A few years later, in the late '60s, Carlos (counseled by his advisers) changed his style to become the most successful romantic artist in Brazil. Having written (always with Erasmo Carlos) some of the most beautiful songs in this style (such as "Detalhes," "Sua Estupidez," "Jesus Cristo," "Debaixo dos Caracóis dos Seus Cabelos," etc.), Carlos accumulated virtually all possible accomplishments as a highly successful artist, including a solid international career with awards like the Grammy and top positions on Billboard's Latin charts. Though the adherence to a worn-out sentimental formula proved to be affective in commercial terms (more than 70 million albums sold in his career), it ultimately led him to be known, in the '80s and '90s, as a cheesy artist by youngsters and part of the adult listeners. Nevertheless, the mid-'90s witnessed a resurgence of Jovem Guarda talents through tributes of new rockers and Carlos reached the 21st century uncontestedly enjoying his absolute title: the King.
Roberto Carlos was from a lower-middle-class family. At six, he lost one of his legs and began using a prosthesis. At nine, he debuted on his home city's local radio. In 1955, he moved to Niterói (Rio de Janeiro) and then to Lins de Vasconcelos (a suburb of Rio de Janeiro), where he started to get into rock through Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard, at the same time he met Carlos Imperial, also from his hometown, who, as a TV and radio producer, would be of considerable importance to Carlos's early professional years. Two years later, Carlos performed at TV Tupi, singing "Tutti Frutti" (R. Penniman/J. Lubin/D. La Bostrie). In that period, he was scheduled to open a Bill Haley show at the Maracanazinho (Rio), when he became acquainted with Erasmo Carlos (then Erasmo Esteves). In 1958, Carlos met the "Matoso gang," as were known the future artists Tim Maia, Jorge Ben, and the same Erasmo Esteves, among others, who would meet at Matoso Street at Tijuca (a neighborhood of Rio). Carlos, Erasmo, and Tim Maia (together with Edson Trindade, Arlênio Lívio, and José Roberto "China") formed the group the Snacks (later the Sputniks), playing balls and performing on TV (including at Carlos Imperial's Clube do Rock on TV Continental, where Carlos was already a regular). The group was soon dissolved due to the incompatibility between Carlos and Maia.
After working as an extra in several films such as Agüenta o Rojão and Minha Sogra é da Polícia (in which they backed up Cauby Peixoto on one song), Carlos and Erasmo played together in Erasmo's quartet the Snakes until Carlos was called by Imperial to take Carlos Lyra's place in the Os Terríveis band that played Elvis Presley covers on TV shows and live performances contracted by Imperial.
Soon, Carlos left the band to try to become a bossa nova artist. Strongly influenced by João Gilberto in that period, Carlos often tried to "sit-in" at the famous temples Plaza nightclub and the clubs of the Beco das Garrafas, but to no avail. A testimony of his ephemeral and unaccomplished bossa nova phase is Carlos' first album, with "João e Maria" and "Fora do Tom" (both by Imperial). In August 1960, a new release was launched, again in the bossa vein, "Brotinho Sem Juízo" and "Canção do Amor Nenhum" (again, both by Imperial). At the same time, Carlos would participate regularly in shows presented by Imperial, Os Brotos Comandam (TV Continental and Rádio Guanabara) and Festa de Brotos (TV Tupi). In 1961, in the same year in which Carlos recorded his first LP (a derivation toward boleros and ballads, Louco por Você) that earned some acceptance at the time (3,500 copies sold in one year), he accepted the suggestion of the record company CBS and changed his style to youth music, starting to write songs with the composer/lyricist who would become his most important collaborator: Erasmo Carlos. The duo's first hit was Carlos' rendition for an Erasmo version of "Splish Splash" (Bobby Darin), having as the B-side another classic written by them, "Parei na Contramão." The album was recorded and launched in 1963 as Carlos' fifth 78 rpm, accompanied by Renato e seus Blue Caps. It sold 7,500 copies, a modest amount today, but it represented a considerable selling then and the milestone of a new time.
In 1964, the LP É Proibido Fumar (backed by the Youngsters) had hits with the title track (by Carlos/Erasmo) and with Erasmo's version of "Road Hog" (Gwen/John D. Loudermilk), "O Calhambeque." It sold almost 12,000 copies in 18 months and was considered high-selling then, but still behind the leader Carlos Alberto (a bolero singer), who was selling more than twice as much. Nevertheless, Carlos' nationwide success was ascending, with more and more invitations for TV and radio shows and CBS wanting to take him to Argentina. That year, Carlos recorded the same repertory in Spanish, also backed by the Youngsters, and the album Es Prohibido Fumar was released by the end of 1964 in Argentina. It was planned to also be distributed in Brazil, but as the military government considered anything in Spanish (the language of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara) dangerous to the country, the album was simply taken out of the catalog by the recording company.
