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THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

Posted by: In: Other 10 Aug 2022 Comments: 0

THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.


132-Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto-The Girl from Ipanema.


1963-The original Album version has never been issued as a single in the UK, but an edited version removing the Portuguese sung lyrics by Joao Gilberto, and just featuring the vocals of Astrud Gilberto reached Number 29 in 1964.


Best Bit-At 2.35. The songs writers got their inspiration for the song from watching bikini clad girls walking along Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…..they must have had very understanding wives.


It is believed that after the Beatles song ‘Yesterday’ (see also best songs 319) that the worlds most covered song by other artists is this one, with the very first recording being by the Brazilian singer Pery Ribeiro (1937-2012) for his 1963 Album ‘Pery e toda bossa.’ ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ (‘Garota de Ipanema’) was written in 1962 by Antonio Carlos Jobim, (1927-1994) who wrote the music, and Vinicius de Moraes (1913-1980) who wrote the lyrics. The lyrics were translated into English shortly after by Norman Gimbel, (1927-2018) who was a prolific lyricist. Among his other highlights are writing the English lyrics to the Mexican song ‘Sway,’ which found great success in 1954 when covered by Dean Martin, (UK Number 6, and Billboard Number 15.)


Antonio Carlos Jobim who wrote the music for ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ is credited with being the primary force behind the creation of the style of music that is known as ‘Bossa nova,’ earning him the honorific title of the ‘Father of Bossa nova,’ and it was this song that brought the genre to the attention of an international audience. It was the collaboration between Joao Gilberto, (1931-2019) and the American Jazz Saxophonist Stan Getz (1927-1991) that brought about the recording of the critically acclaimed landmark groundbreaking ‘Bossa nova/Jazz Album’ ‘Getz/Gilberto,’ from where the original version of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ can be found. It was during a recording session in New York that it was decided to record a version of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ in English, and it was suggested that Joao’s wife Astrud Gilberto who was fluent in English should have a go at the vocals, which proved to be a perfect fit. Astrud Gilberto would go on to record 16 studio Albums between 1964-2002, she has also released 16 singles between 1963-2010, recording in a variety of different languages.


Ipanema is a fashionable neighbourhood located in the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, it was there that this song was inspired by Heloisa Pinto who was at the time a 17 year old girl, who would walk daily past the Velosa cafe bar, someday’s stopping to buy cigarettes for her mother, and leaving to the sound of wolf whistles, it was in the winter of 1962 that the songs composers saw the girl pass by the bar. Pinto has claimed to be the first person on the beach to wear a two piece bathing suit, in later life she opened a boutique in Sao Paulo, calling it ‘Garota de Ipanema’ (‘Girl from Ipanema.’)


The legacy of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ was acknowledged at the ‘2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics’ held in Rio de Janeiro, when the Olympics mascots were named ‘Vinicius and Tom,’ after the songs two writers. Also during the Olympics opening ceremony Jobim’s grandson Daniel performed ‘The Girl from Ipanema,’ which also featured an appearance by the Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen walking across the stadium, portraying ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ in a gold sequin gown and 5 inch stilettos.


‘Tall and tan and young and lovely the girl from Ipanema goes walking, and when she passes, each one she passes goes-ah. When she walks, she’s like a samba that swings so cool and sways so gentle, that when she passes, each one she passes goes-ah.’