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.
Samba Do Soho
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There′s a feeling, there's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Donga made the samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing the wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap of the beautiful Morena
Wow it feels so good kissing you in the cinema
With this god given love
Who would dare to condemn us
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus que coisa boa
When I walk around Soho I remember Gamboa
There′s a feeling, there's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Where don't have made samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing the wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap of the beautiful Morena
Oh it feels so good kissing you in the cinema
Now we′re getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus que coisa boa
Suffering the longing the wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap of the beautiful Morena
Oh it feels so good kissing you in the cinema
Now we′re getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus...
The lyrics to Antonio Carlos Jobim's song "Samba do Soho" express the feelings and memories of the singer while walking around New York's Soho neighborhood. The lyrics start with a nostalgic reference to Gamboa, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro known for its samba music. The singer feels a connection between the rhythm and feeling of samba and the atmosphere of Soho, which "hugs [him] like a boa" - a reference to the Brazilian snake, which can constrict its victim.
The lyrics also make a reference to the origins of samba in the docks of Rio, where African slaves who were brought to Brazil mixed their music traditions with those of the Portuguese. The song mentions Donga, a Brazilian composer credited with the first recorded samba, and suggests that samba was inspired by the rhythms and music of Angola and Luanda. The song also talks about the dilemma of falling in love with a "beautiful Morena" and the joy of being able to kiss her openly in the cinema.
Line by Line Meaning
When I walk around Soho I remember Gamboa
Soho reminds me of Gamboa and the feelings and experiences I had there.
There's a feeling, there's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
The atmosphere in Soho has a certain rhythm and vibe that envelops me.
Walking by the docks
Donga made the samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Walking by the docks, I can't help but wonder if Donga, the founder of samba, was inspired by the music and rhythm of the Angolans from Luanda.
Suffering the longing the wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap of the beautiful Morena
Wow it feels so good kissing you in the cinema
With this god given love
Who would dare to condemn us
Being in love with a beautiful Morena is both wonderful and painful. Despite the societal pressures and potential condemnation, the love between us feels God-given and fulfilling.
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus que coisa boa
The chaotic, crazy feelings of love and passion are simultaneously both wild and wonderful.
Now we're getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Now we're fully embracing the rhythm and beat of Soho, dancing and having fun in our sandals, beads, and Di A Dem.
Writer(s): P. Jobim, R. Bastos
Contributed by Kaylee M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Norris
It's "Diadem" which is a fancy headband. Also, I believe this song was written by Jobim's son, Paolo.
@ppmbbarbosa
Quando ando pelo Soho
Eu me lembro da Gamboa
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ah, meu Deus, que coisa boa
Lá por trás do Cais do Porto
Na Ladeira da Preguiça
Onde otário nasce morto
Onde só dá gente boa
Quem não sabe o que é saudade
Não conhece esse dilema
Não provou desse veneno
Nunca teve uma morena
Ah, meu Deus, que bom
Te encontrar nessa cidade
Quando dobro a esquina
Dou de cara com a saudade
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa boa
Quando ando pelo Soho
Eu me lembro da Gamboa
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ah, meu Deus, que coisa boa
Por ali, no Peu
Donga fez o samba
Na batida do povo
De Angola, de Luanda
Quem não sabe o que é saudade
Não conhece esse dilema
Não provou desse veneno
Nunca teve uma morena
Ah, meu Deus, que bom
Te encontrar nessa cidade
Quando dobro a esquina
Dou de cara com a saudade
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai, meu Deus, que coisa boa
@Mactubr
Descanse em paz, Paulo Jobim.
@joaoguerreironaofogealuta
😢
@Luciagaiablu
Ai, ai, ai que coisa louca...
Ai, ai, ai que coisa boa!
Ser brasileiro é isso! Coisa louca e coisa boa.
@ladykhalia85
This stands my favorite Jobim composition. So relaxing and vibrant!!! I only enjoy it in Brazilian Portuguese sung by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Obrigada, Rodrigo Cardozo!!!!
@vaadaenmacchi
the bass line is awesome! of course, anything composed by jobim is gold!
@cristianocapovilla5068
Que samba lindo! Isso é para quem quer criar uma oposição entre o samba e a Bossa...
@bazingacurta2567
P
@bazingacurta2567
W
@user-yy9vp2ic3e
jobim recorded this album when he was 60.