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.
Don't Leave Me
Astrud Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And having wept
Can weep no more
But still it cries for me
It cries in sympathy
It knows that you are gone
Don't leave me baby!
When you were mine
An' not so long ago
I used to say
You'd never go away
You'd never leave me lonely
Don't leave me baby!
Think about the happy times
The groovy times
Don't tell me they are gone
I just can't carry on an'
And know that you're not here
You're not near
Anymore
Don't leave me baby
Things are gonna work out fine
Don't leave me baby
Think I'm goin' outta my mind
Don't leave me baby
Don't leave me behind!
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
The willow weeps
And having wept
Can weep no more
But still it cries for me
It cries in sympathy
It knows that you are gone
It cries for me
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
The willow weeps!
The lyrics to “Don’t Leave Me Baby” by Astrud Gilberto are a poetic representation of a heartbroken individual begging their beloved not to leave them. The weeping willow tree acts as a symbol for the emotions the singer is experiencing. The willow weeps so much that it can no longer cry any more tears, yet it continues to cry in sympathy for the singer understanding their pain. The singer remembers the times when they were together and happy and cannot accept that those times have gone. These memories are what they are holding on to in order to keep their relationship alive.
The lyrics echo the fear of being left alone after dedicating so much love and time to someone. The lines, "Think I'm goin' outta my mind/ Don't leave me baby/ Don't leave me behind!" shows the desperation and the need for the beloved to not abandon them. The repetition of the refrain, “Don’t leave me baby,” creates an emotional intensity that reveals the singer’s yearning for their lover. The song paints a clear picture of the longing for companionship and the pain that comes from being left alone.
Line by Line Meaning
The willow weeps
The willow tree represents the singer's sadness and heartbreak over the loss of their lover.
And having wept
Having already cried, the singer feels they can no longer cry anymore tears.
Can weep no more
The singer has been crying so long and hard that they have no tears left to cry.
But still it cries for me
The willow tree represents the artist's sadness and continues to cry for them, even when they cannot cry for themselves.
It cries in sympathy
The artist feels comforted that even the willow tree is crying with them in sadness.
It knows that you are gone
The singer believes that the willow tree understands and sympathizes with their sadness and heartbreak over losing their lover.
Don't leave me baby!
The singer is pleading with their lover not to leave them and cause them such heartbreak.
There was a time
The artist reflects on a time when they and their lover were happy and in love.
When you were mine
The artist is reminiscing about when their lover was still with them and they were a couple.
An' not so long ago
It wasn't too long ago that the artist's lover was still with them and they were happy.
I used to say
The singer reflects on how they used to reassure themselves that their lover would never leave.
You'd never go away
The artist believed that their lover would never leave them or break their heart.
You'd never leave me lonely
The singer believed that their lover would never abandon them and leave them feeling so alone.
Think about the happy times
The singer is urging themselves to remember and think about the good times they shared with their lover.
The groovy times
The singer is specifically recalling the joyful and exciting times they shared with their lover.
Don't tell me they are gone
The artist is refusing to believe that these happy times are over and that their lover has left them.
I just can't carry on an'
The artist is saying they cannot keep moving forward, day after day, with so much heartbreak and sadness.
And know that you're not here
The singer feels the void and emptiness left behind by their lover's absence.
You're not near
The singer longs to be close to their lover again but feels that distance between them.
Anymore
The artist knows that their lover is truly gone and will not be coming back.
Things are gonna work out fine
The artist is trying to remain hopeful and optimistic about the future, despite their heartbreak.
Think I'm goin' outta my mind
The artist is admitting that their heartbreak is driving them to feel like they are losing their sanity.
Don't leave me behind!
The singer is begging their lover to stay with them and never leave them behind to suffer through their sadness and heartbreak alone.
(Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!
Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!)
This is a repeating bridge that serves as a musical interlude between verses, and doesn't have a specific meaning or significance to the song's lyrics.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY NILSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
just sayin
on Who Needs Forever?
The lyrics of Astrud Gilberto's song "Who Needs Forever?" suggest that time is fleeting and that we should seize the moment instead of worrying about what the future holds. The repetition of the question "Who needs forever?" implies that forever is not a necessary or even desirable outcome. Instead, the song encourages the listener to focus on the present and appreciate the moment, rather than getting lost in concerns about the future.
The lines "Time goes so fast, Don't waste this moment, Let's live this moment like it's the last" evoke the idea of carpe diem, or seizing the day. The idea of living in the moment and not worrying about the future is a recurring theme in literature and music, and it is particularly relevant in a fast-paced world where time seems to slip away all too quickly.
Overall, the lyrics of "Who Needs Forever?" encourage us to enjoy the present moment and not worry about what lies ahead. The song suggests that life is short and that we should make the most of every moment.
this is not the original Song of Astrud Gilberto, the Lyrics are here only fragments of the original Song of Astrud Gilberto
I prefer this Remix of Thievery Corpartion more, but here us the original Songtext of the original Song of Astrud Gilberto
[Verse 1]
Who needs forever? Love me today
Let's forget tomorrow, it's too far away
[Chorus]
So hold me, don't waste this moment
Let's live this moment like it's the last
Time goes so fast
[Verse 2]
Love shouldn't linger, love shouldn't wait
When fates allow a choice of now or never
Who needs forever?
[Chorus]
So hold me, don't waste this moment
Let's live this moment like it's the last
Time goes so fast
[Verse 3]
Love shouldn't linger, love shouldn't wait
When fates allow a choice of now or never
Who needs forever?
Forever, forever