Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on December 31, 1… Read Full Bio ↴Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on December 31, 1947, and passed away in her hometown on May 8, 2023. Best known as Rita Lee, was a Brazilian MPB singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, actress, writer, TV host and animals rights activist of American and Italian descent, being regarded as the "Queen of Brazilian Rock".

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.

Departamento De Criação
Rita Lee Lyrics

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Quem vive pra servir assim
Não serve pra viver aqui
E você quer que eu faça aquilo tudo que você
Não sabe fazer?

Vou dar trabalho à crítica
Já que ela depende de mim
É um jeito de sair do buraco que é fundo

E acaba-se o mundo por falta de imaginação
Eu não!
Meu departamento é de criação!
Mas que falta de imaginação
Eu não!
Meu departamento é de criação!

Falar bem de mim, é perder o emprego
É perder o dinheiro
É perder o segredo da sua profissão
Mas que falta de imaginação!

Eu não!
Meu departamento é de criação!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Departamento De Criação" by Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti address the frustration of being undervalued and underutilized in the workplace. The singer questions the value of a person who lives to serve rather than serving to live, and challenges someone who expects them to do everything they themselves cannot do. The singer then asserts that they will provide work for the critics who depend on them, as they are the ones with the imagination and creativity to rise above the mundane.

The lyrics also touch on the idea that speaking well of oneself can lead to losing one's job and income, as it reveals the secrets of one's profession. The singer ultimately refuses to be limited by this lack of creativity and proudly states that their department is one of creation, not servitude. Overall, the song highlights the importance of creativity and imagination in the workplace, challenging the notion that servitude is the only valuable form of labor.

Line by Line Meaning

Quem vive pra servir assim
One who lives only to serve is not fit to live in this world

Não serve pra viver aqui
Such a person is not capable of living in this world

E você quer que eu faça aquilo tudo que você Não sabe fazer?
Do you want me to do everything that you are incapable of doing?

Vou dar trabalho à crítica
I will give the critics something to talk about

Já que ela depende de mim
Since they depend on me

É um jeito de sair do buraco que é fundo
It's a way to escape the deep hole

E acaba-se o mundo por falta de imaginação
Without imagination, the world would come to an end

Eu não!
Not me!

Meu departamento é de criação!
My department is for creation!

Mas que falta de imaginação
How lacking in imagination

Eu não!
Not me!