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.
Bobos da Corte
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pra perto de mim,
E dar um amasso daqueles
Que não dá pra dizer
Se ele é ela ou se ela é ele!
Eu vou beijar você
Debaixo do seu nariz,
Nem rainha, nem rei,
Apenas os bobos da corte!
The lyrics to Rita Lee's song "Bobos da Corte" depict a scene of two people coming together and getting lost in the moment, as they engage in intimate activities without any regard for gender roles or societal norms. The usage of words like "ele" (he) and "ela" (she) in close proximity to each other serves to blur the lines between gender identities, hinting at a more fluid approach to sexuality.
The lyrics are also somewhat poetic in nature, as they use language that is both playful and suggestive. For example, the phrase "dar um amasso" (to give a smooch) is a more colloquial way of saying "to kiss passionately", while the line "no meio da boca da noite" (in the middle of the mouth of the night) conjures up a surreal image of two people lost in the dark, surrounded by their own desires.
Overall, "Bobos da Corte" is a song about abandoning social conventions and embracing one's true desires, even if they do not fit neatly into predetermined categories. It celebrates the beauty of human connection, and champions the idea that love is not something that can be easily defined or contained.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu vou puxar você
Eu quero te aproximar de mim
Pra perto de mim,
Para que possamos ficar juntos
E dar um amasso daqueles
Quero te dar um beijo intenso
Que não dá pra dizer
Que não pode ser definido com palavras
Se ele é ela ou se ela é ele!
Porque não importa se somos heterossexuais ou homossexuais, o que importa é o amor
Eu vou beijar você
Quero beijar você
Debaixo do seu nariz,
Diretamente na sua frente
No meio da boca da noite,
Quando estiver escuro
Nem rainha, nem rei,
Quero ser igual a você, sem distinção de gênero ou status
Apenas os bobos da corte!
Somos como os bobos da corte, livres para amar quem quisermos
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RITA CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES DE CARVALHO, ROBERTO ZENOBIO AFFONSO DE CARVALHO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind