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)
O Barquinho
João Gilberto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
e um barquinho a deslizar
No macio azul do mar.
Tudo é verão e o amor se faz
Num barquinho pelo mar que desliza sem parar
Sem intenção, nossa canção
vai saindo desse mar e o sol
Beija o barco e luz... Dias tão azuis...
E o barquinho a deslizar,
É a vontade de cantar...
Céu tão azul, ilhas do sul,
E o barquinho é o coração deslizando na canção
Tudo isso é paz, tudo isso traz
Uma calma de verão, e então
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
Volta do mar, desmaia o sol,
E o barquinho a deslizar,
É a vontade de cantar...
Céu tão azul, ilhas do sul,
E o barquinho é o coração deslizando na canção
Tudo isso é paz, tudo isso traz
Uma calma de verão, e então
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
The lyrics to João Gilberto's "O Barquinho" describe a day of light and celebration, set against the backdrop of a small boat gliding on the soft blue sea. The song speaks to the joy and passion of summer and love as the boat effortlessly sails forward, without any intention or direction. The simplicity and beauty of the scene are emphasized by the sun's warm embrace of the boat and the blue skies and islands on the horizon. The song's chorus repeats the image of the boat as a symbol of both the heart and song, bringing peace and tranquility to the listener.
The lyrics can be interpreted as a metaphor for life and the passage of time. Just as the boat moves forward on its own, without any plans or goals, so too can life often feel like it's carrying us forward without our input. The image of the sun setting and the day coming to a close further emphasizes the fleeting nature of life and the importance of cherishing every moment of joy and tranquility. Overall, "O Barquinho" is a beautiful meditation on the simple pleasures of life and the importance of being present in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Dia de luz, festa de sol
A day filled with sunlight and celebration
e um barquinho a deslizar
And a boat sliding over the smooth blue sea
No macio azul do mar.
In the soft blue of the sea.
Tudo é verão e o amor se faz
Everything is summer, and love is in the air
Num barquinho pelo mar que desliza sem parar
In a little boat, floating uncontrollably in the sea
Sem intenção, nossa canção
Without intention, our song
vai saindo desse mar e o sol
Emerges from the sea, with the sun
Beija o barco e luz... Dias tão azuis...
Kissing the boat with light, and blue skies surround us
Volta do mar, desmaia o sol,
The sun fades as we return from the sea
É a vontade de cantar...
It's the urge to sing
Céu tão azul, ilhas do sul,
The sky is so blue, and the southern islands
E o barquinho é o coração deslizando na canção
And the little boat is our heart, gliding with the music
Tudo isso é paz, tudo isso traz
All of this is peace, all of this brings
Uma calma de verão, e então
A summer calm, and then
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
The boat goes, and evening falls
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
The boat goes, and evening falls
O barquinho vai, e a tardinha cai
The boat goes, and evening falls
Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amandacarvalho7969
Light day, sun party
And the little boat to slide
In the soft blue of the sea
Everything is summer, the love does itself
In the little boat by the sea
Slide without stopping
With no intention, your song
Going out from the sea and sun
Kiss the boat and light
Days so blue
Kiss the boat and light
Days so blue
Go back from the sea, faints the sun
And the little boat to slide
And the will is to sing
Sky so blue, islands of south
The little boat is the heart
Sliding in song
All this is peace
All this brings
A summer calm
And then
The little boat goes
Evening falls
The little boat goes
Evening falls
This is the translation of the song, I did my best❤ Sorry if something is wrong! Hugs from Brazil😄
Pessoinhas do Brasil se alguma coisa tiver errada me corrijam😄
@JandiraMoura
Enviado em 19/09/2011
O Barquinho
Dia de luz, festa de sol
E o barquinho a deslizar
No macio azul do mar
Tudo é verão, o amor se faz
Num barquinho pelo mar
Desliza sem parar
Sem intenção, nossa canção
Vai saindo desse mar e o sol
Beija o barco e luz
Dias tão azuis
Beija o barco e luz
Dias tão azuis
Volta do mar, desmaia o sol
E o barquinho a deslizar
E a vontade é de cantar
Céu tão azul, ilhas do sul
O barquinho é o coração
Deslizando na canção
Tudo isso é paz
Tudo isso traz
Uma calma de verão
E então
O barquinho vai
A tardinha cai
O barquinho vai
A tardinha cai
Categoria
@ettoreburatti8679
Tutto questo è la pace,
tutto questo porta
una calma d'estate e poi
la barca va,
su far della sera ,
la barca va.
Tudo isso é paz,
tudo isso traz
uma calma de verão e então
o barquinho vai,
a tardinha cai,
o barquinho vai.
il ritmo è coinvolgente e il testo ci ricorda una indimenticabile giornata di mare...è una canzone che si può ascoltare all'infinito per quanto è stata creata bella!!!
@Baheccakonova7
O Barquinho
João Gilberto
Dia de luz,
festa de sol
e o barquinho a deslizar
no macio azul do mar.
tudo é verão,
o amor se faz
num barquinho pelo mar,
que desliza sem parar,
sem intenção, nossa canção
vai saindo desse mar
e o sol beija o barco e luz,
dias tão azuis.
Volta do mar,
desmaia o sol
e o barquinho a deslizar.
a vontade de cantar
Céu tão azul,
ilhas do sul
e o barquinho é um coração
deslizando na canção.
Tudo isso é paz,
tudo isso traz
uma calma de verão e então
o barquinho vai,
a tardinha cai,
o barquinho vai.
@Miqueias___
Tô aqui escutando essas músicas belas de noite com um fone e uma chuva! Isso sim pra mim é paz! Faz eu esquecer dos problemas!🙂
@marileneoliveira-rf6re
Música linda não canso de escutar
@emiliovillarroel4904
Partió uno de los artistas más importantes de Brasil y América Latina, pero nos queda el legado musical que perdura en el tiempo, un saludo para Brasil desde Chile!
@eisumperdido
Saudações :)
@pedrojunior8635
Uma música simples a ao mesmo tempo sofisticada, a caraaaaa da Bossa Nova.
@bocadeouro2023
Definição perfeita. Ser simples as vezes não é tão fácil.❤
@Camilo29877
Melancolía y romanticismo es sinónimo de bossa nova, me encanta
@bylethharlow1627
I don't know Portugese but this music is so beautiful. It felt like my heart can understand it.
@amandacarvalho7969
Light day, sun party
And the little boat to slide
In the soft blue of the sea
Everything is summer, the love does itself
In the little boat by the sea
Slide without stopping
With no intention, your song
Going out from the sea and sun
Kiss the boat and light
Days so blue
Kiss the boat and light
Days so blue
Go back from the sea, faints the sun
And the little boat to slide
And the will is to sing
Sky so blue, islands of south
The little boat is the heart
Sliding in song
All this is peace
All this brings
A summer calm
And then
The little boat goes
Evening falls
The little boat goes
Evening falls
This is the translation of the song, I did my best❤ Sorry if something is wrong! Hugs from Brazil😄
Pessoinhas do Brasil se alguma coisa tiver errada me corrijam😄
@Climes21
@Amanda Carvalho Thanks