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.
Quiet nights
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence
That surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window that looks out
Oh, how lovely
Um cantinho, um violão
Esse amor, uma canção
Pra fazer feliz
A quem se ama
Muita calma pra pensar
E ter tempo pra sonhar
Da janela vê-se o Corcovado
O Redentor, que lindo
Quero a vida sempre assim
Com você perto de mim
Até o apagar da velha chama
E eu, que era triste
Descrente desse mundo
Ao encontrar você eu conheci
O que é felicidade, meu amor
Quero a vida sempre assim
Com você perto de mim
Até o apagar da velha chama
E eu, que era triste
Descrente desse mundo
Ao encontrar você eu conheci
O que é a felicidade, meu amor
The lyrics of Corcovado, written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and sung by João Gilberto with Stan Getz on the saxophone, are a love letter written to a special someone who brings peace and meaning to the singer's life. The song speaks of the blissful state of being in love and feeling content in the presence of a loved one. The opening lines, "Quiet nights of quiet stars, quiet chords from my guitar" are a description of the serene environment that the singer finds himself in, surrounded by the tranquility of the night sky and calming sound of his guitar.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of simplicity and stillness that provides the backdrop for the singer's thoughts and feelings. He expresses his gratitude for the company of his lover, who brings light and purpose to his life. To him, being with this person is akin to being in the right place at the right time, with the final lines of the song stating, "I who was lost and lonely, believing life was only a bitter tragic joke, have found with you the meaning of existence oh, my love." Here, the singer emphasizes the transformative power of love, which has the ability to change one's outlook on life.
Line by Line Meaning
Quiet nights of quiet stars, quiet chords from my guitar
The serene atmosphere of the night, filled with stars, is perfectly complemented by the soothing melodies emanating from my guitar
Floating in the silence that surrounds us
We're enveloped in a serene cocoon of silence, which adds to the tranquility of the moment
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams, Quiet walks by quiet streams, and a window
My thoughts and dreams are undisturbed by the outside world, as I take peaceful strolls by the babbling brooks and admire the scenery through the window
Looking on the mountains and the sea, How lovely! this is where I want to be
The majestic beauty of the mountains and the sea is awe-inspiring, making this the perfect place to be at the moment
Here, with you so close to me, Until the final flicker of life's ember
This is where I want to be, right next to you, until our very last breath
I who was lost and lonely, believing life was only A bitter tragic joke, have found with you The meaning of existence oh, my love
I was disillusioned by life, feeling lost and lonely, and thought it was nothing but a cruel joke. But being with you has given me a purpose and a reason to live, my beloved
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabellacrystal
Quiet nights of quiet stars quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
This is where I want to be here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I who was lost and lonely believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you, the meaning of existence, oh my love (x2)
@ppmbbarbosa
Quiet nights of quiet stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window that looks out on the mountains and the sea, oh how lovely
This is where I want to be here
With you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember.
I who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you,
The meaning of existence, oh my love
@emanuellechiote838
Quiet nights of quiet stars
quiet chords from my guitar
floating on the silence that surrounds us
quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
quiet walks by quiet streams
and the window looking on the mountains and the sea
how lovely
this is where i want to be
here with you so close to me
until the final flicker of life's amber
i who was lost and lonely
believing life was only a bitter tragic joke
have found with you
the meaning of existence, my love
i who was lost and lonely believing life was only
a bitter tragic joke
have found with you
the meaning of existence
oh, my love
@Interesca
Quiet nights of quiet stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea
How lovely
This is where I want to be
Here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I, who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you
The meaning of existence, my love
I who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you
The meaning of existence, my love
@janierunaway112
PERFECTION. Sinatra's finest work was with Jobim.
@helenlecouter5578
My very favorite..the melody, chords, words simply slide into each other...his best album...
@angiefromChi
Janie Runaway I agree 🎵❤️
@Bible.Believer.1611
YES. I love this type of Sinatra so smooth it’s absolutely amazing music
@ErickGarcia-qs2yh
Everything Jobim done was gold.
@quickworks9720
Totally agree. I remember when I bought this album. Song gives me chills!
@gabellacrystal
Quiet nights of quiet stars quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea, how lovely
This is where I want to be here with you so close to me
Until the final flicker of life's ember
I who was lost and lonely believing life was only
A bitter tragic joke, have found with you, the meaning of existence, oh my love (x2)
@angiefromChi
gab crystal 🎵❤️👍🏽
@GaiaCarney
Thank You, gab crystal 🕊
@solomonstello133
Beautiful ❤️❤️