The daughter of a Brazilian mother and a German father, Gilberto was raised in Rio de Janeiro and moved to the USA in the early 1960s. In her mid-teens, she became part of (her own words) a "musical clan" when she met João Gilberto, whom she described as the clan's musical "guru". She married him a few months later, in 1959. She frequently sang duets with him, or sang while he accompanied her on guitar, and he acted as her musical tutor. She also sang publicly with her husband in a concert at the Rio de Janeiro Faculty of Architecture, but did not sing professionally at that time.
The couple moved to the United States in 1963, where she performed on the influential Getz/Gilberto album with João Gilberto, Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim. While rehearsing "The Girl from Ipanema", João asked her to sing a verse in English, and then persuaded Getz to include this in the final recording. Getz agreed, and Astrud's professional career began. After the recording Getz told Astrud it would make her famous, and was proved correct.
In the mid-1960s the couple divorced.
The success of Gilberto's vocal work on the song "The Girl from Ipanema" quickly turned her into a jazz star, and soon she started recording solo. She started as an interpreter of Brazilian bossa nova and American jazz standards, but started recording her own compositions in the 1970s.
Gilberto's recordings exposed the nations of the World to the sensuality of Brazilian music and to her unique vocal interpretations of American music, such as "The Shadow of your Smile", "It Might as well be Spring", "Fly Me to the Moon", "Look to the Rainbow" (from her album of the same title, with Gil Evans), "Love Story", etc...
Following the hit with "Ipanema", her recording career quickly took off. Her first solo effort, "The Astrud Gilberto Album", was an immediate best-seller and was itself nominated as album of the year. Her next albums were all chart-toppers and were released on a yearly schedule. Her talents were much in demand in other areas as well as she appeared in two motion pictures, "The Hanged Man" and "Get Yourself a College Girl" and also recorded the soundtrack for "The Deadly Affair", arranged by Quincy Jones. She made appearances in all of the popular US television shows of the time, and had TV specials built around her in Europe, Japan and Africa. For many years she was the voice of Eastern Airlines, having recorded award-winning commercials.
In the early seventies, Gilberto revealed another facet of her talents, her songwriting, which was introduced on the albums "Astrud Gilberto Now" (1972) and "That Girl From Ipanema" (1977). On the "That Girl from Ipanema" album, Gilberto recorded one of her songs, "Far Away" (with lyrics by Hal Shaper), as a duet with the legendary Chet Baker. As she has revealed in interviews, this was one of the most rewarding events of her career, since Baker had been one of Gilberto's idols dating back to her teenage years. In 1976, one of her compositions, "Live Today" (co-written with Jerome Schur), received an award at the Tokyo Music Festival.
In the early eighties, Gilberto formed a group, a sextet comprised of piano, bass, drums, trombone, guitar and percussion. Her son, Marcelo Gilberto, joined her group as bassist. With this group format, she toured Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States. With the aid of Marcelo's valuable musical contributions, she polished the group's arrangements and entered a different phase in her career, as her music became more diversified and her songwriting more proliferous. Her shows, from the beginning of her career up to her last public appearance (2001), have been usually sold out and at many venues she has broken the house record in attendance. Seeking for a way to overcome her stage fright, which was sometimes overwhelming, Gilberto attended the Stella Adler School of Acting, for a couple of years, in the early eighties. The experience was helpful. Although still shy, Gilberto learned to control the stage fright to the extent that she can "live with it".
Her album "Astrud Gilberto Plus The James Last Orchestra", released in 1987, solidified her career as songwriter. The album includes a few of her own original compositions of which "Champagne & Caviar", "Amor e Som" and "I'm nothing without you" (Astrud's lyrics to A.C. Jobim's melody) are best known. The release of this album combined with the reissuing of some of her early records as CDs has created a whole new generation of fans for Astrud Gilberto all over the world, in addition to her already large number of followers. The "Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra" album was extremely well received by critics, as well as fellow artists.
In 1990, Gilberto, along with her sons Marcelo Gilberto and Gregory Lasorsa, formed Gregmar Productions, Inc. In the years that followed, Gilberto toured extensively, developing her live show and writing new material.
