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.
Vai levando
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
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Could that pain in your heart be there because you love a new love
Well I know just how you feel
I felt that way for so many years
Ever since that cloudy day you told me goodbye
And with her you walked away
Now baby you're welcome
Now baby you're welcome back
Did she put you down cause the new love she found looks better
Did you find that a few nights of fun were all she was after
Well I know just how you feel
I felt that way for so many years
Ever since that cloudy day you told me goodbye
And with her you walked away
Now baby you're welcome
Now baby you're welcome back
Now baby you're welcome back to me
Baby you're welcome
Now baby you're welcome back
Now baby you're welcome back to me
The lyrics of "Lamento" by Antônio Carlos Jobim describe a person who is willing to take back their former lover after they have been hurt by someone else. The song begins with the singer questioning if the tears on the person's face are the result of their new love hurting them. The singer then reflects on the pain they themselves felt when the person initially walked away from them for someone else. Despite the hurt they experienced, the singer offers a welcome back to the person now that they have been hurt by someone else.
The lyrics express a sense of understanding and empathy for the person's situation, while also acknowledging the singer's own hurt. The repetition of the phrase "now baby you're welcome back to me" at the end of each verse serves as a reminder that the singer is offering their love and forgiveness to the person, even after they have been hurt. Overall, the lyrics convey a complex mix of emotions, including love, forgiveness, hurt, and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
Could those little drops of water meeting under your chin be teardrops
Is it possible that you are crying and those droplets of tears are falling under your chin?
Could that pain in your heart be there because you love a new love
Is it possible that you are hurting because you are in love with someone new?
Well, I know just how you feel
I understand exactly how you are feeling
I felt that way for so many years
I have experienced the same feelings for many years
Ever since that cloudy day you told me goodbye
Since the day you left me on a cloudy day
And with her, you walked away
And you left me to be with her
Now baby, you're welcome
Now, my dear, you are welcome
Now baby, you're welcome back
You are welcome to come back to me now, my dear
Now baby, you're welcome back to me
You can come back to me now, my dear. I will welcome you with open arms.
Did she put you down 'cause the new love she found looks better
Did she break up with you because she found someone better-looking?
Did you find that a few nights of fun were all she was after
Did you realize that she was only interested in having some fun for a few nights?
Baby, you're welcome
My dear, you are welcome
Now baby, you're welcome back
You are welcome to come back to me now, my dear
Now baby, you're welcome back to me
You can come back to me now, my dear. I will welcome you with open arms.
Writer(s): Chico Buarque, Caetuno Veloso
Contributed by Michael L. 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.