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.
Sucedeu assim
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Começou assim
Uma coisa sem graca
Coisa boba que passa
Que ninguem percebeu
Assim
Depois ficou assim
Quis fazer um carinho
E você percebeu
Fez-se uma pausa no tempo
Cessou todo meu pensamento
E como acontece uma flor
Também acontece o amor
Assim
Sucedeu assim
E foi tao de repente
Que a cabeca da gente
Vira so coracao
Nao poderia supor
Que o amor nos pudesse prender
Abriu-se em meu peito a canção e paixão por voce
These lyrics describe the sudden and unexpected nature of love and how it can completely consume and transform someone's emotions.
The song begins with the phrase "Assim, começou assim" which means "Like this, it began like this." This sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, implying that something insignificant and trivial happened initially. It is described as "uma coisa sem graça, coisa boba que passa" meaning "something dull, a silly thing that passes by and no one notices."
However, as time goes on, the situation evolves. It transitions into a desire for affection, as indicated by the line "quis fazer um carinho, receber um carinho" which translates to "I wanted to give and receive affection." The singer yearns for a simple display of affection, seeking to feel loved and cared for.
There is a pause in time as the emotions intensify, marked by the line "fez-se uma pausa no tempo, cessou todo meu pensamento" which means "a pause in time occurred, halting all my thoughts." This signifies a moment of stillness and clarity, where everything else fades away, allowing the singer to focus solely on love.
The lyrics then equate love to the blooming of a flower, stating "E como acontece uma flor, também acontece o amor" which can be translated as "Just like a flower blooms, love happens." This comparison highlights the natural and spontaneous nature of love, just like the beauty and growth of a flower.
Finally, the lyrics reveal that this sudden and intense feeling of love has taken hold of the singer's heart, transforming their thoughts and emotions. The line "Sucedeu assim e foi tão de repente, que a cabeça da gente vira só coração" means "It happened like this, so suddenly, that our mind becomes solely a heart." This encapsulates the overwhelming power of love, where reason and logic take a backseat, and emotions become the driving force.
The final lines express the singer's astonishment at the unforeseen depths of their love for the person they are addressing. The lines "Nao poderia supor que o amor nos pudesse prender, abriu-se em meu peito a canção e paixão por você" mean "I couldn't imagine that love could hold us captive, a song and passion opened up in my chest for you." The singer confesses that they never expected to feel such a strong attachment and affection towards this person, hence the surprise and delight they feel. Love has become a powerful force, filling their heart with a song and overwhelming passion for this individual.
Line by Line Meaning
Assim,
In this way,
Começou assim
It started like this
Uma coisa sem graca
Something uninteresting
Coisa boba que passa
A silly thing that passes
Que ninguem percebeu
That nobody noticed
Assim
Like this
Depois ficou assim
Then it became like this
Quis fazer um carinho
I wanted to show affection
Receber um carinho
To receive affection
E você percebeu
And you noticed
Fez-se uma pausa no tempo
A pause in time occurred
Cessou todo meu pensamento
All my thoughts ceased
E como acontece uma flor
And just like a flower happens
Também acontece o amor
Love also happens
Assim
Like this
Sucedeu assim
It happened like this
E foi tao de repente
And it was so sudden
Que a cabeca da gente
That our mind
Vira so coracao
Becomes just a heart
Nao poderia supor
I couldn't foresee
Que o amor nos pudesse prender
That love could hold us
Abriu-se em meu peito a canção e paixão por voce
The song and passion for you opened up in my heart
Lyrics © Editora e Importadora Musical Fermata do Brasil Ltda., CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS BRASILEIRO DE ALMEIDA JOBIM, MARINO DO ESPIRITO SANTO PINTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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.