In 1965, Carlos was elected the King for the first time by direct vote of the audience in a contest promoted by Antônio Aguillar on his Reino da Juventude show. Later, the title would be confirmed at the highly popular Chacrinha show and it would be his for life.
In the same year, Roberto Carlos Canta Para a Juventude broke all records established by the singer until then, by far surpassing Carlos Alberto and his Amor Perdido. Carlos' album reached fifth place according to IBOPE (a most-accredited public opinion research institute), however, it quickly fell several positions. In fact, he would only have an album at number one of the top parade by the end of the year, with his next LP. Until then, his rising success would sell over 20,000 copies of the double single with "História de um Homem Mau" (reaching fourth place on the charts) and 50,000 copies of his single "Não Quero Ver Você Triste",
On September 5, Roberto Carlos opened the legendary show Jovem Guarda as the main host and also featuring Vanderléa and Erasmo Carlos by his side. The show gave the name and directives to the first musical scene produced especially for Brazilian youth, representing a major cultural/behavioral/commercial breakthrough. After the show debut, Carlos' popularity reached levels unimagined until then. Scoring hits in Argentina and Brazil, Carlos became the best-seller for CBS. A double single with "A Garota do Baile," Carlos reached number two in November, behind the Beatles' "Help!" But his album Jovem Guarda, also launched in November, took only one week to push "Help!" out of number one on the Brazilian charts, selling almost 200,000 copies in one year. "Quero Que Vá Tudo Pro Inferno" became a nationwide hit and with the exception of brief periods of time, it reigned absolute at number one on the top parade during the entire first semester of 1966. After performing in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay — countries in which the Spanish version of "O Calhambeque" continued to have success — Carlos went to Europe in April 1966, singing in Portugal (where "Calhambeque" and "Quero Que Vá Tudo Pro Inferno" were in first place on Lisbon charts). Returning to Brazil, he soon departed for a tour that started in South America, then Central and North America, where he sang in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, then Europe (London, Paris, Berlin, and Lisbon). Roberto Carlos, released in December 1966 and went right to number one in the second week (remaining there until April 1967), sold 300,000 copies in less than a year. Also in 1967, Carlos starred the feature film Roberto Carlos em Ritmo de Aventura (whose soundtrack sold 300,000 copies, staying at number one from December 17 until June 1968; the film also broke all box-office records until then); won fifth place at the III FMPB (Festival of Brazilian Popular Music of the TV Record, São Paulo) with "Maria, Carnaval e Cinzas," by Luís Carlos Paraná (reaching number one as a single in November); participated in the MIDEM Festival in Cannes, France; and won the Chico Viola trophy for the songs "Quero Que Vá Tudo pro Inferno" and "Esqueça" and for the LP Jovem Guarda. In June of the same year, Carlos departed for a series of shows in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the U.S. In Italy, he participated in the Venice Song Festival.
In 1968, Carlos left Jovem Guarda, which due to his absence would soon cease to exist. His departure was a result of a mature decision to migrate from a youth idol profile to that of a romantic singer. In the same year, Carlos won the San Remo Festival (XVIII Festival della Canzone Italiana) with "Canzone Per Te" (Sergio Endrigo) and starred the film O Diamante Cor-de-Rosa (also a box office success), opening his own show Roberto Carlos à Noite (TV Record) on March 15. As a romantic singer, Carlos had several hits in the 1970s that still had his creative impetus, such as "Sua Estupidez," "As Flores do Jardim de Nossa Casa," "Jesus Cristo," "Amada Amante," "Detalhes," "Debaixo dos Caracóis dos Seus Cabelos," "A Montanha," "A Proposta," "Além do Horizonte," "Olha," "Amante à Moda Antiga," and "A Ilha" (all with Erasmo), along with "Como Vai Você?" (Antônio Marcos/Mário Marcos), and two songs written by Caetano Veloso especially for him, "Como Dois e Dois" and "Muito Romântico." In that decade, Carlos also consolidated his international career doing regular shows in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. In the year of 1970, he did his first show at the prestigious Canecão, which would be the first of his highly successful annual seasons at the most important Carioca hall in terms of media resonance. In the early '70s, Carlos became the top record-selling Brazilian artist, a position he would keep for many consecutive years. After 1976, his albums were selling over 1,000,000 copies. His 1977 album Roberto Carlos, with "Falando Sério," sold 2.2 million copies. His 1978 show also beat all records, with 250,000 spectators in six months throughout Brazil, while the album with "Café da Manhã," "Força Estranha," and "Lady Laura" sold 1.5 million copies.
