The Girl From Ipanema singer Astrud Gilberto has died at the age of 83. Gilberto's son Marcelo confirmed to The Independent that she died on 5 June. The cause of her death was not disclosed. Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese poet Vinicius de Moraes penned The Girl From Ipanema in 1962.
It wasn't until 1964 that English lyrics written by American Norman Gimbel propelled the song to international fame and turned it into one of the world's most recorded songs.
Saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto first recorded the English version of the song which was inspired by Jobim and de Moraes's lust for Heloísa Pinheiro - a Rio native who took daily strolls past the Veloso Bar.
Astrud Gilberto sang the English words on the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto as her first professional gig, going on to record 16 studio albums over the course of her career.
At the time she recorded the song, she spoke not one single word of English. She sang it phonetically. That is a major feat by any means.
Its always been my favorite song
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Elise Trouw version.
ReplyDeleteWatch her lips. Very obvious she is not speaking English. An absolute tour de force. Incredible.
ReplyDeleteFritz Weinert, Astrud's father, taught languages, and Astrud grew up to be fluent in Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and ENGLISH.
ReplyDelete