Experimentalism Under Duress: Tropicália, Brazil, and the 1960s
Gilberto Gil (Photograph via Getty Images)
The year is 1964, and a military junta covertly supported by the CIA has overthrown democratically elected Brazilian president João Goulart. A group of young local musicians watches as the military government slowly takes away civil liberties, censoring the media and stifling protest of all kinds. Despite laws against public dissent, these artists chose to make loud, confrontational music with thinly veiled lyrics critiquing the government. They took influence from psychedelic rock and other counter-culture movements in America and Britain, combining electric guitar sounds with traditional Brazilian samba rhythms and the orchestration of bossa nova, forming a new genre called “tropicália.”
Repression under the military dictatorship was remarkably expansive. All press was subject to review by the government, and all protest was banned. Yet the tropicália artists provoked the censors, often referencing bloodshed and ideas of revolution. Rogério Duarte, who designed album art for several tropicália musicians, was arrested for anti-government activities. In a time when conformity was so encouraged, these artists were free thinkers, constantly experimenting, having fun, and being outrageous. The mere act of embracing multiculturalism and daring to create unique art was in itself rebellious.
The tropicália collective was led by the songwriters Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, with collaborators including singers Gal Costa and Maria Bethânia, the band Os Mutantes, and fellow songwriter Tom Zé. Also linked to the movement were some visual artists, including Hélio Oiticica.
While these individuals’ brave resistance is deeply admirable, the reason their story has survived to the present day is the truly great music produced under their movement. The skill of tropicália artists laid in their ability to walk the line between experimental and melodic, combining found instruments and bizarre rhythmic shifts with memorable melodies. This combination created a listening experience that, while chaotic, is undeniably compelling. The disorderly allure of tropicalia is best demonstrated by the albums Caetano Veloso (1968), Os Mutantes (1968), and Gal Costa (1969) – no, the group wasn’t much for creative album names.
Often cited as the first tropicália album is Caetano Veloso’s self-titled album, released in 1968. Indeed, the opening track is named “Tropicália,” and features strings that mimic birds, prominent cowbells, and variable rhythms as more abstract touches. The song “Alegria, Alegria,” widely regarded as a classic in Brazil today, features fuzzy electric guitar, and similarly varying rhythms and tempo. Many songs on Caetano Veloso have an anthemic feel, and it’s surprising that an album recorded under oppressive circumstances is so creative and hopeful
But the most evocative tropicália album is certainly Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes from 1968, which took the “mad carnival” aesthetic of other tropicália works to its logical extreme. Os Mutantes often crafted their own instruments out of found objects, and their penchant for experimenting alongside their collective outlook enabled them to make a bizarre album that succeeds at both making a statement and always keeping the listener on guard. The production features incredibly distorted guitars that would seem out of place even in British psychedelic rock of the time. But the band also uses the complementary styles of its three lead vocalists very well, and many of the songs are based on samba rhythms.
The chaos is never more evident than the opening track, “Panis et Circenses” (written by Gil and Veloso), which opens with fanfare, but by the end has shifted into a sound collage reminiscent of a dinner party. The song has a fun-house feel, with jolly staccato horn parts and a plodding rhythm. Another example of the effective cacophony of Os Mutantes is “Bat Macumba” (also written by Gil and Veloso), featuring one of the scratchiest guitar tones ever, a repeating rhythmic and lyrical motif, and a complimentary percussion part that seems to be ad-libbing the entire song. Os Mutantes’ embrace of the surreal and the chaotic shows a sense of defiance that, in a time of creative repression, served as rebellion.
The next hurrah for tropicália was Gal Costa by Gal Costa, released in 1969. This project was even more collaborative than the others referenced, with Veloso, Gil, Jorge Ben, Erasmo Carlos, and Tom Zé all writing at least one song on the album. The array of notable songwriters, combined with Costa’s voice - ethereal and placid, produced with generous reverb such that it rises above the music and feels firm and powerful - created a classic album that embodies several themes of tropicália. It features ornate string arrangements, psychedelic swells, and moments of mayhem, all bound together by sweet melodies. A great example of her sound is the opening track, “Nao Identificado,” which generally has the somber feel and well-orchestrated quality of bossa nova, but also features eruptions of noise to create a unique aesthetic. The side 2 opener, “Vou Recomeçar,” showcases tropicália’s rock influences with prominent electric guitar and the use of blues scales. Gal Costa may not be as noticeably experimental as other tropicália works, it best represents the seamless fusion of influences that defined the movement.
However, tropicália’s rapid output of memorable albums would start to slow considerably, as the group’s efforts of evading government censors could only be so successful. In December of 1968, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil were detained by the government, and shortly after were asked to leave the country. Both men headed to London, where they continued to release great music, but the collaborative spirit that fostered the highest highs of tropicália was mostly quelled. The mood of the music made by many of the artists turned more somber and introspective, shying away from the confrontational style that defined the movement’s heyday.
Though the movement may have ended abruptly, and the primary actors moved on to different styles, the legacy of tropicália has remained. Alternative rock artist Beck named a song “Tropicalia”, off his album Mutations (1998), in turn, named after Os Mutantes. David Byrne also considers tropicália an influence of his, and Kurt Cobain was a fan of Os Mutantes. This represents a reversal of sorts, as tropicália’s incorporation of rock characteristics to Brazilian music in turn influenced the future of rock music.
As for the Brazilian military government, it would survive for many years, with free elections held for the first time in 1982. The prolonged survival of the Brazilian dictatorship, however, does not lessen the significance of the tropicália artists being rebellious in uncertain times, when the penalty was arrest or exile. While the government told them to conform, they did just the opposite and managed to make great and important music that broke boundaries and still impresses to this day.
Edited by Maia Driggers, editor of Music History
Cover art by Shira Silver