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.

Teimosia
Rita Lee Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Não vem cá, não vem
Não vem cá, não vem cá
Não vem cá, não vem
Não vem cá, não vem não

Eu vou sim eu vou
Eu vou sim eu vou sim
Eu vou sim eu vou

Eu vou sim eu vou sim

Eu sou teimoso e você é teimosa
Nós somos teimosos

Não vem cá, não vem
Não vem cá, não vem cá
Não vem cá, não vem
Não vem que eu vou aí

Eu vou sim eu vou
Eu vou sim eu vou sim
Eu vou sim eu vou
você que fique aí

Eu sou teimoso e você é teimosa
Nós somos teimosos

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Rita Lee's song Teimosia (Stubbornness in English) capture an ongoing argument between two stubborn people who refuse to give in. The repetitive first verse is a clear message that one of the parties is not willing to compromise or concede. The second verse is the response of the other person who believes they have the persistence to change the mind of the reluctant party. However, the chorus shows that they are both equally stubborn, as they both claim to be stubborn.

The meaning behind this song is clear; it's about two people in a stalemate, who refuse to give up their positions or yield to the other person. This song is relatable to many as everyone has had their fair share of arguments where both parties refuse to back down. The song exhibits that nothing is achieved when two people refuse to compromise, and it becomes an endless cycle of stubbornness. It also shows that regardless of the resilience and determination of one person, those efforts are wasted when the other person is adamant.

Line by Line Meaning

Não vem cá, não vem
I don't want you to come here

Não vem cá, não vem cá
I really don't want you to come here

Não vem cá, não vem
Seriously, don't come here

Não vem cá, não vem não
I mean it, don't come here

Eu vou sim eu vou
I'm going, no matter what

Eu vou sim eu vou sim
I'm definitely going, without a doubt

Eu vou sim eu vou
I'm going, I've made up my mind

Eu vou sim eu vou sim
I'm really, really going

Eu sou teimoso e você é teimosa
I'm stubborn and you're stubborn too

Nós somos teimosos
Together we are stubborn

Não vem que eu vou aí
Don't come because I'm already on my way to you