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.
Tratos À Bola
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aquele que vivia me chamando de bobinha
Eu lembro que uma vez ele me disse
Hei, menina, um dia eu ainda vou te amar de verdade
E daí, eu cresci, dei tratos à bola e saí por aí!
Senhoras e senhores, imaginem minha cara
Aquela que eu fazia quando eu era menininha
Voltou e completou aquela velha profecia
E daí, e daí, deu tratos à bola e saiu por aí!
Mas isso me mostrou que nada é mesmo impossível
Uma vez que se acredite de todo coração
Eu gosto de pensar que tenho a vida pela frente
Pra ver acontecer o que nem sonha a imaginação
E daí, e daí, dar tratos à bola e sair por aí!
The song Tratos À Bola by Rita Lee is a playful and nostalgic reflection on the unpredictability of life and the power of childhood dreams. The lyrics describe the encounter between the singer and a childhood friend who used to tease her. The friend once told her that he would love her someday, but the singer grew up and took off on her own path. However, the friend reappeared in her life and fulfilled his prophecy. Despite the ironic tone of the song, the singer acknowledges the power of the friend's words and the unpredictable nature of life. The final lines suggest that anything is possible if one has faith and imagination.
The lyrics of Tratos À Bola are full of cultural references and wordplay. The title is a Portuguese expression that means "playing with a ball", but it can also be interpreted as "giving thought to a problem". The phrase "dar tratos à bola" is used in Brazilian Portuguese to describe the act of thinking hard about something. The lyrics also mention the singer's childhood and her dreams, which are represented by the image of a playful, bouncing ball. The phrase "dar tratos à bola e sair por aí" can be translated as "thinking hard and taking off", suggesting a sense of adventure and exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu ontem encontrei um amiguinho de infância
Yesterday I ran into a childhood friend
Aquele que vivia me chamando de bobinha
The one who used to always call me silly
Eu lembro que uma vez ele me disse
I remember he once told me
Hei, menina, um dia eu ainda vou te amar de verdade
Hey, girl, someday I will really love you
E daí, eu cresci, dei tratos à bola e saí por aí!
And so, I grew up, thought it over, and went on my way!
Senhoras e senhores, imaginem minha cara
Ladies and gentlemen, imagine my expression
Aquela que eu fazia quando eu era menininha
The one I made when I was a little girl
Acreditem que o meu namoradinho de infância
Believe it or not, my childhood boyfriends
Voltou e completou aquela velha profecia
Came back and fulfilled that old prophecy
E daí, e daí, deu tratos à bola e saiu por aí!
And so, once again, thought it over and went on his way!
Mas isso me mostrou que nada é mesmo impossível
But this showed me that nothing is truly impossible
Uma vez que se acredite de todo coração
As long as you believe with all your heart
Eu gosto de pensar que tenho a vida pela frente
I like to think that I have my whole life ahead of me
Pra ver acontecer o que nem sonha a imaginação
To see what even the imagination could not dream of
E daí, e daí, dar tratos à bola e sair por aí!
And so, once again, to think it over and go on my way!
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.