Rita helped to incorporate the rock revolution into the creative explosion of tropicalismo, formed the most celebrated Brazilian rock band in the world, Os Mutantes, and created solo songs with enormous popular appeal without losing her freedom and irreverence.
Former member of the group Os Mutantes (1966 — 1972) and leader of the band Tutti Frutti (1973 — 1978), Lee participated in important revolutions in the world of music and society, such as the Tropicália movement during the Brazilian dictatorship, which led her to be the artist with the most censored songs in Brazil during that period. Her songs, usually watered with an acid irony or with a claim for female independence and sexual topics, became ubiquitous in the charts. The album, Fruto Proibido (1975), released together with the band Tutti Frutti, is commonly seen as a fundamental milestone in the history of Brazilian rock, considered by some as her masterpiece.
In 1976, Lee began a romantic relationship with guitarist Roberto de Carvalho and since then he has been the partner on most of her songs and accompanied her in all her live performances. They had three children, including Beto Lee, also a guitarist, who accompanies his parents in concerts. With a career that has reached 50 years, Rita Lee has gone from the musical innovation of the late 1960s and 1970s to the highly successful romantic ballads of the 1980s. In October 2008, Rolling Stone magazine promoted the List of the 100 Greatest Artists in Brazilian Music, where Rita Lee ranks 15th.
In 2001, Rita Lee won the Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Rock Album with "3001". She would receive five more nominations for the award and in 2022, she was awarded the Musical Excellence award for her body of work. In 2012, she announced that she would retire from performing live due to physical frailty. "I retire from shows, but never from music," she wrote on Twitter.
She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and had been undergoing treatment for the disease. She passed away in her hometown of São Paulo at the age of 75 on May 8, 2023.
A gripe do amor
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nem vitamina
Pega só de olhar
Han! Han!
Não tem benzedeira
Chá de erva cidreira
Capaz de curar
Uh! Uh! Uh!
Hum! Hum!
A gripe do amor
Hum! Hum!
A gripe do amor
Amor!
Causa dependência
Provoca furor
Manemolência
Han! Han!
O coração não bate
Apanha!
A alma faz manhã
Uh! Uh!
Peguei a gripe do amor
Não adianta doutor
Tô tendo um piripaque
Por favor não me salve
Quero morrer de amor
Peguei a gripe do amor
Não adianta doutor
Tô tendo um piripaque
Por favor não me salve
Quero morrer de amor
Se você me ama
Vem ficar de cama
Vem cuidar de mim
Por uma semana
Um mês, um ano
A vida inteira
Uh! Uh! Uh!
Peguei a gripe do amor
Não adianta doutor
Tô tendo um piripaque
Por favor não me salve
Quero morrer de amor
A Gripe do Amor!
The lyrics of "A gripe do amor" by Rita Lee describe the symptoms of love and compare it to the flu that comes with no cure or remedy. The first verse talks about how the flu comes without a vaccine or vitamin that can cure it, and how it can be contagious just by looking at someone. This metaphorically represents how love can be sudden and uncontrollable, and it can infect anyone at any time. The second verse talks about the symptoms of love such as dependency, excitement, and lethargy. It also compares the effect on the heart to a punch that leaves it numb, and how the soul dances in the morning due to the powerful impact of love.
The chorus repeats the idea of the love flu being incurable and how the singer wants to die from it. This reflects how love can be so intense that it takes over someone's thoughts and emotions entirely. The final verse asks the person the singer loves to stay with them and take care of them as if they have the flu. They not only require someone to take care of them physically but also emotionally, showing how love requires attention and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
Não há vacina
Love is a disease for which there is no cure or prevention
Nem vitamina
Neither medicine nor vitamins can heal the 'disease' of love
Pega só de olhar
Love is contagious and can be contracted just by looking at someone
Han! Han!
Onomatopoeic expressions of sneezing, indicating the infectiousness of love
Não tem benzedeira
Even traditional healers cannot cure the 'disease' of love
Chá de erva cidreira
Even herbal remedies like lemon balm tea are powerless against the 'disease' of love
Capaz de curar
Love has the power to heal and cure the heart and soul
Uh! Uh! Uh!
Onomatopoeic expressions of feeling better and cured, indicating the healing power of love
A gripe do amor
Love is compared to the flu, as both are contagious and cause feverish symptoms
Causa dependência
Love is addictive and causes dependence on the beloved
Provoca furor
Love triggers intense emotions and passions
Manemolência
Love makes the heart beat slower with tenderness and calmness
O coração não bate
Love makes the heart skip a beat or skip a rhythm
Apanha!
Onomatopoeic expression of being caught off guard or becoming vulnerable to love
A alma faz manhã
Love makes the soul brighter, as if creating a new morning
Peguei a gripe do amor
The artist is infected with the 'disease' of love and cannot be cured
Não adianta doutor
Even medical experts cannot find a cure for the 'disease' of love
Tô tendo um piripaque
The singer is having a fit or seizure of love
Por favor não me salve
The singer wants to embrace and indulge in the 'disease' of love, even if it means not being saved
Quero morrer de amor
The artist wants to die of love, as it is the ultimate experience of happiness and fulfillment
Se você me ama
If you love me
Vem ficar de cama
Come lay in bed with me
Vem cuidar de mim
Take care of me, as I am 'sick' with love
Por uma semana
For a week
Um mês, um ano
For a month, a year
A vida inteira
For the entire life
A Gripe do Amor!
Love is a powerful, incurable disease that can bring joy and happiness to life
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RITA CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES CARVALHO, ROBERTO ZENOBIO AFFONSO DE CARVALHO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
José Carvalho
Esta mulher faz umas músicas e umas letras incríveis... Quanto talento meu Deus. Abraço de Portugal!
Alysson Steve
Esperando uma alma caridosa regravar esta música, pois ela combina - de uma forma tão linda - com o momento pelo qual estamos passando. Até mesmo a própria Rita Lee poderia fazer um relançamento.
Rodolfo Paz
Amo muito... Saudades de músicas boas...
Material Guimarães
Ouvir está música e outras da completa artista Rita Lee e sua equipe afastam toda tristeza obrigado por vocês existirem
Adriana Barbosa
Maravilhosa ❤️❤️❤️
Luany Soares
Adoro!!!😍
Luis Herrera
Merecia ser hit!
Marcela Rosada
Muito Boa!
Heloiza Valle
RITA LEE tu já sabia que não haveria vacina né? A vacina está dentro de nós. O amor salva.....
claudio moises
flamengo a gripe do amor 🤩🤩