Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
Bossa Nova Baby
Elvis Presley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I worked all day
And my feet feel just like lead
You got my shirt tails
Flyin' all over the place
And the sweat poppin' out of my head
She said, hey, bossa nova baby
This ain't no time to quit
She said, go, bossa nova baby
Keep on dancin'
I'm about to have myself a fit
Bossa nova, bossa nova
I said, hey, little mama
Let's sit down
Have a drink and dig the band
She said, drink, drink, drink
Oh, fiddle de dink
I can dance with a drink in my hand
She said, hey, bossa nova baby
Keep on workin' for
This ain't no time to drink
She said, go, bossa nova baby
Keep on dancin'
'Cause I ain't got time to think
Bossa nova, bossa nova
I said, come on, baby
It's hot in here
And it's oh so cool outside
If you lend me a dollar
I can buy some gas
And we can go for a little ride
She said, hey bossa nova baby
Keep on workin' for
I ain't got time for that
She said, go, bossa nova baby
Keep on dancin'
Or I'll find myself another cat
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova
The lyrics to Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires' song "Bossa Nova Baby" express a humorous dialogue between a hard-working man and a woman keen on dancing the night away. The man is exhausted and eager to take a break to relax and enjoy the band's performance, but the woman insists on him continuing to work and dance. She encourages him to keep going and not give up.
The refrain "Bossa nova, bossa nova" is referring to the popular Brazilian style of music and dance called Bossa Nova that emerged in the late 1950s. The woman is urging the man to keep dancing the Bossa Nova, even though he's tired.
The overall message of the song is light-hearted and fun, encouraging listeners to let loose and enjoy themselves. The lyrics highlight the cultural significance of Bossa Nova and its popularity during the era.
Line by Line Meaning
I said, take it easy, baby
I told you to relax, honey.
I worked all day
I've been working all day long.
And my feet feel just like lead
My feet are so tired I can barely walk.
You got my shirt tails Flyin' all over the place
You got me spinning around so much my shirt is flying all over the place.
And the sweat poppin' out of my head
I'm so sweaty, my sweat is popping out of my head.
She said, hey, bossa nova baby
She called me 'bossa nova baby'.
Keep on a workin' for This ain't no time to quit
Don't stop working now, there's still stuff to do.
She said, go, bossa nova baby
She told me to keep dancing.
Keep on dancin' I'm about to have myself a fit
Keep dancing or I'll lose it!
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Let's dance some bossa nova music!
I said, hey, little mama
I called her 'little mama'.
Let's sit down Have a drink and dig the band
Let's sit down, have a drink and enjoy the music.
She said, drink, drink, drink Oh, fiddle de dink
She sang a nonsensical phrase, encouraging me to drink.
I can dance with a drink in my hand
I can dance even while holding a drink.
Keep on workin' for This ain't no time to drink
Don't drink now, there's still work to do.
Or I'll find myself another cat
Or I'll find someone else to dance with.
I said, come on, baby
I urged her to come on.
It's hot in here And it's oh so cool outside
It's hot inside but outside is cool.
If you lend me a dollar I can buy some gas
If you lend me a dollar, I can fill up the gas tank.
And we can go for a little ride
And then we can go for a ride.
I ain't got time for that
I don't have time for that.
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Let's dance to some bossa nova music!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Arthur Lima
BOSSA NOVA BABY
I said: "Take it easy, baby, I worked all day
And my feet feel just like lead
You got my shirt tails flying all over the place
And the sweat popping out of my head"
She said: "Hey, bossa nova baby,
Keep on working for this ain't no time to quit"
She said: "Go, bossa nova baby, keep on dancing!
I'm about to have myself a fit"
Bossa nova, bossa nova
I said: "Hey little mama, let's sit down
Have a drink and dig the band"
She said, "Drink, drink, drink, oh, fiddle-de-dink
I can dance with a drink in my hand"
She said: "Hey, bossa nova baby,
Keep on working' for this ain't no time to drink"
She said: "Go, bossa nova baby, keep on dancing
Cause I ain't got time to think"
Bossa nova, bossa nova
I said: "Come on, baby, it's hot in here
And it's, oh, so cool outside!
If you lend me a dollar, I can buy some gas
And we can go for a little ride"
She said: "Hey, bossa nova baby,
Keep on working for I ain't got time for that"
She said: "Go, bossa nova baby, keep on dancing
Or I'll find myself another cat"
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Thiago Ramos
Elvis singing a Brazilian style of music is a big pleasure to us Brazilians, Bossa Nova baby! 🇧🇷🤘🏻
Descobrindo
Yep!
Thiago Ramos
@Descobrindo Vejo que você está com a foto de um cantor da minha cidade natal, Roberto Carlos, também sou de Cachoeiro!
Descobrindo
@Thiago Ramos Que foda! Sou de PE, estado do grandioso Luiz Gonzaga. O Brasil é cheio de bons cantores, meu caro. E que bom que jovens se interessam por eles.
Thiago Ramos
@Descobrindo Eu adoro o Luiz Gonzaga!, Pernambuco também é terra do grande Chico Science. Adoro Pernambuco! ;). Um outro cantor de Cachoeiro pra você conhecer, caso não conheça, é o Sérgio Sampaio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsiAN__ii7E
Descobrindo
@Thiago Ramos Vlw!
kaspafischer
I like the fact that the song is named "Bossa Nova Baby" but it has a rock groove, a mariachi trumpet solo, a wailing blues guitar solo and a funky organ lick... :)
Makabe Masamune
I'm no professional but i think this is more closer to Samba than a rock groove.
victor nice
Listening well!
victor nice
@Makabe Masamune not a Samba, cat calked out the groove 's by their names well! One fact! Great song!