Beauty Cannot Be Contained, Tropicalia vs. Military Government.
Song by Caetano Veloso from the album Tropicalia: Ou Panis Et Circenses
March 31, 1964 a United States backed military coup occurred in the new capitol of Brasilia, Brazil. Thus began a 20 year reign of terror. The goal, of course, was to stop the spread of Communism in South America. Cuba had just fallen to the Socialist Revolution and concerns were heightened by the rising influence of labor organizations and the nationalist policies of the previous presidents.
Upon taking control military leaders began consolidating their oppressive powers by drafting a new constitution that “promoted democracy” and purging intellectuals and dissidents. Student groups, progressive members of the Catholic Church, politicians related to the previous government, and labor organizations were quickly disbanded. In the coming years members of these groups were often imprisoned and tortured for information. The grand and despicable practices of dictatorship had begun their stranglehold on the liberties of the people.
At this time, however, another movement was dawning. The bright and colorful music of Tropicalia was rising to popularity. Steeped in psychedelia and rock and roll influence, arguably the world’s most progressive music at the time was being recorded and performed in the midst of chaos.
The Tropicalia movement, also known as Tropicalismo, was led by internationally acclaimed artists like Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and the more experimental Tom Ze and Os Mutantes. The music and associated visual, literary, and cinematic aspects of Tropicalia were based on the ideas of Antropofagia, or the cannibalism of all culture in the effort to create something new and unique. The influence of African rhythms, samba, rock, reggae, ska, jazz, blues, etc… can be heard in these groundbreaking recordings.
In the midst of terrible oppression, the music of Tropicalia was at once joyful and deadly serious, a testament to the incredible perseverance of the Brazilian people. Often considered the genre’s manifesto the 1968 album Tropicalia: Ou Panis Et Circenses is a stunning work of collaboration amongst Tropicalia’s elite. The album’s strong political message ultimately led to the arrests and eventual exile of it’s masterminds, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Other artists in the movement were not so lucky. Many were arrested, tortured, and/or forced into psychiatric care.
While some artists continued to blossom and enjoy long and celebrated careers, the genre mostly faded from popularity in the early 1970s due in part to the Brazilian military government’s enactment of more and more extreme methods of oppression. This brief and bright musical movement, however, has had a long and lasting impression on the world’s music inspiring popular artists as diverse as Beck and Bjork.