In the '80s, Carlos also started to record in English and French (he had already recorded albums in Spanish, Italian, and, naturally, Portuguese), having won the Globo de Cristal trophy, awarded by CBS to Brazilian artists who sell more than five million copies outside Brazil. At the same time, his albums continued to break records in his country. "Caminhoneiro" (1984) was aired 3,000 times in a single day, another record soon beaten by his own "Verde e Amarelo" (1985), with 3,500 spins. In 1986, he had success at Radio City Music Hall (New York, NY) and, two years later, won the Grammy as the Best Latin American Pop singer. In 1989, his Sonrie reached first place on Billboard's Latin chart.
In the 1990s, Roberto Carlos became the first Latin American artist to sell more albums than the Beatles (in 1994, having by then sold over 70 million copies of his albums). In the mid-'90s, with the retro Jovem Guarda wave, Carlos, who was worn out among the younger generations who had only known his romantic and sentimental hits directed at a middle-aged audience, had his importance recuperated by young rockers such as Cássia Eller, Chico Science & Nação Zumbi, Barão Vermelho, and Skank, who recorded Rei, a tribute to him with his old Jovem Guarda hits.
In 1998, his second wife Maria Rita discovered she had cancer (she would die in 1999), which shattered his peace of mind. Trying to keep on with his career, Carlos continued to record and perform after one year of reclusion. In 2001, he broke his contract with Sony (ex-CBS), the recording company through which he had released a vast majority of his albums, due to commercial reasons related to his wife's demise.
Seres Humanos
Roberto Carlos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De tudo que há de errado sobre a face da Terra
Que negócio é esse de que nós não temos
Os devidos cuidados com o mundo em que vivemos
Fazemos quase tudo por necessidade
Vivemos em busca da felicidade
Somos seres humanos
Só queremos a vida mais linda
Ainda
Afinal nem sabemos por que aqui estamos
E mesmo sem saber seguindo em frente vamos
Vencemos obstáculos todos os dias
Em busca do pão e de alguma alegria
Não podemos ser julgados pela minoria
Nós somos do bem e o bem é a maioria
Somos seres humanos
Só queremos a vida mais linda
Não somos perfeitos
Ainda
Só quero a verdade
Nada mais que a verdade
Não adianta me dizer
Coisas que não fazem sentido
Que tal olhar as coisas que a gente tem conseguido
E o mundo hoje é bem melhor
Do que há muito tempo atrás
E as mudanças desse mundo
O ser humano é que faz
Estamos sempre em busca de uma solução
Queríamos voar, fizemos o avião
O telefone, o rádio, a luz elétrica
A televisão, o computador, progressos na engenharia genética
Maravilhas da ciência prolongando a vida
Nós temos amor, ninguém duvida
Somos seres humanos
Só queremos a vida mais linda
Não somos perfeitos
Ainda
Mas que negócio é esse de que somos culpados
De tudo que há de errado sobre a face da terra
Buscamos apoio nas religiões
E procuramos verdades em suposições
Católicos, judeus, espíritas e ateus
Somos maravilhosos
Afinal somos filhos de Deus
Somos seres humanos
Só queremos a vida mais linda
Não somos perfeitos
Ainda
Só quero a verdade
Nada mais que a verdade
Não adianta me dizer
Coisas que não fazem sentido
Que tal olhar as coisas que a gente tem conseguido
E o mundo hoje é bem melhor
Do que há muito tempo atrás
E as mudanças desse mundo
O ser humano é que faz
The song "Seres Humanos" by Roberto Carlos addresses the issue of human culpability for the problems and issues that plague the Earth. The first two lines of the song ask what gives people the idea that they are responsible for all that is wrong with the world. The following lines explain that human beings do almost everything out of necessity and the pursuit of happiness. They are imperfect but want to live the best possible life. The song celebrates the technological progress made by humans, including the invention of the airplane, telephone, television, and computer. It states that the human race is responsible for the vast majority of the positive changes and developments in the world, and therefore, should not be judged by the negative actions of a few.
