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.
Wave
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For that's a lovely way to be
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream
Together
You can't deny, don't try to fight the rising sea
Don't fight the moon, the stars above, don't fight me
Together
When I saw you first, the time was half past three
When your eyes met mine it was eternity
By now we know the wave is on it's way to be
Just catch the wave, don't be afraid of loving me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream
Together
When I saw you first, the time was half past three
When your eyes met mine it was eternity
By now we know the wave is on it's way to be
Just catch that wave, don't be afraid of loving me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream
Together
Together
Together
The lyrics of Antonio Carlos's "Wave" speak of the power of two individuals coming together to eradicate their sense of loneliness. The singer invites the listener to close their eyes as it is a "lovely way to be" and become more in tune with their heart's deepest desires. He suggests that it is only when two individuals come together and dream the same dream that the sense of loneliness fades into obscurity.
The song then talks about the inevitability of love, like the rising of the sea or the stars above, and cautions against resisting it. The lyrics continue to emphasize how when the two individuals dream the same dream, the loneliness dissipates, highlighting the significance of companionship and intimate relationships in life.
By referring to the imagery of waves, the singer suggests that sometimes love may come crashing down like a wave, which can seem daunting, but one should not be afraid to catch that wave and love deeply. The final lines of the song reiterate the central message that "the fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together."
Line by Line Meaning
So close your eyes
Close your eyes to fully experience the moment.
For that's a lovely way to be
Closing your eyes helps you appreciate moments of beauty.
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
By closing your eyes, you can see things that are only meant for your heart to see.
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream
Loneliness disappears when two people share a dream.
Together
The key to overcoming loneliness and achieving dreams is to be together.
You can't deny, don't try to fight the rising sea
Don't resist the natural course of events, like the rising tide of love.
Don't fight the moon, the stars above, don't fight me
Don't fight the forces of nature, including the love between two people.
When I saw you first, the time was half past three
The moment they first met felt timeless and eternal.
When your eyes met mine it was eternity
The moment they first locked eyes felt like an eternity.
By now we know the wave is on it's way to be
They know their love is growing and building like a wave.
Just catch the wave, don't be afraid of loving me
Embrace the love between two people and ride the wave of their emotions together.
Together
The key to overcoming loneliness and achieving dreams is to be together.
Lyrics © CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@toophunny
samm1809
Actually it's the perfect song -- I wrote these lyrics just for you:
"And there you are,
So smug and truly self-absorbed.
Must be a lonely life, for only you know what’s best;
After this lyric kicks your ass, you
Better crawl up to bed and get some rest."
@hunyango2k
This reminds me of my late dad, he plays this song on a guitar... i’ve been looking for this song for 2 decades but i never knew the title... then i stumble one of the piano cover in youtube that leads me here... thank you for this song, it reminds me of how great my father is as a musician.
@SAPierce
Your dad had great taste in music!
@jaredrushton
What an awesome story! Thanks for sharing!
@robertsadowski2183
This guy was the best
@user-tm7bs3vo1r
This song reminds me that day i was in saõ paulo alone for business. February & march, i could feel Aguas de masço in a real situation
@gfunkk
here's the real book for it if you ever want to learn it: https://escuelasuperiordejazz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/The-real-book-sixth-edition.pdf
@armymoa6589
Because of Taehyung I get to know about the existence of this beautiful song 💜 and I love this song, I think now I'm gonna play this all day long!
@ayo6228
Do u like the song or is it because taehyung listened to it. Be ffr. Ur a poser i don't think you truly understand the essence of bossa nova.
@themagicalspacepapa3109
Jobim's music is a gateway drug
@scruffy_owl6013
This song feels like it'd be perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.