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.
Meditacao
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're gone and I'm all by myself
And I need your caress
I just think of you
And the thought of you holding me near
Makes my loneliness soon disappear
Though you're far away
I just close my eyes
And the sadness that missing you brings
Soon is gone and this heart of mine sings
Yes, I love you so
And that for me is all I need to know
I will wait for you
Till the sun falls from out of the sky
For what else can I do
I will wait for you
Meditating how sweet life will be
When you come back to me
The lyrics to "Meditation" by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra depict the overwhelming feeling of loneliness when being apart from someone we love, and the power of a simple thought or memory to ease that loneliness. The singer expresses their longing for the presence and touch of their loved one, emphasizing that thinking of them and imagining them holding them close vanishes the feeling of loneliness. They emphasize that even though the distance physically separates them, closing their eyes allows them to feel the presence of their beloved once again, erasing the sadness and filling their heart with joy. The chorus reveals the depth of the singer's love, stating that just knowing that they are loved is enough for them. They assert that they will patiently wait for their loved one to return, even if it means waiting until the end of time. The song ends with the declarative statement that the singer will be meditating on the sweetness of life when their loved one finally returns.
Line by Line Meaning
In my loneliness
During moments of solitude
When you're gone and I'm all by myself
When you are not present and I am alone
And I need your caress
And I long for your gentle touch
I just think of you
I simply imagine your presence
And the thought of you holding me near
And the idea of you embracing me closely
Makes my loneliness soon disappear
Alleviates my solitude swiftly
Though you're far away
Despite the distance that separates us
I have only to close my eyes and you are back to stay
I merely have to shut my eyes and you return to remain
I just close my eyes
I simply shut my eyes
And the sadness that missing you brings
And the sorrow that emerges from your absence
Soon is gone and this heart of mine sings
Rapidly disappears, and my heart sings melodiously
Yes, I love you so
Indeed, I love you deeply
And that for me is all I need to know
And that is the only thing I require understanding
I will wait for you
I will patiently await your return
Till the sun falls from out of the sky
Until the sun descends from the heavens
For what else can I do
Because there is nothing else I can do
I will wait for you
I will patiently await your return
Meditating how sweet life will be
Contemplating the sweetness life will possess
When you come back to me
When you return to my side
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonca
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@straightawayproject
Quem acreditou
No amor, no sorriso, na flor
Entao sonhou, sonhou...
E perdeu a paz
O amor, o sorriso e a flor
Se transformam depressa demais
Quem, no coraçao
Abrigou a tristeza de ver tudo isto se perder
E, na solidao
Procurou um caminho e seguiu,
Já descrente de um dia feliz
Quem chorou, chorou
E tanto que seu pranto já secou
Quem depois voltou
Ao amor, ao sorriso e à flor
Então tudo encontrou
E a própria dor
Revelou o caminho do amor
E a tristeza acabou
Composição: Newton Mendonça / Tom Jobim
@bondish53
first heard it in bierut on our terrace overlooking the med in 1966 on bbc radio. I was 12 years old and blown away.
@RichieALevy
One of my top 5 Bossa Nova songs. I totally agree with you Ric. I've been singing,and playing this for decades . Saha@
@cliftonboyz1959
Ric Lewis what a beautiful setting...the French Riviera of the ME.....now look at it.
@marcogil6665
Thanks for sharing your memory, I traveled in my mind to that setting,never been to beirut.
@colinpadley1897
Lovely story, music is international.
@DynamicVibeCraft
I’ve never thought this song could be that “old”. This song is so amazing and fantastic. You are very lucky that you could overlook the med at the age of 12. My dad was born in 1954 too, when he was 12, he was suffering from starvation.
@JorgeVergaraV.
Que belleza de canción, que gran belleza caray!! ...recuerdo una noche de 1978 al terminar de trabajar, en el centro de Lima, me compré el mejor disco de Antonio Carlos Jobim, tiene obras tan hermosas como Chica de Ipanema, A felicidade, Insensatez y otras así. Me quitó mi ansiedad y problemas que estaba enfrentando ... así es la música! - Gracias señor bad901!
@jhana.2023
My country .. Brazil is full of talent in music. The maestro Tom Jobim is just one of them. Too beautiful ... too much ...
@imaginativelads
I didn't know all these fans existed. Fell in love with Bossa Nova 15 yrs ago and never fallen out of love like so many genres before it. The Bossa Nova finds you, when you're ready.
@atimtambaby
***** I love it, "The Bossa Nova finds you when you are ready." Touche!