The chorus emphasizes that human beings are imperfect and still have much to learn, but they are not the sole cause of the world's problems, and they should not be judged by the actions of a few. The song suggests that faith and religion have been used as coping mechanisms for dealing with the problems of the world. Ultimately, the song asks for truth and encourages listeners to acknowledge the progress that human beings have made towards creating a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
Que negócio é esse de que somos culpados
What business is it that we are always considered guilty
De tudo que há de errado sobre a face da Terra
For everything that is wrong on the face of Earth
Que negócio é esse de que nós não temos
What business is it that we apparently lack
Os devidos cuidados com o mundo em que vivemos
The necessary care for the world in which we live
Fazemos quase tudo por necessidade
We almost do everything due to necessity
Vivemos em busca da felicidade
We live in pursuit of happiness
Somos seres humanos
We are human beings
Só queremos a vida mais linda
We only want the most beautiful life
Não somos perfeitos
We are not perfect
Ainda
Yet
Afinal nem sabemos por que aqui estamos
After all, we do not even know why we are here
E mesmo sem saber seguindo em frente vamos
And even without knowing, we keep moving forward
Vencemos obstáculos todos os dias
We overcome obstacles every day
Em busca do pão e de alguma alegria
In search of bread and some joy
Não podemos ser julgados pela minoria
We cannot be judged by the minority
Nós somos do bem e o bem é a maioria
We are of good and good is the majority
Só queremos a vida mais linda
We only want the most beautiful life
Só quero a verdade
I only want the truth
Nada mais que a verdade
Nothing more than the truth
Não adianta me dizer
It's no use telling me
Coisas que não fazem sentido
Things that don't make sense
Que tal olhar as coisas que a gente tem conseguido
How about looking at the things we have achieved
E o mundo hoje é bem melhor
And the world today is much better
Do que há muito tempo atrás
Than a long time ago
E as mudanças desse mundo
And the changes in this world
O ser humano é que faz
Are made by humans
Estamos sempre em busca de uma solução
We are always in search of a solution
Queríamos voar, fizemos o avião
We wanted to fly, so we made the airplane
O telefone, o rádio, a luz elétrica
The telephone, the radio, electric light
A televisão, o computador, progressos na engenharia genética
The television, the computer, progress in genetic engineering
Maravilhas da ciência prolongando a vida
Marvels of science that prolong life
Nós temos amor, ninguém duvida
We have love, nobody doubts it
Mas que negócio é esse de que somos culpados
But what business is it that we are always considered guilty
Buscamos apoio nas religiões
We seek support in religion
E procuramos verdades em suposições
And we look for truths in assumptions
Católicos, judeus, espíritas e ateus
Catholics, Jews, Spiritists, and Atheists
Somos maravilhosos
We are wonderful
Afinal somos filhos de Deus
After all, we are children of God
Só quero a verdade
I only want the truth
Nada mais que a verdade
Nothing more than the truth
Não adianta me dizer
It's no use telling me
Coisas que não fazem sentido
Things that don't make sense
Que tal olhar as coisas que a gente tem conseguido
How about looking at the things we have achieved
E o mundo hoje é bem melhor
And the world today is much better
Do que há muito tempo atrás
Than a long time ago
E as mudanças desse mundo
And the changes in this world
O ser humano é que faz
Are made by humans
Contributed by Gianna H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ivaneia Rocatelli
É querido Roberto Carlos 🌻🌷
Acho que vc desistiu de nós
Seus seguidores🌻🌷
À luta tá grande querido
Mas pra nós tbm🌻🌷
Parece que a cruz cada
Vez aumenta mais🌻🌷
Esse peso muitas vezes
É aliviada quando ouvimos
Suas músicas 🌻🌷
Deus nos abençoe 🙏🌻🌷
Marta
Essa música me consola. Querido Rei ❤️✌️☝️
F. Paiva
Adoro essa música, um toque de realidade.
Tônia Cruzz
Roberto, meu rei 👑 extraordinário. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏⚘❤⚘👏👏👏👏👏👏🎶👍🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎤🎶🎶🎶💐
Francisco Queiroz
Rei você é Rei
Simplesmente isso 🙌
Canal Variado
81 anos de Roberto Carlos 👏👏
Hernandes Félix da Silva Silva
Música linda demais a letra dessa música certíssimo tá acontecendo nesse mundo engenharia a música de Roberto fala tudo isso
Vania Brito
Amo as musicas antigas fique com deus meu rei
Cristina Ferreira
Amo ele 💗 igual não tem 💕
MARIA Família Culano.
Arrasou Roberto Linda 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Davi Carlos
É isso aí existem os que fazem o bem os que tem amor os que são otimistas gratos por tudo e que procuram evoluir sem destruir nada nem ninguém obrigado pela homenagem a todos nós que somos maravilhosos