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.
Mutante
Rita Lee Lyrics
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Se um dia eu roubar
O seu anel de brilhantes
Afinal de contas dei meu coração
E você pôs na estante
Como um troféu
No meio da bugiganga
Você me deixou de tanga
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Pena que você não me kiss
Não me suicidei por um triz
Ai de mim que sou assim!
Quando eu me sinto um pouco rejeitada
Me dá um nó na garganta
Choro até secar a alma de toda mágoa
Depois eu passo pra outra
Como mutante
No fundo sempre sozinho
Seguindo o meu caminho
Ai de mim que sou romântica!
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Pena que você não me kiss
Não me suicidei por um triz
Ai de mim que sou assim!
The song "Mutante" by Rita Lee speaks of a romantic relationship that has gone sour. Despite giving her heart to her partner, they have put it away and treat it as a meaningless object amongst other trinkets. This hurts her deeply, as she is a hopeless romantic who believed in their love. The lyrics suggest that she may even steal a precious item from her partner just to prove a point. She longs for their partner's affection, but they are unwilling to give her the attention she desires. This leaves her feeling rejected and alone, but she is still determined to move on and find love elsewhere, even if she needs to change herself like a "mutant," as long as she remains true to herself.
The lyrics of the song demonstrate the internal conflict faced by the singer, who is a romantic at heart but also realistic about the shortcomings of relationships. The use of the term "mutante" (mutant) throughout the song is a metaphor for the transformation that the singer undergoes as she tries to deal with the end of the relationship. She learns to cope with the pain of heartbreak and adapt to new circumstances. The repetition of "Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me" implies her desire for physical affection within the relationship but ultimately ends up with the realization that her romantic nature may cause her more pain than joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Juro que não vai doer
I promise it won't hurt
Se um dia eu roubar
If one day I steal
O seu anel de brilhantes
Your diamond ring
Afinal de contas dei meu coração
After all, I gave my heart
E você pôs na estante
And you put it on the shelf
Como um troféu
Like a trophy
No meio da bugiganga
In the middle of the trinkets
Você me deixou de tanga
You left me in the lurch
Ai de mim que sou romântica!
Oh, woe is me, I'm a romantic!
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Pena que você não me kiss
Too bad you don't kiss me
Não me suicidei por um triz
I didn't kill myself by a hair
Ai de mim que sou assim!
Oh, woe is me, that's how I am!
Quando eu me sinto um pouco rejeitada
When I feel a little rejected
Me dá um nó na garganta
It knots up my throat
Choro até secar a alma de toda mágoa
I cry until my soul is dry of all bitterness
Depois eu passo pra outra
Then I move on to someone else
Como mutante
Like a mutant
No fundo sempre sozinho
Ultimately always alone
Seguindo o meu caminho
Following my own path
Ai de mim que sou romântica!
Oh, woe is me, I'm a romantic!
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Kiss baby, kiss me baby, kiss me
Pena que você não me kiss
Too bad you don't kiss me
Não me suicidei por um triz
I didn't kill myself by a hair
Ai de mim que sou assim!
Oh, woe is me, that's how I am!
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MILTON SOUZA DE JESUS, RENIVALDO SANTANA SENA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind