Monday 21 July 2008

Killer Opening Songs (Caetano Veloso-Haiti)


When in 1991 Lieutenant General Raoul Cédras deposed the democratically elected president of Haiti, former priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the Caribbean nation was thrown into turmoil. The effects of that action are still being felt today, as Haiti has never recovered from that setback. It is ironic then, that one of the better Killer Opening Songs that came out of that conflict, although not directly out of it, was Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil’s ‘Haiti’, the opening track on their 1994 outing, ‘Tropicalia 2’. Both singers use the Haitian situation as a metaphor for the police violence aimed at black youth in Brazil, whilst raising important questions about the meaning of citizenship in Brazilian society. ‘Haiti’, thus, becomes a mournful lament to a country ravaged by poverty, racial tensions and economic hardship. The words are powerful and the repetition of some of the lines gives the listener a better opportunity to ascertain the seriousness of the situation in the South American nation: ‘Quando você for convidado pra subir no adro/Da fundação casa de Jorge Amado/Pra ver do alto a fila de soldados, quase todos pretos/Dando porrada na nuca de malandros pretos/De ladrões mulatos e outros quase brancos/Tratados como pretos/Só pra mostrar aos outros quase pretos/(E são quase todos pretos)/E aos quase brancos pobres como pretos/Como é que pretos, pobres e mulattos/E quase brancos quase pretos de tão pobres são tratados

This song became a classic in Caetano Veloso’s extensive repertoire and it is one of the tunes that people at his concerts always ask for. It is with pride and gusto (although tinged with sadness due to the motivation that led the Brazilian singer-songwriter to compose the melody in the first place) that I upload this marvellous Killer Opening Song this week. Enjoy.

Note: the word ‘preto’ is similar in spelling and meaning to the word ‘prieto’ in Spanish. They both mean black and are usually used to refer to black people, but of a darker hue. It is normally used colloquially, however when I thought of translating the text above from Portuguese to English I had second thoughts as I would have had to utilise words that might have been interpreted differently in the Anglo-Saxon language resulting in unintentional offence. That’s why I’ve left it up to you to find out the meaning.

Copyright 2008


11 comments:

  1. Interesting background on the history of these songs!

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  2. And a sad one, too, willow. Haiti was the first country in the Caribbean to achieve its independence, yet it is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Invasions, dictatorships and bad governance have contributed to this island, that shares its space with Dominican Republic, to become a place where hope is a precious commodity.

    Thanks for stopping by.

    Greetings from London.

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  3. prohibido prohibir, esto tiene un valor universal que se escapa a los contextos y nos sirve a cada cual para imaginar que la esperanza es también una vaca de divinas tetas...

    nos vemos, tony.

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  4. Muy buena la imagen, asere, muy buena. Y si, he oido lo de prohibido prohibir, fue uno de los lemas de nuestra generacion (asere). Gracias por la visita, yunta. Te caigo luego por alla.

    Saludos desde Londres.

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  5. bro' hay algo que impide que los links salgan bien, probé los ULTIMOS y nada...
    chequea a ver.
    nos vemos, t.

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  6. Mmmm.. eso me huele mal, quizas tenga que volver a las columnas priginales y copiarlas bien.

    Gracias por el aviso.

    Saludos desde Londres.

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  7. Thank you for the visit and comment. Glad you liked the photo!

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  8. Wow, sends chills down the spine. I've read much about that period in Haiti.

    On another note, your job sounds wonderful. I am glad that u will be focusing on something that you love. Welcome back to blogland.

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  9. A Couple of weeks ago I was invited to a Haitian party in Montreal. That's the kind of Haiti I really like!
    Good music, friendly people, good food and drinks... etc.
    Wouldn't it be nice if we could export those things to Haiti?
    The killer song is good.
    Saludos,
    Al Godar

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  10. Thanks, David, I promise to be around your blog more often, I am a fan of photography and yours are great!

    Shine, the song, if you can translate the lyrics, is as painful as it can be and I would strongly recommend that you purchase the record so that you can enjoy the tone and cadence of it in its entirety. Gilberto Gil can be heard in the background (Caetano is the lead in the track) and the collaboration is impressive.

    Al, yes, I would also love to see a different Haiti, but just like Cuba, it's a combination of elements, both internal and external.

    Thank you all for popping by.

    Greetings from London.

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  11. I'm really moved by the music, and so pleased you have translated the meaning to us. Beautiful really beautiful.

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