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.
Querida
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Longa é a vida
De tristes flores
Longa ferida
Longa é a dor do pecador, querida
Breve é o dia
Breve é a vida
De breve flores
Longa é a dor do pecador, querida
Breve é a dor do trovador, querida
Longa é a praia
Longa restinga
Da Marambaia a Joatina
Breve é a fé do pescador, querida
E a longa espera do caçador, perdida
O dia passa e eu nessa lida
Longa é a arte
Tão breve a vida
Louco é o desejo do ama... dor, querida
(Querida)
Longo é o beijo do amador, bandida
Belo é um jovem mergulhador na ida
Vasto é o mar, espelho do céu, querida...
(Querida)
In Jobim's song "Querida," he describes the long and short aspects of life, comparing the longevity of sadness and pain to the fleeting nature of joy and beauty. He speaks of the lengthy afternoon, life, and wound of sin, which are all interconnected. The imagery employed here paints a picture of a world in which the good times pass quickly, while the bad times linger on.
Furthermore, Jobim discusses how even when someone has brief moments of happiness or hope, the weight of their struggles will never entirely disappear. He touches on the faith of fishermen and the long wait of hunters, as they each hang on to the promise of a better future. However, while their desire may be a driving force, it is deemed as madness, as madness is the only reason they keep fighting. The bizarre and senseless nature of love is also emphasized, as it is represented by pain, and even the kiss of a lover is portrayed as lengthy, dangerous, and potentially harmful.
Overall, the song leaves us with a feeling of concern about the fleeting moments of happiness in our lives and the extended struggles that follow us. We're reminded to be mindful and grateful for what we have, even if it is only for a brief moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Longa é a tarde
Afternoon is too long
Longa é a vida
Life is too long
De tristes flores
With sad flowers
Longa ferida
A long wound
Longa é a dor do pecador, querida
Sinner's pain is too long, my love
Breve é o dia
Day is short
Breve é a vida
Life is short
De breve flores
With short-lived flowers
Na despedida
At the time of farewell
Longa é a dor do pecador, querida
Sinner's pain is too long, my love
Breve é a dor do trovador, querida
Troubadour's pain is brief, my love
Longa é a praia
Beach is long
Longa restinga
Long sandbar
Da Marambaia a Joatina
From Marambaia to Joatina
Breve é a fé do pescador, querida
Fisherman's faith is short, my love
E a longa espera do caçador, perdida
And the hunter's long wait is lost
O dia passa e eu nessa lida
The day goes by and I'm in this struggle
Longa é a arte
Art is long
Tão breve a vida
Life is so short
Louco é o desejo do ama... dor, querida
Crazy is the desire of the lover...pain, my love
(Querida)
(My Love)
Longo é o beijo do amador, bandida
The amateur's kiss is long, rogue
Belo é um jovem mergulhador na ida
Beautiful is a young diver on the way
Vasto é o mar, espelho do céu, querida...
The sea is vast, mirror of the sky, my love...
(Querida)
(My Love)
Writer(s): Antonio Carlos Jobim
Contributed by Michael J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Norris
on Samba Do Soho
It's "Diadem" which is a fancy headband. Also, I believe this song was written by Jobim's son, Paolo.