Caetano Veloso - Nine out of Ten & It's a Long Way

Nine out of Ten

It's a Long Way

"Nine out of ten movie stars make me cry. I'm alive. Know that one day I must die. I'm alive."

I usually attempt to post rarer songs, but hopefully these will get a pass!
Caetano Veloso as many know, is a huge musical figure in Brazil. Along with Gilberto Gil, he pioneered the Tropicalia movement that fused psychdelic-rock with samba and bossa nova elements. For most Brazilians, posting this song is probably the equivalent of an American posting a Bob Dylan song, considering he's called the, "Bob Dylan of Brazil."

"Transa" was the album that made him largely recognized after the Tropicalia explosion.
It was the first album he made upon his return home from exile in England, hence the title. This album has a bittersweet appeal - sparse arrangements, beautiful melodies and mournful lyrics. It contains very little residue from his early recordings that were full of heavy percussion, fast rhythms and aggressive political lyrics. His political opinions can still be heard, similar to his self-titled (Irene) album recorded a year prior while in prison. His political opinions continue to to be hidden, or perhaps exposed, through metaphor such as "The Empty Boat"and the leading track from Transa, "You Don't Know Me." His tone is somber and distant. Veloso's hostility is held within poetic imagery and passive aggressive lyrics that seem to both stifle his lyrical expression and yet vividly reveal his position as a musician censored by the Brazilian government, the object of his subdued verbal attacks. He celebrates his country and mourns for it, but he knows better than to suggest any ideas for how it should change. Although Veloso didn't record in English before he was exiled, he did record several songs in English while in England. "Transa" is the album that represents his acceptance back into his own country, a return unto his family, friends and fans, so its curious that he chose to record most of the album in English. It must have been a way for him to continue pinching the tits of the Brazilian government .