In 1992, Gilberto received the "Latin Jazz USA Award for Lifetime Achievement" for her outstanding contribution to Latin jazz music.
In 1995, the first project by Gregmar studios was released on an album as tribute to Jobim on the label Ps Flag/BMG ("Heirs To Jobim"). The song, "Forever Green", one of Jobim's last compositions before passing away, features saxophonist Michael Brecker. In that same year, in a sold-out Thursday night appearance, Astrud Gilberto became the first "Jazz" Artist to sing at the trendy "House of Blues" in Los Angeles, which had until then presented Blues and Rock acts, exclusively. She has also broken house records at the very popular "Jazz Cafe" club in London.
In early 1996 the first album from Gregmar was released in the Asian territories, including Japan, on the Pony Canyon label. It is comprised of various live performances recorded in NYC in 1989, for which is called "Astrud Gilberto - Live in New York".
The "Desafinado" duet with George Michael, in the Fall of 1996 included on the "Red Hot & Rio" album, gained international attention, and exposed the Bossa Nova style to a large number of Pop music fans. "Desafinado" has also been included on George Michael's 1999 release "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Best of George Michael".
Also in 1996, Gilberto recorded a duet with the famous European vocalist, French Pop star, Ettienne Daho. The song, "Les Bordes de Seine", included on Daho's "Eden" album, was co-written by Daho and Gilberto and was particularly well received by "Hip-Hop" fans.
In late 1997, a studio album (also by Gregmar Productions), produced by Astrud and Marcelo Gilberto, was released in the Asian territories by the Pony Canyon label. Comprised entirely of Astrud Gilberto's original compositions (with the exception of just one American standard), the album bears the title of "Temperance". Yet to be released outside of Asia, the album features guests Michael Franks and the New York Voices.
Gilberto's sold-out performances at the "House of Blues", and her legendary shows at NYC's SOB's continued to be musical "happenings" to her fans up until 2001, when she decided to take indefinite time off the "road", in order to be able to spend more time with her family, and do more writing and painting (she is also a fine art artist (click here to view some of her artwork).
Gilberto's style has been a strong influence in contemporary music. Many artists have revealed the fact that they have been inspired by her musical style, among them: Basia (who recorded a tribute to Astrud, a song named "Astrud"), Sade, Sinead O'Connor, Michael Franks, Pat Metheney, and Suzanne Vega. Several "avant-garde" groups have also professed having Astrud as their "inspiring muse".
Gilberto's work as songwriter has gradually but surely developed from a "side thing" in the beginning of her career, to an integral part of it, in the later years. Since the mid-eighties, her live shows featured a large number of her own original compositions, to which audiences have been just as receptive as they have always been to old standards such as "The Girl from Ipanema", "One Note Samba", or "Quiet Nights".
Gilberto's 2002 "Jungle" album release, is a showcase of her songwriting, as it features ten original new compositions.
In April 2002, Gilberto was inducted into the "International Latin Music Hall of Fame".
In November 2008, Gilberto was awarded by the Latin Recording Academy the "Lifetime Achievement" Grammy Award.
Desafinado
Astrud Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saiba que isso em mim provoca imensa dor
Só privilegiados tem ouvido igual ao seu
Eu possuo apenas o que Deus me deu
E se você insiste em classificar (classificar)
Com o meu comportamento de anti-musical (musical)
Eu mesmo mentindo devo argumentar
Que isso é bossa-nova
Que isso é muito natural
O que você não sabe nem sequer pressente
É que os desafinados também tem um coração
Fotografei você na minha Rolleiflex
Revelou-se a sua enorme ingratidão
Só não poderá falar assim do meu amor
Que ele é o maior que você pode encontrar
Você com a sua música e esqueceu o principal
Que no peito dos desafinados
No fundo do peito bate calado
No peito dos desafinados também bate um coração
The lyrics to "Desafinado" by Astrud Gilberto and George Michael are about standing up to someone who criticizes their singing ability. The singer acknowledges that they may not have perfect pitch, but the criticism still hurts. They argue that even if they are not a skilled singer, they still have a heart and can feel emotions just as deeply as someone with perfect pitch can.
