The daughter of an amateur female pianist, she never took music lessons. In place of the traditional adolescent debut ball, she asked to receive a drum set. Lee formed a band with two other friends and they were quite good at vocals, backing stars like Tony Campelo, Jet Blacks, Demetrius, and Prini Lopez, when they met the brothers Arnaldo and Sérgio Dias Baptista. Adopting the name O'Seis (a pun with "the six" and the Brazilian redneck way of saying "you all"), they recorded the single "O Suicida," which was never released. When the rest of the band left for college, only three of them remained. Picking the name Os Mutantes, they backed Nana Caymmi on her then-husband's composition "Bom Dia" (Gilberto Gil). When Gil met them, he immediately knew that Os Mutantes were on the same track as the Baianos. Inviting them to accompany him at TV Record's 1967 III FMPB, they won second place for Gil's "Domingo no Parque" with the addition of Rogério Duprat conducting an orchestra with his revolutionary arrangements. The novelty of electric guitars and a generalized irreverence of the mixing of strange orchestral sounds irritated the audience a great deal; the nascent Tropicalia was coming to the world under heavy booing. Soon after, they recorded their single "O Relógio." In 1968, they performed on the album/manifesto Tropicália ou Panis et Circensis (Philips), with Nara Leão, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. This was also when they recorded their first LP, Os Mutantes. In that period, during their somewhat frequent tours of Europe, they recorded an LP that was never fully released, with the exception of some tracks included on 1971's Jardim Elétrico. Also in 1968, they accompanied Caetano to TV Globo's III FIC, on his "É Proibido Proibir" and performed their "Caminhante Noturno," which won seventh place. In 1969, they participated at the IV FMPB with their "Dom Quixote" and, by Lee and Tom Zé, "2001." In the same year, they performed with the Baianos at the Sucata nightclub, Rio, and recorded their second album, also self-titled. They went to Europe, playing at Cannes, France, at the MIDEM, and in Lisbon, Portugal.
In 1970, they returned to Brazil and set the show O Planeta dos Mutantes, the first multi-media experiment in Brazil. In the same year, Lee recorded her solo album, Build Up, produced by Arnaldo Baptista. Soon after, they had a stint at the Olympia in Paris, France. With bassist Liminha (now a respected studio producer) and drummer Dinho, they participated in the V FIC with "Ando Meio Desligado" (Arnaldo and Sérgio). The LP A Divina Comédia is from that year and O Jardim Elétrico (Polydor) from the next. In 1972, Lee recorded another solo album backed by the Os Mutantes, Hoje é o Primeiro Dia do Resto de Sua Vida (Philips). After releasing the Os Mutantes' No País dos Bauretz, Lee departed from the group. In fact, she was expelled as she wasn't proficient enough as an instrumentalist. Following a period of depression, during which she became locked up in her home, she decided to abandon her career. But, at the same time, she was writing the material that would make her famous as a solo artist. In 1973, she presented herself together with Lúcia Turnbull at the show Phono 73. Forming the rock band Tutti Frutti (which included Lúcia) for a series of presentations at the Teatro Ruth Escobar, they adopted the name Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti by suggestion of the record label. The band would follow her to the success in subsequent years, releasing Lee's hits "Ovelha Negra," "Agora só Falta Você," "Esse tal de Roque Enrow," "Miss Brasil 2000," and "Jardins da Babilônia." In 1974, they released Atrás do Porto tem uma Cidade (Philips). In 1975, Lúcia went out of the band and they recorded Fruto Proibido (Som Livre). In 1977, pregnant for the first time, she was arrested for having marijuana and condemned to one year of domiciliary imprisonment, when she composed with Paulo Coelho (who is now a best-selling esoteric writer) the single "Arrombou a Festa," which sold 200,000 copies. She continued to perform, under special judge permits. Elis Regina invited her to a duo performance at a special TV show at TV Bandeirantes, when they recorded "Doce de Pimenta," which Lee had composed especially for Elis. It was during this time that she unofficially married Roberto de Carvalho, who was incorporated in her band as a guitarist and composer. Soon, they departed for a tour with Gilberto Gil for Refestança, which was recorded and released as the eponymous LP. In 1978, Lee and her band recorded the LP Babilônia, when the group was dissolved under internal dissension. She then formed the group Rita Lee & Cães e Gatos, and departed for a series of shows under the same name, alluding to the members' fighting with each other. Next year's album brought "Mania de Você," her biggest hit. Lee decided not to have a band anymore. With "Lança Perfume," she achieved international recognition with even Prince Charles recognizing her as his favorite singer. In the early '80s, she made great success recording "Joujou e Balangandãs" together with João Gilberto. Her albums, openly danceable and fully committed to a commercial result, were breaking all selling records, and her shows becoming mega-productions. During the 1983 tour for Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho -- Flagra, she began to have health problems, fainting on-stage at one presentation. She then decided to take a rest, recording another album in that year with no supporting tours.
