Caramelz.my

The Girl From Ipanema

November 7, 2009 | 2:31 pm Share

She must be a real charm to inspire one of the most popular Bossa Nova songs of the century.

A Brazilian song written in 1962, The Girl From Ipanema (Garota De Ipanema) continues to fascinate us even today with its sweet tune that evokes the gentle breeze of the beach, the sounds of the waves and of course, the beautiful girl that crosses in front of you.

Time to take a break from the blaring radio hits and chart toppers, and come here for some chill music.

Remember the time when you seen a pretty girl walking down the street, and when you see her you can’t help but just go, “Ahhhhhh….”?

This song tells you just that. No high pitched shouting emoness, no crazy banging drumbeats, no hardcore dying for anything. Just light, sweet, and makes you go “ahhhh….”.

This version of Garota De Ipanema is sung by Lisa Ono. She is a world famous Japanese Bossa Nova/jazz/samba singer that made Bossa Nova famous in Japan and everywhere else in the world for the past 2 decades.

Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes – ah
When she walks, she’s like a samba that swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes goes – ooh

(Ooh) But I watch her so sadly, how can I tell her I love her
Yes I would give my heart gladly,
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me

Tall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile – but she doesn’t see (doesn’t see)
(She just doesn’t see, she never sees me,…)

Bossa Nova is a musical form advocated by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and João Gilberto during the early 60s. They are also the composers and the performers of The Girl From Ipanema. While Bossa Nova found its roots in Samba in terms of musical form, it is much more downbeat, cool and “chill” than Samba. Singers whisper the tunes as if telling a secret, and unplugged acoustic instruments such as the guitar and the piano are favored for its simplicity.

The Girl From Ipanema is a classic example of Bossa Nova music. And I love it so much I go “Ahhhhh…” every time I listen to the song.

Compare Lisa Ono’s version with the singing of João Gilberto, the Bossa Nova advocate. Things have changed over the years, but it’s still definitely as sweet today as it is 40 years ago.

Of course, there’s The Boy From Ipanema version. Girls can’t have all the attention now, can they? ;)

Diana Krall, The Boy From Ipanema.

Ahhhhhhh….

Images courtesy of neloqua on Flickr. She lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, and she captures the beach moments at their best. The beauty!