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.
Tema De Amor De Gabriela
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De um lugar que já nem há
Vim dormindo pela estrada
Vim parar neste lugar
Meu cheiro é de cravo
Minha cor de canela
A minha bandeira
É verde e amarela
Cebola em rodela
Um beijo na boca
Feijão na panela
Gabriela
Sempre Gabriela
Passei um café inda escuro
E logo me pus a caminho
Eu quero rever Gabriela
De novo provar seu cheirinho
Manhã bem cedinho na mata
O sol derramou seu carinho
Um brilho na folha da jaca
Pensei em rever meu benzinho
Gabriela
Se ainda sobrasse um dinheiro
Podia comprar-te um vestido
E mais um vidrinho de cheiro
Contar-te um segredo no ouvido
Te trouxe um anel verdadeiro
Sonhei que era teu preferido
Pensei, pensei tanta coisa
Ah, me deixa ser teu marido
Pensei, pensei tanta coisa
Queria casar-me contigo
Gabriela
Gabriela
Todos os dias esta saudade
Felicidade cadê você
Já não consigo viver sem ela
Eu vim à cidade pra ver Gabriela
Tenho pensado tanto na vida
Volta bandida mata essa dor
Volta pra casa, fica comigo
Eu te perdoo com raiva e amor
Chega mais perto, moço bonito
Chega mais perto meu raio de sol
A minha casa é um escuro deserto
Mas com você ela é cheia de sol
Molha a tua boca na minha boca
A tua boca é meu doce é meu sal
Mas quem sou eu nesta vida tão louca?
Mais um palhaço no teu carnaval
Casa de sombra vida de monge
Quanta cachaça na minha dor
Volta pra casa, fica comigo
Vem que eu te espero tremendo de amor
Em noite sem lua, pulei a cancela
Cai do cavalo, perdi Gabriela
Oh lua de cera, oh lua singela
Lua feiticeira cadê Gabriela?
Ontem vim de lá do Pilar
Inda ontem vim lá do Pilar
Já tô com vontade de ir por aí
Ontem vim de lá
Inda ontem vim de lá
Já tô com vontade de ir por aí
E na corda da viola todo mundo sambar
E na corda da viola todo mundo sambar
Todo mundo sambar
Todo mundo sambar quebra pedra
The lyrics of Tema de amor de Gabriela tell the story of a man who has traveled from the north to see Gabriela, the woman he loves. The first verse tells about his background, his appearance, and his favorite things. The second verse speaks of his desire to see Gabriela again and the joy he experiences from nature's beauty. He expresses his love for Gabriela and his hope of becoming her husband. In the third verse, he pleads with Gabriela to return to him and forgive his mistakes, promising to welcome her back with open arms. The final verse is lamentful, speaking of the man's heartbreak from losing Gabriela and his longing to see her again.
Line by Line Meaning
Vim do norte vim de longe
I come from the north, from a far away place
De um lugar que já nem há
From a place that doesn't exist anymore
Vim dormindo pela estrada
I came sleeping through the road
Vim parar neste lugar
I ended up in this place
Meu cheiro é de cravo
My scent is of cloves
Minha cor de canela
My color is of cinnamon
A minha bandeira
My flag is
É verde e amarela
Green and yellow
Pimenta de cheiro
Spicy pepper
Cebola em rodela
Onion slices
Um beijo na boca
A kiss on the mouth
Feijão na panela
Beans in the pot
Gabriela
Gabriela
Sempre Gabriela
Always Gabriela
Passei um café inda escuro
I brewed some coffee while it was still dark
E logo me pus a caminho
And then I hit the road
Eu quero rever Gabriela
I want to see Gabriela again
De novo provar seu cheirinho
To smell her once again
Manhã bem cedinho na mata
Early morning in the woods
O sol derramou seu carinho
The sun bestowed its warmth
Um brilho na folha da jaca
A shine on the jackfruit leaf
Pensei em rever meu benzinho
I thought of seeing my dear one again
Se ainda sobrasse um dinheiro
If I still had some money left
Podia comprar-te um vestido
I could buy you a dress
E mais um vidrinho de cheiro
And another small bottle of scent
Contar-te um segredo no ouvido
Tell you a secret in your ear
Te trouxe um anel verdadeiro
I brought you a true ring
Sonhei que era teu preferido
I dreamt it was your favorite
Pensei, pensei tanta coisa
I thought, I thought so much
Ah, me deixa ser teu marido
Oh, let me be your husband
Queria casar-me contigo
I wanted to marry you
Todos os dias esta saudade
Every day this longing
Felicidade cadê você
Where are you happiness?
Já não consigo viver sem ela
I can't live without her anymore
Eu vim à cidade pra ver Gabriela
I came to the city to see Gabriela
Tenho pensado tanto na vida
I have been thinking so much about life
Volta bandida mata essa dor
Come back, banditess, kill this pain
Volta pra casa, fica comigo
Come back home, stay with me
Eu te perdoo com raiva e amor
I forgive you with anger and love
Chega mais perto, moço bonito
Come closer, handsome boy
Chega mais perto meu raio de sol
Come closer, my sunbeam
A minha casa é um escuro deserto
My house is a dark desert
Mas com você ela é cheia de sol
But with you, it's full of sunshine
Molha a tua boca na minha boca
Moisten your mouth with mine
A tua boca é meu doce é meu sal
Your mouth is my sweet and my salt
Mas quem sou eu nesta vida tão louca?
But who am I in this crazy life?
Mais um palhaço no teu carnaval
Another clown in your carnival
Casa de sombra vida de monge
A life of shadows, a monk's life
Quanta cachaça na minha dor
How much cachaça in my pain
Vem que eu te espero tremendo de amor
Come, I wait for you trembling with love
Em noite sem lua, pulei a cancela
On a moonless night, I jumped the fence
Cai do cavalo, perdi Gabriela
I fell off the horse, lost Gabriela
Oh lua de cera, oh lua singela
Oh waxing moon, oh simple moon
Lua feiticeira cadê Gabriela?
Moon witch, where is Gabriela?
Ontem vim de lá do Pilar
Yesterday I came from Pilar
Inda ontem vim lá do Pilar
Just yesterday I came from Pilar
Já tô com vontade de ir por aí
I already feel like going around
E na corda da viola todo mundo sambar
And on the guitar string everyone dances samba
Todo mundo sambar
Everyone dances samba
Todo mundo sambar quebra pedra
Everyone dances samba and feels good
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM
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.