A self-taught guitarist and singer, Gilberto moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1950 and joined the vocal group Garotos da Lua ("The Boys of the Moon") as their lead singer. After a year and a half, he was kicked out of the group for his lack of discipline and spent the next several years in a marginal existence. Eventually, he found his way, creating a new way to express himself in voice and on the guitar. The result of his obsessive experiments became known as bossa nova.
Bossa nova is a refined version of samba, deemphasizing the percussive aspect of its rhythm and enriching the melodic and harmonic content. Rather than relying on the traditional Afro-Brazilian percussive instruments, bossa nova usually utilizes a drum set. João Gilberto often eschews all accompaniment, using only his guitar, which he uses as a percussive as well as a harmonic instrument. The singing style he developed is almost whispering, economical, and without vibrato. He creates his tempo tensions by singing ahead or behind the guitar.
This style, which Gilberto introduced in 1957, created a sensation in the musical circles of Rio's Zona Sul, and many young guitarists sought to imitate it. It was first heard on record in 1958 when João Gilberto accompanied singer Elizete Cardoso in a recording of "Chega de Saudade", a song by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Shortly after this recording, João Gilberto made his own debut single of the same song, followed by the 1959 LP, Chega de Saudade. The song became a hit, launching Gilberto's career and the bossa nova craze.
Besides a number of Jobim compositions, the album Chega de Saudade featured older sambas and popular songs from the 1940s and '50s, all performed in the distinctive bossa nova style. This album was followed by two more in 1960 and 1961, by which time the singer featured new songs by a younger generation of performer/composers such as Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal.
By 1962, bossa nova had been embraced by such North American jazz musicians as Herbie Mann, Charlie Byrd, and Stan Getz, who invited Gilberto and Jobim to collaborate on what became one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, Getz/Gilberto. Through this album, Gilberto's wife, Astrud, became an international star, and the Jobim/de Moraes composition "The Girl from Ipanema" became a worldwide pop music standard for the ages.
João Gilberto continued to perform through the 1960s but did not release another studio album until João Gilberto en México, recorded in 1970 during a period of residence in Mexico. João Gilberto, aka the "White Album" (1973), featured hypnotic minimalist execution and is widely considered to be his best album. The year 1976 saw the release of The Best of Two Worlds, a reunion with Stan Getz, featuring singer Miúcha, sister of Chico Buarque, who had become Gilberto's second wife in April 1965. Amoroso (1977) backed Gilberto with the lush string orchestration of Claus Ogerman, who had provided a similar sound to Jobim's instrumental recordings in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As had been the case for all of Gilberto's albums, the album consisted mostly of Jobim compositions, mixed with older sambas and an occasional North American standard from the 1940s.
Having lived in the US since 1962, João Gilberto returned to Brazil in 1980. The following year saw the release of Brasil, with guests Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, who in the late 1960s had founded the Tropicalia movement, a fusion of Brazilian popular music with foreign pop. The 1991 release, João, with orchestrations by Clare Fischer, was unusual in its lack of even a single Jobim composition, instead featuring songs in English, French, Italian, and Spanish, plus old sambas and the solitary contemporary song "Sampa" (Caetano Veloso). Also released in 1991 was the album Canto Do Pajé by Veloso's sister Maria Bethânia on which Bethânia and Gilberto sing an intimate duet Maria/Linda Flor (Barroso, Peixoto, Vogler, Costa, and Pôrto) accompanied solely by his guitar. João Voz e Violão (2000) was an homage to the music of Gilberto's youth as well as a nod to producer Caetano Veloso.
Evenly interspersed with these studio recordings have been the live recordings, Live in Montreux; João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira; Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar; Live at Umbria Jazz, and Live in Tokyo.
While all of Gilberto's albums since Getz/Gilberto have been released on CD, the first three domestic albums were released in 1988 by EMI on a single CD entitled The Legendary João Gilberto: The Original Bossa Nova Recordings (1958-1961). The disc also included three tracks from the singer's 1959 Orfeu Negro EP: "Manhã de Carnaval," O Nosso Amor, and A Felicidade, the latter two merged into a single medley track to fit within the recording time of a CD. After its release, Gilberto successfully sued to have the title removed from sale as an unauthorized release of his artistic works.
João Gilberto has long had a reputation as an eccentric recluse and a nearly neurotic perfectionist. He lives in an apartment in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, refusing all interviews and avoiding crowds. He has been known to walk out on performances in response to an audience he considers disrespectful or out of theaters possessing acoustics below his standards, and at times demands that the air conditioning be turned off at concert venues. Yet he continues to perform to sell-out crowds in Brazil as well as in Europe, North America, and Japan.
