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)
Eu Vim Da Bahia
João Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eu Vim Da Bahia cantar
Eu Vim Da Bahia contar
Tanta coisa bonita que tem
Na Bahia, que é meu lugar
Tem meu chão, tem meu céu, tem meu mar
A Bahia que vive pra dizer
Como é que se faz pra viver
Mas de fome não morre
Porque na Bahia tem mãe Iemanjá
De outro lado o Senhor do Bonfim
Que ajuda o baiano a viver
Pra cantar, pra sambar pra valer
Pra morrer de alegria
Na festa de rua, no samba de roda
Na noite de lua, no canto do mar
Eu Vim Da Bahia
Mas eu volto pra lá
Eu Vim Da Bahia
The song "Eu Vim Da Bahia" by Joao Gilberto is a nostalgic ode to the state of Bahia in Brazil, where the artist grew up. The lyrics speak of the beauty and richness of the land, with its sky, sea, and earth, and the diverse cultural traditions that make it a unique place. Despite the poverty and struggle that some people face, the song celebrates the resilience of the Bahian people, who find joy in the simple pleasures of life and honor their spiritual beliefs.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Eu Vim Da Bahia" (I came from Bahia) as a way of affirming the artist's connection to his homeland and expressing his longing to return someday. The verses describe different aspects of Bahian culture, such as the worship of the goddess Iemanjá and the patron saint of Salvador, Senhor do Bonfim. The song suggests that these spiritual figures provide comfort and guidance to the people of Bahia and help them find meaning in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu vim
I came
Eu Vim Da Bahia cantar
I came from Bahia to sing
Eu Vim Da Bahia contar
I came from Bahia to tell
Tanta coisa bonita que tem
So many beautiful things it has
Na Bahia, que é meu lugar
In Bahia, which is my place
Tem meu chão, tem meu céu, tem meu mar
It has my land, my sky, my sea
A Bahia que vive pra dizer
Bahia that lives to say
Como é que se faz pra viver
How to live
Onde a gente não tem pra comer
Where people have nothing to eat
Mas de fome não morre
But do not die of hunger
Porque na Bahia tem mãe Iemanjá
Because in Bahia there is mother Iemanjá
De outro lado o Senhor do Bonfim
On the other side, Lord of Bonfim
Que ajuda o baiano a viver
Who helps the Bahian to live
Pra cantar, pra sambar pra valer
To sing, to samba for real
Pra morrer de alegria
To die of joy
Na festa de rua, no samba de roda
In the street party, in the circle samba
Na noite de lua, no canto do mar
In the moonlit night, in the sea song
Eu Vim Da Bahia
I came from Bahia
Mas eu volto pra lá
But I'll go back there
Writer(s): GIL GILBERTO
Contributed by Kylie J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Drprofessoresq
Letra da música
Eu vim, eu vim da Bahia cantar
Eu vim da Bahia contar
Tanta coisa bonita que tem
Na Bahia que é meu lugar
Tem meu chão, tem meu céu, tem meu mar
A Bahia que vive pra dizer
Como é que faz pra viver
Onde a gente não tem pra comer
Mas de fome não morre
Porque na Bahia tem mãe Iemanjá
De outro lado o Senhor do Bonfim
Que ajuda o baiano a viver
Pra cantar, pra sambar pra valer
Pra morrer de alegria
Na festa de rua, no samba de roda
Na noite de lua, no canto do mar
Eu vim da Bahia mas eu volto pra lá
Eu vim da Bahia mais algum dia eu volto pra lá
Emanuele Kröner
Sou bahiana , nascinada em Salvador moro na Alemanha há 10 anos e essa música toca na minha alma pois daqui há uns anos em nome de Jesus vou voltar para minha linda Bahia.
LUAR NEPREK
Verdade e muito bom
Gabriel Rocha
Visite à vontade, mas fique por aí, vai por mim.
汉贼不两立
Ich lebe auch in Deutschland, würde aber sofort nach Brasilien auswandern. Ich liebe dieses Land
Arenics
@Gabriel Rocha você não sabe o que diz, ela sabe.
João Davi
@Gabriel Rocha se nunca morou fora do Brasil, não vai entender ela. O Brasil é um país maravilhoso, mesmo com suas dificuldades continua sendo o nosso lugar, onde pertencemos.
Drprofessoresq
Letra da música
Eu vim, eu vim da Bahia cantar
Eu vim da Bahia contar
Tanta coisa bonita que tem
Na Bahia que é meu lugar
Tem meu chão, tem meu céu, tem meu mar
A Bahia que vive pra dizer
Como é que faz pra viver
Onde a gente não tem pra comer
Mas de fome não morre
Porque na Bahia tem mãe Iemanjá
De outro lado o Senhor do Bonfim
Que ajuda o baiano a viver
Pra cantar, pra sambar pra valer
Pra morrer de alegria
Na festa de rua, no samba de roda
Na noite de lua, no canto do mar
Eu vim da Bahia mas eu volto pra lá
Eu vim da Bahia mais algum dia eu volto pra lá
Stéphanie Araújo
Orgulho desse estado lindo que só ofereceu gênios ao mundo da música
Ririh Porfirio
Joao Gilberto Filho prodígio de Juazeiro Bahia. Pai da Bossa Nova. ❤ Nos orgulhamos de vc❤
Jonathas Rodrigues
Um verdadeiro espetáculo!