In January 1985, she sang deceptively at the Rock in Rio festival. There were plenty of rumors accounting that she had leukemia. After another seven months in obscurity, she recorded another album that received good reviews, but was ignored by audiences. In 1986, as Lita Ree, she made true a longtime dream: to host a radio show, which was presented at São Paulo's 89 FM, and later, on Rio's Rádio Cidade. In 1987, she released Flerte Fatal under harsh criticism and fights with the press. After two more albums and still under fire of the critics, she ended the partnership with her husband, but worked with him on the film Fogo e Paixão. Later, she worked on the movie Dias Melhores Virão by Cacá Diegues, which granted her a prize at the Denzer Festival, Europe, in 1990. Impersonating the late singer/composer Raul Seixas in the short movie Tanta Estrela por Aí, she was appointed Best Male Actor by Rio's mayoralty. On TV, she worked on the soap operas Top Model and Vamp and hosted her own show, TV Leezão, a version for MTV of Rádio Amador. In 1990, she performed on her show Bossa n' Roll, which had the greatest audience that year and launched the acoustic craze. The album sold 350,000 copies. After an album recorded with her early companion Lúcia Turnbull, Lee was expressly required by Mick Jagger, who demanded personally that she open the Rolling Stones tour in Brazil. She was a great success, supplanting the Spin Doctors. After that, she toured for A Marca da Zorra, again with Roberto de Carvalho. The following year, she became the first woman and first pop icon to be awarded with the Prêmio Shell de MPB. In 1997, she received the distinguished Prêmio Sharp de Música. She followed with a CD and tour for Santa Rita de Sampa and the mega-production Acústico MTV. In 2000, she released the CD 3001.
Cartão Postal
Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Se quem partir não leva nem o sol, nem as trevas
E quem fica não se esquece tudo o que sonhou
Eu sei, tudo é tão simples que cabe num cartão postal
E se a história de amor não acabou tão mal
O adeus traz a esperança escondida
Se só vai quem chegou e quem foi vai partir?
Você sofre, se lamenta, depois vai dormir
Sabe, alguém quando parte
É porque outro alguém vai chegar
Num raio de lua, na esquina, no vento ou no mar
O adeus traz a esperança escondida
Pra quê?
Sabe, alguém quando parte
É porque outro alguém vai chegar
Num raio de lua, na esquina, no vento ou no mar
Pra quê querer ensinar a vida?
Pra quê sofrer?
In "Cartao Postal," Rita Lee sings about the pain of saying goodbye, but also the hope that comes with it. She questions the purpose of suffering through a goodbye when the one leaving takes nothing with them - not the sun nor the darkness - while the one staying remembers all the dreams they shared. Lee recognizes the simplicity of it all, that it could fit on a postcard, especially if the love story doesn't end too badly. She sees that hidden in the goodbye is the hope of something better to come.
Throughout the song, Lee repeats the phrase "pra que," which translates to "why" or "what for," showing her frustration with the act of suffering needlessly. She acknowledges that someone may leave, but someone else will come, and the goodbye hides the hope of a new beginning.
In "Cartao Postal," Rita Lee gives listeners a thoughtful perspective on the pain of saying goodbye and the inevitability of change. The simplicity of the lyrics belies the depth of emotion behind them, and Lee captures the hope that comes with closing one chapter and beginning another.
Line by Line Meaning
Pra quê sofrer com despedida
Why suffer with goodbyes?
Se quem partir não leva nem o sol, nem as trevas
When someone leaves, they take neither light nor darkness.
E quem fica não se esquece tudo o que sonhou
And those who stay will never forget what they dreamt about.
Eu sei, tudo é tão simples que cabe num cartão postal
I know that everything is so simple, it fits on a postcard.
E se a história de amor não acabou tão mal
And if the love story didn't end so badly.
O adeus traz a esperança escondida
The goodbye brings hidden hope.
Se só vai quem chegou e quem foi vai partir?
Only the ones who arrived will leave, and who left will depart?
Você sofre, se lamenta, depois vai dormir
You suffer, you lament, and then you go to sleep.
Sabe, alguém quando parte
You know, when someone leaves.
É porque outro alguém vai chegar
It's because someone else is going to arrive.
Num raio de lua, na esquina, no vento ou no mar
In the moonlight, on the corner, in the wind or on the sea.
Pra quê querer ensinar a vida?
Why insist on teaching life?
Pra quê sofrer?
Why suffer?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paulo Coelho De Souza, Rita Lee Jones De Carvalho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind