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.
So' Tinha de Ser Com Voce
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sem saber que era só pra você
É, só tinha que ser com você
Havia de ser pra você
Senão era mais uma dor
Senão não seria o amor
Aquele que a gente não vê
O amor que chegou para dar
O amor que chegou para dar
O que ninguém deu pra você
É, você que é feita de azul
Me deixa morar neste azul
Me deixa encontrar minha paz
Você que é bonito demais
Se ao menos pudesse saber
Que eu sempre fui só de você
Você sempre foi só de mim
Que eu sempre fui só de você
Você sempre foi só de mim
The lyrics to Antonio Carlos Jobim's song So' Tinha de Ser Com Voce are a beautiful declaration of love and devotion. The opening line, "É, só eu sei, quanto amor eu guardei" (Yes, only I know how much love I kept) speaks to the depth of the singer's feelings, which were always meant for the person being addressed. The singer didn't know it at the time, but all the love they held was meant for the person they are singing to.
The lines "Senão era mais uma dor, Senão não seria o amor" (Otherwise it would be just another pain, otherwise it wouldn't be love) make it clear that the singer believes that the love they feel is unique and special. It's a love that came to fulfill a void or a need that was unknown before this person appeared in their life.
The chorus, "O amor que chegou para dar, O que ninguém deu pra você" (The love that came to give, What no one gave to you) shows that the love the singer speaks of is not only unique and special, but it's also unconditional. The person being addressed has never experienced this kind of love before and the singer is more than willing to give it all to them.
The second verse, "É, você que é feita de azul, Me deixa morar neste azul" (Yes, you who are made of blue, let me live in this blue) continues with the metaphor of blue, which in this case may represent calmness, tranquility, and happiness. The singer wants to make a home with this person and find peace in their love.
The lyrics of this song are a beautiful testament to the power of love and how it can transform a person's life. From the moment the singer met the person they are addressing, they knew that their love was meant for them alone. The song expresses a deep sense of commitment, devotion, and willingness to give everything for the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
É, só eu sei, quanto amor eu guardei
Only I know how much love I held within me
Sem saber que era só pra você
Without knowing that it was only for you
É, só tinha que ser com você
It had to be with you
Havia de ser pra você
It was meant to be for you
Senão era mais uma dor
Otherwise, it would just be another pain
Senão não seria o amor
Otherwise, it wouldn't be love
Aquele que a gente não vê
The kind of love that we can't see
O amor que chegou para dar
The love that came to give
O que ninguém deu pra você
What no one else gave you
É, você que é feita de azul
Yes, you who are made of blue
Me deixa morar neste azul
Let me reside in this blue with you
Me deixa encontrar minha paz
Let me find my peace
Você que é bonito demais
You who are too beautiful
Se ao menos pudesse saber
If only you could know
Que eu sempre fui só de você
That I have always been only yours
Você sempre foi só de mim
You have always been only mine
Que eu sempre fui só de você
That I have always been only yours
Você sempre foi só de mim
You have always been only mine
Writer(s): Aloysio Oliveira, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Louis Oliveira
Contributed by Charlie M. 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.