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.
Bem-me-Quer
Rita Lee Lyrics
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Mas diga que não vive sem mim
Eu sou uma praga
Maria-sem-vergonha do seu jardim
Você tem ciúme
Mas gosta de me ver rebolar
Eu topo tudo
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
Rasgue minha roupa
Mas por favor não dê beliscão
Eu fico nua
Depois você reclama quando eu chamo atenção
Xingue minha laia
Mas venha me fazer cafuné
Eu faço greve
Até você me amar ou dar um pontapé
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
In Rita Lee's song, "Bem-me-Quer," the lyrics depict a complex and tumultuous relationship between two individuals. The singer is asking the other person to confess their true feelings, even if it means admitting to hating them. The paradoxical nature of the lyrics becomes even more apparent as the singer describes themselves as a "praga" or a "pest," and "Maria-sem-vergonha" which means 'shameless Maria' in Portuguese, yet the other person cannot live without them.
The lyrics continue with the singer describing how the other person is jealous, yet also enjoys watching them dance provocatively. The singer claims that they are willing to do whatever it takes to be desired, even if it means surrendering their dignity. This is exemplified by the singer's willingness to let the other person tear off their clothes as long as they don't leave bruises. The singer also declares that they will go on strike until the other person either loves them or kicks them out. The song's title, "Bem-me-Quer, Mal-me-Quer," translates to "He-loves-me, He-loves-me-not," which is a reference to a popular childhood game of picking petals off a flower to determine one's love interest's true feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Diga que me odeia
Say that you hate me
Mas diga que não vive sem mim
But say that you can't live without me
Eu sou uma praga
I am a nuisance
Maria-sem-vergonha do seu jardim
A type of flowering plant that some consider a weed
Você tem ciúme
You are jealous
Mas gosta de me ver rebolar
But you like to watch me wiggle
Eu topo tudo
I'm up for anything
Sou flor que se cheire em qualquer lugar
I'm a flower that can be smelled anywhere
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
Loves me, loves me not
Rasgue minha roupa
Tear my clothes
Mas por favor não dê beliscão
But please don't pinch me
Eu fico nua
I get naked
Depois você reclama quando eu chamo atenção
Then you complain when I grab attention
Xingue minha laia
Insult my people
Mas venha me fazer cafuné
But come give me a head massage
Eu faço greve
I'm going on strike
Até você me amar ou dar um pontapé
Until you love me or kick me out
Bem-me-quer, mal-me-quer
Loves me, loves me not
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RITA CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES DE CARVALHO, ROBERTO ZENOBIO AFFONSO DE CARVALHO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind