Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (January 25, 1927 – December 8, … Read Full Bio ↴Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (January 25, 1927 – December 8, 1994), also known as Tom Jobim, was a Brazilian composer, pianist, songwriter, arranger and singer. Widely considered as one of the great exponents of Brazilian music, Jobim internationalized bossa nova and, with the help of important American artists, merged it with jazz in the 1960s to create a new sound with remarkable popular success. As such he is sometimes known as the "father of bossa nova".

He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within Brazil and internationally.

In 1965 his album Getz/Gilberto was the first jazz album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It also won for Best Jazz Instrumental Album – Individual or Group and for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The album's single "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema"), one of the most recorded songs of all time, won the Record of the Year. Jobim has left many songs that are now included in jazz and pop standard repertoires. The song "Garota de Ipanema" has been recorded over 240 times by other artists. His 1967 album with Frank Sinatra, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim, was nominated for Album of the Year in 1968.

Antônio Carlos Jobim was born in the middle-class district of Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. His father, Jorge de Oliveira Jobim (São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, April 23, 1889 – July 19, 1935), was a writer, diplomat, professor and journalist. He came from a prominent family, being the great nephew of José Martins da Cruz Jobim, senator, privy councillor and physician of Emperor Dom Pedro II. While studying medicine in Europe, José Martins added Jobim to his last name, paying homage to the village where his family came from in Portugal, the parish of Santa Cruz de Jovim, Porto. His mother, Nilza Brasileiro de Almeida (c. 1910 – November 17, 1989), was of Indigenous Brazilian descent from Northeastern Brazil.

When Antônio was still an infant, his parents separated and his mother moved with her children (Antônio Carlos and his sister Helena Isaura, born February 23, 1931) to Ipanema, the beachside neighborhood the composer would later celebrate in his songs. In 1935, when the elder Jobim died, Nilza married Celso da Frota Pessoa (died February 2, 1979), who would encourage his stepson's career. He was the one who gave Jobim his first piano. As a young man of limited means, Jobim earned his living by playing in nightclubs and bars and later as an arranger for a recording label, before starting to achieve success as a composer.

Jobim's musical roots were planted firmly in the work of Pixinguinha, the legendary musician and composer who began modern Brazilian music in the 1930s. Among his teachers were Lúcia Branco and, from 1941 on, Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, a German composer who lived in Brazil and introduced atonal and twelve-tone composition in the country. Jobim was also influenced by the French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and by the Brazilian composers Heitor Villa-Lobos and Ary Barroso. The bossa nova guitar style in Jobim's music has become firmly entrenched in jazz culture. Among many themes, his lyrics talked about love, self-discovery, betrayal, joy and especially about the birds and natural wonders of Brazil, like the "Mata Atlântica" forest, characters of Brazilian folklore and his home city of Rio de Janeiro.

In early 1994, after finishing his album Antonio Brasileiro, Jobim complained to his doctor, Roberto Hugo Costa Lima, of urinary problems. He underwent an operation at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on December 2, 1994. On December 8, while recovering from surgery, he had a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism, and two hours later another cardiac arrest, from which he died. He was survived by his children and grandchildren. His last album, Antonio Brasileiro, was released posthumously three days after his death.

His body lay in state until given a proper burial on December 20, 1994. He is buried in the Cemitério São João Batista in Rio de Janeiro.

Felicidade
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tristeza não tem fim (tristeza não tem fim)
Felicidade sim

A felicidade é como a pluma
Que o vento vai levando pelo ar
Voa tão leve
Mas tem a vida breve
Precisa que haja vento sem parar

A felicidade do pobre parece
A grande ilusão do carnaval
A gente trabalha o ano inteiro
Por um momento de sonho
Pra fazer a fantasia
De rei ou de pirata ou jardineira
E tudo se acabar na quarta-feira

Tristeza não tem fim
Felicidade sim
Tristeza não tem fim
Felicidade sim

A felicidade é como a gota
De orvalho numa pétala de flor
Brilha tranquila
Depois de leve oscila
E cai como uma lágrima de amor

A minha felicidade está sonhando
Nos olhos da minha namorada
É como esta noite
Passando, passando
Em busca da madrugada
Falem baixo, por favor
Pra que ela acorde alegre como o dia
Oferecendo beijos de amor

Tristeza não tem fim
Tristeza não tem fim
Tristeza não tem fim
Tristeza não tem fim

Tristeza não tem fim
Tristeza não tem fim

Overall Meaning

"A Felicidade" by Antônio Carlos Jobim is a song that delves into the juxtaposition of sadness and happiness, emphasizing the fleeting nature of joy and the enduring presence of sorrow. The opening lines reflect the infinite quality of sadness, suggesting that it has no definitive end, whereas happiness is portrayed as transient and fleeting. This contrast sets the tone for the rest of the song, highlighting the impermanence of positive emotions compared to the seemingly eternal nature of negative feelings.

The imagery of happiness being compared to a feather being carried by the wind evokes a sense of lightness and fragility. Although it may seem effortless and carefree as it soars through the air, its existence is brief and contingent on the continuous presence of the wind. This metaphor emphasizes the idea that true happiness requires consistent external factors to sustain it, much like the fleeting joy experienced during a carnival that ultimately culminates in the harsh reality of Ash Wednesday when the festivities end.

The second part of the song transitions to a more intimate reflection on personal happiness, focusing on the singer's romantic relationship and their partner as the source of joy. The imagery of happiness being akin to a dewdrop on a flower petal conveys a sense of delicate beauty and transience. The singer finds solace and contentment in the fleeting moments of happiness shared with their loved one, recognizing the ephemeral nature of these experiences while cherishing them deeply.

The repeated refrain of "Tristeza não tem fim, felicidade sim" reinforces the cyclical nature of human emotions, emphasizing that while sadness may feel never-ending, moments of happiness are still possible and worth pursuing. The song ends with a series of repetitions of the word "tristeza," perhaps serving as a reminder of the omnipresence of sorrow in life. Overall, "A Felicidade" invites listeners to contemplate the complexities of joy and sorrow, acknowledging their intertwined existence and the fragile beauty of fleeting moments of happiness amidst the ever-present backdrop of sadness.

Line by Line Meaning

Tristeza não tem fim
Sadness has no end

Felicidade sim
Happiness, on the other hand, does

A felicidade é como a pluma
Happiness is like a feather

Que o vento vai levando pelo ar
That the wind carries through the air

Voa tão leve
Flies so lightly

Mas tem a vida breve
But has a brief life

Precisa que haja vento sem parar
Requires the wind to blow endlessly

A felicidade do pobre parece
The happiness of the poor seems

A grande ilusão do carnaval
Like the great illusion of carnival

A gente trabalha o ano inteiro
One works all year long

Por um momento de sonho
For a moment of dream