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.
Barata Tonta
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sem eira nem beira
Feito barata tonta
Você me apronta
Depois me dá um beijo
Me faz um gracejo
Eu me desmancho toda
O resto que se exploda
O que é que há?
É só amor
Não existe remédio,
Não existe doutor
Que possa curar!
The lyrics of Rita Lee's song "Barata Tonta" are about being swept off your feet by a lover who may not be completely trustworthy or reliable. The singer describes feeling unsettled and confused ("cabreira") by this person's unpredictable behavior, like a "barata tonta" (dizzy cockroach) stumbling around without direction. Despite this, the person still manages to charm the singer with their kisses and jokes, causing her to "melt" ("me desmancho toda"). The singer recognizes that this relationship may be destructive, comparing it to a bomb, but ultimately argues that it's just love and there's no cure for that.
The theme of the song seems to be about the complexities of love and relationships, and how even when we know something may not be good for us, we can still be drawn in by the intensity of our feelings for someone. The lyrics also play with the metaphor of the "barata tonta" to describe this unease and lack of control that can come with falling for someone.
Line by Line Meaning
Você me deixa cabreira
You make me uneasy and suspicious
Sem eira nem beira
Without a settled place or sense of belonging
Feito barata tonta
Like a dizzy and confused cockroach
Você me apronta
You play tricks on me
Depois me dá um beijo
Then you kiss me
Me faz um gracejo
You make a joke at my expense
Eu me desmancho toda
I fall apart completely
O resto que se exploda
I don't care about anything else
Feito bomba H
Like an atomic bomb
O que é que há?
What's going on?
É só amor
It's just love
Não existe remédio,
There's no cure,
Não existe doutor
There's no doctor
Que possa curar!
Who can heal it!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Rita Lee Jones De Carvalho, Roberto Zenobio Affonso De Carvalho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind