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.
Flagra
Rita Lee Lyrics
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Chupando drops de aniz
Longe de qualquer problema
Perto de um final feliz
Se a Deborah Kerr que o Gregory Peck
Não vou bancar o santinho
Minha garota é Mae West
Mas de repente o filme pifou
E a turma toda logo vaiou
Acenderam as luzes, cruzes!
Que flagra!
Que flagra!
Que flagra!
The lyrics of Rita Lee's song "Flagra" depict a couple experiencing a romantic moment in a movie theater. The singer describes their situation as free from any problems and heading towards a happy ending. The references to Deborah Kerr and Gregory Peck evoke the classic Hollywood era, implying that the couple is engaged in some kind of dramatic romance. However, the singer states that he is not pretending to be innocent and that his partner is more like Mae West (a bold and independent actress from the 1930s). He identifies himself as the Sheik Valentino, another reference to classic cinema and an allusion to the Italian actor Rudolph Valentino.
Suddenly, the movie stops working, and the audience starts booing. The lights come on, and everyone can see the couple. This event is the "flagra," a Brazilian slang term meaning "catch," "caught in the act" or "exposure." The song ends on this note of humor and embarrassment, as the couple's private moment is made public for all to see.
Line by Line Meaning
No escurinho do cinema
In the dimly lit cinema
Chupando drops de aniz
Sucking anise-flavored candy
Longe de qualquer problema
Far from any problem
Perto de um final feliz
Close to a happy ending
Se a Deborah Kerr que o Gregory Peck
If Deborah Kerr gets Gregory Peck
Não vou bancar o santinho
I won't play innocent
Minha garota é Mae West
My girl is Mae West
Eu sou o Sheik Valentino
I am Sheik Valentino
Mas de repente o filme pifou
But suddenly the movie failed
E a turma toda logo vaiou
And the whole gang booed immediately
Acenderam as luzes, cruzes!
They turned on the lights, oh my god!
Que flagra!
What a catch!
Que flagra!
What a catch!
Que flagra!
What a catch!
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