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.
Samba Do Soho
Astrud Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Whistling a samba
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
A miracle just happened
Finding you in the cinema
With this god given love
Who would dare to condemn us
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
When I walk around Soho
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Donga made the samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
Oh, it feels so good
Kissing you in the cinema
Now we're getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus; que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
In the song "Samba Do Soho," Astrud Gilberto takes a moment to reflect on the similarities and differences between the neighborhoods of Soho and Gamboa. She describes a feeling of nostalgia and longing that she experiences while walking through the streets of Soho, comparing it to the same feeling she associates with Gamboa. She connects these two places through the music of samba, which she hears in the rhythm of the people walking around her. She imagines the people of Angola and Luanda, feeling the beat of their own samba music as she walks by.
Further on in the song, Gilberto describes her experiences of falling for someone, someone she refers to as a "beautiful Morena." She recognizes this feeling as both wonderful and difficult, as she struggles with her own emotions and the societal norms that might condemn her love. Despite this, she finds hope and beauty in the love that she shares with her partner, describing it as a "god given love" that no one can take away.
Overall, "Samba Do Soho" is a song about the connections and disconnections that people can feel in big cities. Gilberto draws on the music of her home, the samba rhythms of Brazil, to unite different places and people in a shared experience of longing and love.
Line by Line Meaning
When I walk around Soho
As I stroll through the streets of Soho
I remember Gamboa
I am reminded of the town of Gamboa
There's a feeling
I experience a sensation
There's a beat
There is a rhythm
That hugs me like a boa
That embraces me like a serpent
Walking by the docks
Strolling along the harbor
Whistling a samba
Tuning a melody
In the rhythm of the people
Harmonizing with the community
From Angola from Luanda?
Originating from Angola, or perhaps Luanda
Suffering the longing
Experiencing a deep desire
The wonderful dilemma
The delightful predicament
Falling in the trap
Becoming ensnared
Of the beautiful Morena
By the gorgeous dark-skinned woman
A miracle just happened
An unexpected wonder occurred
Finding you in the cinema
Discovering you at the movies
With this god given love
Blessed with this divine romance
Who would dare to condemn us
Who has the audacity to judge us
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Oh, oh, oh, how crazy
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Oh my God, how wonderful
When I walk around Soho
As I stroll through the streets of Soho
I remember Gamboa
I am reminded of the town of Gamboa
There's a feeling
I experience a sensation
There's a beat
There is a rhythm
That hugs me like a boa
That embraces me like a serpent
Walking by the docks
Strolling along the harbor
Donga made the samba
Donga composed the samba
In the rhythm of the people
Harmonizing with the community
From Angola from Luanda?
Originating from Angola, or perhaps Luanda
Suffering the longing
Experiencing a deep desire
The wonderful dilemma
The delightful predicament
Falling in the trap
Becoming ensnared
Of the beautiful Morena
By the gorgeous dark-skinned woman
Oh, it feels so good
It feels absolutely amazing
Kissing you in the cinema
Smooching with you at the movies
Now we're getting down in Soho
Now we are partying in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Footwear, accessories, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Oh, oh, oh, how crazy
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Oh my God, how wonderful
Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Patricio Gomes
Lyrics
When I walk around Soho
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Whistling a samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
A miracle just happened
Finding you in the cinema
With this god given love
Who would dare to condemn us
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
When I walk around Soho
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Donga made the samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
Oh, it feels so good
Kissing you in the cinema
Now we're getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus; que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Patricio Gomes
Lyrics
When I walk around Soho
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Whistling a samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
A miracle just happened
Finding you in the cinema
With this god given love
Who would dare to condemn us
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
When I walk around Soho
I remember Gamboa
There's a feeling
There's a beat
That hugs me like a boa
Walking by the docks
Donga made the samba
In the rhythm of the people
From Angola from Luanda?
Suffering the longing
The wonderful dilemma
Falling in the trap
Of the beautiful Morena
Oh, it feels so good
Kissing you in the cinema
Now we're getting down in Soho
Sandals, beads, and Di A Dem
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus; que coisa boa
Ai, ai, ai, que coisa louca
Ai meu Deus, que coisa boa
Phillip Payne
I love this song!
Thayna G Oliveira
I really love how she sings the part "oh, it feels so gOOood"
Ryan D
this album is as rare as rocking horse s**t! this track is beautiful, easily the best track from the album for me. brilliant.
Ed Macomber
Saw her perform this in the 80's at Byrd's in Washington, D.C. She is so gorgeous in both voice and looks.
psychotropic7
So glad that someone brought back the version of this song to YouTube. Good post!
Gxyz222
I miss this song SOOOOOOOO MUCH! No Astrud Gilberto fan should be without this!
Juan Barrera Mendoza
hermosa cancion
C Ogee
one of my favorite songs i listened to on brazilian love jazz with gina martel on love 94 in miami back in the 90's! muito obrigado!
DrumsBikesBible 777
Love it