Bonita
Antonio Carlos Jobim; Frank Sinatra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What magic words would capture you
Like a soft evasive mist you are, Bonita
You fly away when love is new
What do you ask of me, Bonita
What part do you want me to play
Shall I be the clown for you, Bonita
Bonita, don't run away, Bonita
Bonita, don't be afraid to fall in love with me
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
The lyrics of Frank Sinatra's song "Bonita" express a man's desire to win the affection of a woman, who is portrayed as elusive and flighty. He is searching for the right words to captivate her and keep her from flying away when love is new. He asks her what part he should play in her life, even offering to be a clown if that's what she wants. The refrain of the song, "Bonita, don't run away, Bonita," conveys his fear of losing her.
The song captures the universal theme of lovers trying to win each other's hearts. The word "Bonita" means "pretty" or "beautiful" in Spanish, and it is used throughout the song as a term of endearment. The woman is depicted as a soft, misty presence, making her all the more intriguing and desirable to the man. Jobim's musical style, characterized by his use of lush harmonies and sophisticated chord progressions, lends an air of elegance and romance to the song. Sinatra's smooth and expressive vocals bring out the longing and vulnerability in the lyrics, making the listener feel the man's desire to win over his beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
What can I say to you, Bonita
What words can I use to win your heart, Bonita
What magic words would capture you
What enchanted words will make you mine, Bonita
Like a soft evasive mist you are, Bonita
You're elusive and vaporous, like a mist, Bonita
You fly away when love is new
You leave me when new love blossoms, Bonita
What do you ask of me, Bonita
What do you want from me, Bonita
What part do you want me to play
What role should I play in your life, Bonita
Shall I be the clown for you, Bonita
Should I play the fool for you, Bonita
I will be anything you say
I'll do anything for you, Bonita
Bonita, don't run away, Bonita
Stay with me, don't leave, Bonita
Bonita, don't be afraid to fall in love with me
Don't be scared to love me, Bonita
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
I love you so much, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
If you love me, life will be amazing for us, Bonita
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: RAY GILBERT, ANTONIO CARLOS BRASILEIRO DE A JOBIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eduardo José
What can I say to you, Bonita, what magic word would capture you
Like a soft salacious mist you are, Bonita, you fly away when love is new
What do you ask of me, Bonita, what part do you want me to play
Shall I be the clown for you, Bonita, I will be anything you say
Bonita, don't run away, Bonita
Bonita, don't be afraid to fall in love with me
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
Paula Priscila
What can I say to you, Bonita
What magic words would capture you
Like a soft evasive mist you are, Bonita
You fly away when love is new
What do you ask of me, Bonita
What part do you want me to play
Shall I be the clown for you, Bonita
I will be anything you say
Bonita, don't run away, Bonita
Filip Panovski
What can I say to you, Bonita
What magic words would capture you
Like a soft evasive mist you are, Bonita
You fly away when love is new
What do you ask of me, Bonita
What part do you want me to play
Shall I be the clown for you, Bonita
I will be anything you say
Bonita, don't run away, Bonita
Bonita, don't be afraid to fall in love with me
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
I love you, I tell you, I love you, I love you, Bonita
If you love me, life would be beautiful, Bonita
Mark Blackburn
Playing at this moment on Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio, my favorite 'obscure' Sinatra/Jobim collaboration – BONITA.
A lesser-known song some of us never heard before we heard it first on 'Channel 75 (now 71) Sirius/XM' radio; it finally has a Wikipedia entry of its own (that wasn't there the last time I'd checked) -- thanks in part to a controversy involving my compatriot, the late Gene (Quiet Nights) Lees who wrote the English lyrics for several of the A.C. Jobim songs Frank Sinatra recorded. “Six,” Lees would say, “counting Bonita.” A hauntingly beautiful orchestration by Claus Ogerman, you may agree.
"Bonita" (meaning "Pretty" in English) is a bossa nova song composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics in English credited to Gene Lees and Ray Gilbert.
According to Brazilian author Ruy Castro, Jobim composed the song in 1963, after being inspired by "a young woman, Candice Bergen, whom he had the pleasure of meeting at the home of the president of Atlantic Records, Nesuhi Ertegun. The pleasure, by the way, was mutual."[1]
Jobim made the first recording of the song in 1965, for his album, The Wonderful World of Antonio Carlos Jobim. In 1969, Frank Sinatra performed the song with Jobim for their planned album SinatraJobim, but at the last minute, Sinatra stopped release of the record. Seven of the ten songs from those sessions were eventually released as Side A of Sinatra & Company (1971), but "Bonita" was not included. It finally appeared in 1977 on a Reprise UK album entitled, Portrait of Sinatra – Forty Songs from the Life of a Man, and was later included on Sinatra–Jobim Sessions (1979) and Sinatra/Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings (2010).[2]
Gene Lees, who had written several other English-language lyrics for Jobim, claims that "Jobim gave my lyric to Bonita, which I had written in New York, to Ray Gilbert, who altered a phrase or two and put his name on it. If you look at the credits on the back of the album titled The Wonderful World of Antonio Carlos Jobim ... you'll find that the writer credit on Bonita reads Jobim/Gilbert.
"Gilbert produced an album for Warner Brothers in which he again used the song, again taking credit for the lyric.... I was furious at both records and took the matter up with the American Guild of Authors and Composers. A hearing was organized, with Sheldon Harnick as its chairman, and I presented the evidence of my authorship. The committee ruled that it was indeed my lyric, solely or largely.... The contretemps over Bonita was one of the reasons I parted company with Jobim."[3]
Thanks for sharing, Raphael Malanconi. Celebrated this day at Sinatra Family - Forum - "Siriusly Sinatra" - MY FAVORITE VERSION, YOURS TOO? https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50225-My-Favorite-Version-%28yours-too-%29?p=1307920#post1307920
Stargazer26
Some of the finest music Sinatra EVER did was with Jobim, just magnificent, every song...
Larry Shaver
i agrre totally
Luiz Wagner
O planeta reconhece essa obra prima ... O Brasil precisa conhecer
MARCO ANTÔNIO VELOSO
"Quando Frank Sinatra ficou sabendo da existência da Bossa Nova e conheceu um tal de Antônio Carlos Jobim, foi inevitável o encontro dos dois gênios, pois em Arte, diferentemente da Física, os iguais se atraem. Estava escrito!"
nicholas goodrum
Liquid Gold x
🌹🤡🔥💋
MARCO ANTÔNIO VELOSO
I couldn't agree more!! Just marvelous!!!
Greeneyed Southern Girl
This is one of my favorites from Mr. Sinatra. You never hear a lot of this song....it’s beautiful! The piano, strings, and the longing in his voice just cannot be duplicated—EVER! He is the greatest singer to walk the face of this earth! 💙
José Fernando Fernandes de Oliveira Ugarte
Maravilhoso ver dois grandes cantores cantando juntos! Música brasileira, é tudo de bom!
Emanuele Kröner
Sem palavras , eu escuto Frank Sinatra há 5 anos e hoje descobri essa obra de Arte , realmente estou perdidamente apaixonada.
Amo Bossa Nova e❤❤❤ esses dois sem comentários ❤❤❤
Roni Conceição Conceição.
Em Sinatra, nada se perde, tudo se transforma. Perfeito.