The singer also defends their music style by claiming it to be a type of music known as bossa-nova, which they argue is natural and not anti-musical. They then bring up the fact that even those who don't have perfect pitch, "the desafinados," still have a heart and feel emotions. They even compare their emotions to those who are skilled at singing, saying that both types of people have a heart that beats quietly in their chest.
The lyrics also reference a specific camera, the Rolleiflex, and accuse the subject of the song of ingratitude. The singer concludes by saying that the subject cannot talk badly about their love, as it is the greatest love they will ever find. The lyrics convey a message about the value of emotions and artistry beyond just technical ability.
Interesting Facts about "Desafinado":
- The song was originally written by Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1959.
- The title "Desafinado" translates to "out of tune" in English.
- The song has been covered by many artists, including Stan Getz, Ella Fitzgerald, and João Gilberto, who was one of the pioneers of bossa-nova.
- Gilberto's version was the first to feature vocals, and it became a hit in the United States in 1964.
Line by Line Meaning
Se você disser que eu desafino amor, yeah
If you tell me that I sing out of tune, my love, know that it causes me immense pain.
Saiba que isso em mim provoca imensa dor
I want you to understand that your criticism hurts me deeply.
Só privilegiados tem ouvido igual ao seu
Only a few lucky people have such an amazing ear for music like yours.
Eu possuo apenas o que Deus me deu
I may not have the same gift as you, but I am content with what God has given me.
E se você insiste em classificar (classificar)
If you continue to label me as such,
Com o meu comportamento de anti-musical (musical)
As having an anti-musical behavior,
Eu mesmo mentindo devo argumentar
I must argue, even if it means lying,
Que isso é bossa-nova
That this is bossa-nova,
Que isso é muito natural
And it's all very natural.
O que você não sabe nem sequer pressente
What you don't understand, and can't even sense,
É que os desafinados também tem um coração
Is that even those who sing off-key have a heart.
Fotografei você na minha Rolleiflex
I took a picture of you with my Rolleiflex,
Revelou-se a sua enorme ingratidão
Only to discover your enormous ingratitude.
Só não poderá falar assim do meu amor
But don't you dare judge my love like you did my music,
Que ele é o maior que você pode encontrar
Because it is the greatest love you will ever find.
Você com a sua música e esqueceu o principal
You and your music have forgotten the most important thing.
Que no peito dos desafinados
That in the hearts of those who sing off-key,
No fundo do peito bate calado
Deep down, beats a silent heart,
No peito dos desafinados também bate um coração
And even the off-key have a heart that beats.
Lyrics © Editora e Importadora Musical Fermata do Brasil Ltda., CORCOVADO MUSIC CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Newton Mendonca, Tom Jobim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michaelwynn4559
So in love with Astrud Gilberto. It's hard trying to handle all of these gorgeous pictures.
@raulfuertes8564
Thank you for sharing this beautiful song forever ❤❤❤
@williamdavis7432
Forever 5-Star tender & beautiful - thank you!
@sousardanilo
Rest in peace, Astrud :(
@josemaradiagacecena675
DEP Astrud, cuanto deleite escucharte
@janiomota5384
Just beautiful!
A gente se vê, Astrud…
Thanks to this channel.
@jeffreycraven8154
Can anyone blame Getz for being attracted to Astrud. I know, Astrud could have resisted; who knows the truth about Joao's relationship with her; water long under the bridge. Beautiful pics of Astrud. Thanks Jeffrey a.
@maureengiles8207
Joao didn't want her singing The Girl From Ipanema on the Getz album. I've read accounts of him treating her terribly once the song took off. He wanted her to stay a housewife and was very jealous of her success.
@lauratorres6039
tão lindamente cantada e uma canção tão romântica👍🏻🇵🇷♥️☮️🇧🇷
@trovato2009
What a music! So sexy and sweet. Bossanova never dies! Thanks to share!