Tropicalism

The Tropicalism was an avant-garde cultural movement that took place in Brazil in the years 1967 and 1968 in the arts, especially in music.

Characterized as a libertarian and revolutionary movement, it sought to move away a little from the intellectualism of Bossa Nova, in order to bring Brazilian music closer to aspects of popular culture, samba, pop, rock, psychedelia.

This open, syncretic and innovative aesthetic experience launched by the Tropicalists changed not only Brazilian popular music, but the panorama of culture in general, in search of the country's modernity.

Worthy of mention are the composers:Caetano veloso, Gilberto Gil, who led the movement, in addition to Nara Leão, Tom Zé, Gal Costa, Os Mutantes (Rita Lee, Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias), Torquato Neto, Rogério Duprat, Capinam, Jorge Bem , Maria Bethânia.

Historical context of Tropicalismo

At the time, Brazil was going through moments of conflict such as the 64 coup, censorship, strikes, student movements, which culminated in a dictatorial regime in the country.

After the decline of Bossa Nova, the new movement that emerged, MPB, was necessary for a group of artists, called "Tropicalists", to come together with goals of liberation and changes in the Brazilian cultural scene.

He had a great influence of the concrete movement in literature and plastic arts. In music, in addition to the syncretism of rhythms, the movement bet on the presence of the melodic sound of the guitars in your songs.

The beginning of Tropicalismo took place at the 3rd Festival of Brazilian Popular Music on TV Record in 1967, with emphasis on performances by Caetano, with the song "Alegria, alegria" and by Gilberto Gil with "Domingo no Parque".

For a year, in addition to changes in popular music, other cultural elements were incorporated into Brazilian culture, such as the style of clothing, very similar to that of the hippies, but at the same time, with a psychedelia and mixture of colors and shades. .

The tropicalist movement ends with the arrest of Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso in 1968 by the Military Dictatorship. In 1969, Caetano went into exile, definitively marking the end of the movement.

Songs of the Tropicália movement

Many songs stood out in the Tropicalista Movement and won the MPB Music Festivals on Tv Record:

• "Tropicália" (1968), by Caetano Veloso
• "Alegria, Alegria" (1967), by Caetano Veloso
• "Behind the Electric Trio", by Caetano Veloso
• "It is forbidden to prohibit" (1968) (1968), by Caetano Veloso
• "Sunday in the Park" (1967), by Gilberto Gil
• "That hug" (1968), by Gilberto Gil;
• "São Paulo, my love" (1968), by Tom Zé
• "Industrial Park" (1968), by Tom Zé
• "Unidentified" (1969), by Gal Costa
• "Mummy, courage" (1968), by Gal Costa
• "Baby" (1968), by Gal Costa;
• "Tropicália ou Panis et Circenses" (1968), by Mutantes
• "Miserere Nobis" (1968), by the Mutants
• "Bat Macumba" (1968), by Mutantes
• "My Girl" (1968), by Mutantes

Read more about:

• Young Guard
• Music and the Military Dictatorship in Brazil