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.
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah, ah
Follow her down to a bridge by the fountain
where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high.
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
And you're gone.
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
Rita Lee's "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" is a psychedelic masterpiece that takes the listener on a journey through a surreal landscape. The song was inspired by one of John Lennon's drawings that his son, Julian, brought home from school. The drawing, which Julian called "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," featured a girl with bright, kaleidoscopic eyes. The title of the song is an acronym for LSD, a drug known for causing psychedelic experiences. However, John Lennon always maintained that the song was not about drugs but about the power of imagination and creativity.
The first verse of the song paints a vivid picture of a peaceful scene with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. The imagery is dreamlike and surreal, with the singer in a boat on a river, answering a call from a girl with kaleidoscope eyes. The second verse describes towering cellophane flowers in green and yellow and encourages the listener to look for the girl with the sun in her eyes, who has disappeared. The chorus repeats her name, "Lucy in the sky with diamonds," over and over, creating a hypnotic effect that mirrors the feeling of a psychedelic trip.
The third verse brings us to a bridge by a fountain where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies. Everyone smiles as the singer drifts past the incredibly high flowers. The fourth and final verse switches to a train station, where plasticine porters with looking glass ties stand guard. Suddenly, the girl with kaleidoscope eyes appears at the turnstile, bringing the journey full circle. The song ends with Lennon's plaintive voice repeating the last line, "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes."
Line by Line Meaning
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
Imagine yourself in a state of peace, floating down a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies.
The world around you is vividly colored in hues of orange and pink.
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,
Someone tries to bring you back to reality, but your mind is elsewhere and you respond slowly.
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
The person trying to bring you back to reality is a woman with constantly changing viewpoints.
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Flowers with synthetic and artificial colors.
Towering over your head.
These flowers are extremely tall and commanding.
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
Search for the girl who leads you to better places.
And she's gone.
She won't wait around for you to follow, so you must act quickly.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy, who represents a source of inspiration or enlightenment, is in a state of euphoria.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy, who represents a source of inspiration or enlightenment, is in a state of euphoria.
Lucy in the sky with diamonds, ah, ah
Lucy's experience is otherworldly and mesmerizing.
Follow her down to a bridge by the fountain
Take a chance and follow Lucy on a journey towards enlightenment.
where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
This is a surreal and dreamlike scene filled with absurdities.
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
The people and environment around Lucy emanate positive energy.
That grow so incredibly high.
The flowers have an almost mythical height and importance.
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
The situation is starting to feel overwhelming and surreal.
Waiting to take you away
There is an invitation or opportunity for you to leave reality behind and pursue a new experience.
Climb in the back with your head in the clouds
Embrace the opportunity and let your imagination take over.
And you're gone.
You leave your old self behind and embark on a new journey.
Picture yourself on a train in a station
Visualize yourself at a physical and metaphorical crossroads.
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties,
There are untrustworthy and fake authority figures around you.
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile,
Something unexpected or a new opportunity arises right in front of you.
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes.
This new opportunity is presented by the same woman who tried to bring you back to reality earlier. She represents a chance for a new and exciting journey.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LENNON, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruno Almeida
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away Climb in the back with your head in the clouds And you're gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Bernardo Barroso Neto
Beatles, Bossa nova, Rita Lee cantando e João Donato no piano. Tudo maravilhoso
Ellen Sousa
De longe uma das versões mais lindas que já ouvi!
Bruno Almeida
Picture yourself in a boat on a river
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Cellophane flowers of yellow and green
Towering over your head
Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes
And she's gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain
Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies
Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers
That grow so incredibly high
Newspaper taxis appear on the shore
Waiting to take you away Climb in the back with your head in the clouds And you're gone
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Picture yourself on a train in a station
With plasticine porters with looking glass ties
Suddenly someone is there at the turnstile
The girl with kaleidoscope eyes
Lucy in the sky with diamonds
Denise Serpa
Lindíssima interpretação! Viva Beatles ! Viva Rita!
Vitor Hugo
Ela fez história. Conheci aos 12 e hoje com 25 sinto sua morte, vai com Deus Rita!
gab loou
pena que tem gente que dá dislike nesse cd maravilhoso
GETER MOURA MACHADO
Fantástica!
A Girl Gives A Man His Own Name?
The chorus makes me think of how it would sound if Enya were to do a rendition of this song, hence why I love this cover.
Cintiaaninha
Amo😍
Paulo Mendes Junior
Essa música é da novela Império 2014 versão da Rita Lee.