vê folhas
On the ground, they see leaves
Secas de jornal
Dried newspaper ones
Pisa o silêncio caminhante noturno
The nocturnal walker steps on the silence
Foge do amor
They run away from love
Que a noite lhe deu sem cobrar
That the night gave them for free
Sem falar, sem sonhar
Without speaking, without dreaming
Vai, vai, vai
Go, go, go
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arnaldo Dias Baptista, Rita Lee Jones Carvalho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind