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.
So Nice
Astrud Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
And be a team with me
So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me
Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give his heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me
Oh yeah, that would be so nice
I could see you and me, that would be nice
The lyrics to Astrud Gilberto's "So Nice" express a deep longing for companionship and love. The singer is searching for someone who can hold her tight, love her right, and understand her dreams. She yearns for a partner who will take her hand and become a team with her, samba-ing through life together. The lyrics are filled with hope as the singer imagines finding someone to cling to her, stay with her through thick and thin, sing to her, and give their heart to her. She eagerly anticipates finding someone who is ready to give love a start with her.
The simplicity and sweetness of the lyrics are enhanced by the upbeat and cheerful melody of the song. Notably, "So Nice" is predominantly sung in Portuguese with only a few English words, which adds to its exotic and romantic feel. The song's breezy, bossa nova rhythm transports the listener to the beaches of Brazil and the atmosphere of carefree love and happiness.
Overall, "So Nice" is a catchy and charming song that celebrates the desire for love and human connection. Its catchy tune and its message of hope have made it a favorite of both jazz and pop audiences since its release in the 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone to hold me tight
I am longing for someone who can embrace me tightly and offer me comfort.
That would be very nice
Having someone to physically comfort me would be highly desirable.
Someone to love me right
I crave to be loved in the way I desire and deserve.
That would be very nice
Being loved properly would bring me immense happiness.
Someone to understand
I yearn for someone who can comprehend the intricacies of my thoughts and feelings.
Each little dream in me
My deepest desires and aspirations.
Someone to take my hand
I want someone who can provide me with support and guidance through life's journey.
And be a team with me
I'm looking for a partner who can join me in accomplishing life's goals together.
So nice, life would be so nice
Having someone to fulfill these roles would make life extremely pleasant.
If one day I'd find
I have hope that this dream can come true one day.
Someone who would take my hand
Someone who can hold my hand with passion and lead me through life.
And samba through life with me
Someone who can share and enjoy life's occasions with me.
Someone to cling to me
A partner who can hold onto me tightly, stay by my side always, and forgive my mistakes.
Stay with me right or wrong
A bond so strong that it doesn't break under any circumstance.
Someone to sing to me
A partner who can serenade me with a samba song and fill my heart with love.
Some little samba song
A rhythmic, romantic melody that speaks straight to my heart.
Someone to take my heart
Someone to give me their heart and make it beat with mine.
And give his heart to me
Finding someone who is willing and ready to love me unconditionally.
Someone who's ready to
A person who is prepared to commit themselves to love me for who I am.
Give love a start with me
Starting a journey together to discover and explore romantic love with each other.
Oh yeah, that would be so nice
It would be amazing to find someone who matches the qualities I seek in a partner.
I could see you and me, that would be nice
I can envision a life shared with the right partner, and it would be wonderful.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Norman Gimbel, Marcos Kostenbader Valle, Paulo Sergio Kostenbader Valle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tracy120552
Someone to hold me tight
That would be very nice
Someone to love me right
That would be very nice
Someone to understand
Each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand
And be a team with me
So nice, life would be so nice
If one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me
Someone to cling to me
Stay with me right or wrong
Someone to sing to me
Some little samba song
Someone to take my heart
And give his heart to me
Someone who's ready to
Give love a start with me
Oh yeah, that would be so nice
I could see you and me, that would be nice
@liammalone6304
I'm high right meow and I'm thinking why has no one done a weed remix to this🤔
someone who rolls it right
That would be so nice
Someone who has a light
That would be so nice
Someone who understands
What 4:20 means to me
Some who rolls with hands
And give the greens to me
So nice, that would be so nice...😂
@aidsden7464
time for my daily dose of astrud and stan 😌
@logann7942
Only once a day?
@Contextflexed
That's what ahm talking about.
@MicheleLiveAndInColor
Forget LIKE, where's the LOVE button?!! 🥰
@edder84
So nice for my ears, RIP.
@nyterpfan
I don't know if there'll ever be a voice more perfect for the Bossa Nova style than Astrud Gilberto's--just a flawless blend of breezy, smooth, and relaxed with a hint of longing and melancholy--MAGNIFICENT!!
@luismanueltorresprado3823
RIP Astrud Gilberto. Obrigrado pela música e as lembranças!
@FatSal619
Rip !!! astrud your the very best❤I’ll always cherish you and your lovly music!!!❤ hopefully your with the lord …✝️⚜️
@shihlin1
Those who are wondering who plays the incredible organ in the background, it's Walter Wanderley. His 1966 recording on Verve Records "A Certain Smile A Certain Sadness" with Astrud is ESSENTIAL listening for any bossa or jazz fan !
If you luv the reverb sound heard here along with Astrud‘s lilting vocals, you'll luv their 1966 recording ! Be ready to be transported to a world of cabana beaches and chilled martinis !
@makaivictor8795
Instablaster...