Discography:
1959 - Chega de Saudade (Odeon)
1960 - O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor (Odeon)
1961 - João Gilberto (Odeon)
1962 - The Boss of the Bossa Nova (Atlantic)
1963 - The Warm World of João Gilberto (Atlantic)
1964 - Getz/Gilberto (Verve)
1965 - Herbie Mann & João Gilberto (Atlantic)
1974 - João Gilberto en Mexico (PolyGram)
1976 - Best of Two Worlds (Columbia)
1977 - Amoroso (Warner Brothers)
1981 - Brasil (Warner Brothers)
1986 - João Gilberto Live in Montreux (WEA)
1991 - João (PolyGram)
2000 - João Voz e Violão (Universal)
2002 - Live at Umbria Jazz (Egea)
2004 - João Gilberto in Tokyo (Verve)
Aquarela Do Brasil
João Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos
O Brasil samba que da / Bamboleio que faz gingar
O Brasil do meu amor / Terra de Nosso Senhor
Brasil / Brasil / Pra mim / Pra mim
Ô ô ô ô abre a cortina do passado / Tira a mãe preta do serrado
Bota o rei congo no congado / Brasil Brasil Pra mim Pra mim
Toda a canção do meu amor / Quero ver essa dona caminhando
Pelos salões arrastando / O seu vestido rendado
Brasil.......Brasil / Pra mim....pra mim
Brasil / Terra boa e gostosa / Da morena sestrosa
De olhar indiscreto / O Brasil samba que da
Bamboleio que faz gingar / O Brasil do meu amor
Terra de Nosso Senhor / Brasil....Brasil...pra mim...pra mim
Ooooh esse coqueiro que da coco / Onde eu amarro a minha rede
Nas noites claras de luar / Brasil...... Brasil
Oooh ouve essas fontes murmurantes/ Onde eu mato a minha sede
E onde a lua vem brincar / Oh esse Brasil lindo e trigueiro
É o meu Brasil brasileiro / Terra de samba e de pandeiro
Brasil....Brasil/ Pra mim......pra mim.....
The lyrics of Aquarela do Brasil by João Gilberto celebrate the beauty and vitality of Brazil, its people, culture, and nature. In the first stanza, Gilberto sings about the joy and rhythm of Brazilian music and dance, which make his heart sing. He mentions his love for Brazil, which he perceives as a blessed and fertile land created by God. The repetition of "Brasil" and "pra mim" (for me) conveys a sense of personal attachment and pride.
The second stanza reflects on the past and the African roots of Brazilian culture. Gilberto evokes some images of the years of slavery and segregation, such as the "mãe preta" (black mother) and the "rei congo" (king of the Congo), but transforms them into symbols of resistance and empowerment that enrich the Brazilian identity. He also alludes to the troubadour tradition and the romantic notion of serenading a beloved under the moonlight. The third stanza praises the physical and sensual qualities of Brazil, referring to the flora, fauna, and landscapes that inspire him. A specific coconut tree and a fountain contribute to the sensory experience of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro / Meu mulato inzoneiro
Oh Brazil, my Brazilian Brazil, where my lively mulatto sways.
Vou cantar-te nos meus versos / O Brasil, samba que da / Bamboleio que faz gingar / O Brasil do meu amor / Terra de Nosso Senhor / Brasil / Brasil / Pra mim / Pra mim
I shall sing to you in my verses, oh Brazil, where the samba reigns and the swaying hips express my love for this land of our Lord. Brazil, Brazil, this land belongs to me.
Ô ô ô ô abre a cortina do passado / Tira a mãe preta do serrado / Bota o rei congo no congado / Brasil Brasil Pra mim Pra mim
Open up the curtains of the past, let the black mother leave the fields and bring the Congo king to join us in the festivities. Brazil, Brazil, this land belongs to us.
Deixa.....cantar de novo o trovador / À merencória luz da lua / Toda a canção do meu amor / Quero ver essa dona caminhando / Pelos salões arrastando / O seu vestido rendado / Brasil.......Brasil / Pra mim....pra mim
Allow the troubadour to sing once more, under the pale light of the moon, weaving his love into every note. I want to see this lady strolling through the halls, dragging her lace dress behind her. Brazil, Brazil, this land belongs to me.
Brasil / Terra boa e gostosa / Da morena sestrosa / De olhar indiscreto / O Brasil samba que da / Bamboleio que faz gingar / O Brasil do meu amor / Terra de Nosso Senhor / Brasil....Brasil...pra mim...pra mim
Brazil, a good and tasty land, with its flirtatious brunettes and their discreet glances. The samba reigns here and swaying hips express my love for this land of our Lord. Brazil, Brazil, this land belongs to me.
Ooooh esse coqueiro que da coco / Onde eu amarro a minha rede / Nas noites claras de luar / Brasil...... Brasil / Oooh ouve essas fontes murmurantes/ Onde eu mato a minha sede / E onde a lua vem brincar / Oh esse Brasil lindo e trigueiro / É o meu Brasil brasileiro / Terra de samba e de pandeiro / Brasil....Brasil/ Pra mim......pra mim.....
Oh, this coconut tree that gives us coconuts, where I tether my hammock on clear moonlit nights. Oh, listen to the murmuring springs, where I quench my thirst and the moon comes to play. Oh, this beautiful and tanned Brazil, it is my Brazilian Brazil, land of samba and pandeiro. Brazil, Brazil, this land belongs to me.
Contributed by Chloe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@coastalbrake8886
I'm Japanese and I've been walking around singing "Brasil" for a month.
@EnlargedPenis
I don't understand a word but you can hear how much he loves his country. Beautiful song❤
@liberte5847
Pleasure in music, nothing to say more, I've lost my words! From Paris France, Emmanuel.
@catito5147
Hey guys I'm am from Brazil and I am happy about the positive comments about my country
@vanitysmirror
I would love to visit one day.
@mikaelavantonder3656
From south Africa
In love with this song!
@andodolphin8171
if your reading this i love you virtual hug
@pavlemilatic3900
I can't understand a single word he's singing, except for "Brasil" but it's so beautiful, so vivid that it makes Portuguese such a lovely language to listen to
@matinhosmatos
Portuguese is a really beautiful language, you should definitely learn it. Trust me, gets better once you know it
@DJDiscoCat
Those vocals are giving me chills, so addictive and lovely