Girl From Ipanema

Rollin' on the Rio

Girl From Ipanema by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz

"Kinda the song of 2016 Olympics. And been in so many movies. Wanted to know your take on the song."

Figured I would try to get this in before the Olympics end.

I admit that I did not watch the opening ceremonies, but you can watch the relevant part here and hear someone talk about it here. Apparently Gisele Bündchen nailed her walk.

But the original recording of this track was released over half a decade ago.

The first release was actually by Pery Ribeiro in 1962, but the song didn't take off until it was recorded in 1964 by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz. That version won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965 (x).

Besides the Grammy, this song boasts such titles as "second most recorded pop song in history" (after Yesterday by the Beatles), 27th greatest Brazilian song (according to Rolling Stone), and "elevator music cliché" (x).

Ipanema is "a fashionable seaside neighborhood...in the south...of Rio de Janeiro" (x).

The lyricist Vinicius de Moraes said the titular character is

the paradigm of the young Carioca: a golden teenage girl, a mixture of flower and mermaid, full of light and grace, the sight of whom is also sad, in that she carries with her, on her route to the sea, the feeling of youth that fades, of the beauty that is not ours alone—it is a gift of life in its beautiful and melancholic constant ebb and flow. (source)

The real-life girl from Ipanema is Heloisa Eneida Menezes Pais Pinto (Helo Pinheiro), about whom you can read here. It's kind of creepy, actually, the way the creators of the song ogled at this little eighteen-year-old girl who just wanted to buy a drink. Or cigarettes for her mom. Or sunbathing. (Reports vary.)

In any case, Pinheiro grew to enjoy the fame brought on by the song. Now 71, she even got to be a torchbearer for the Olympic Ceremony this year (Today).

Almost as accurately, we could describe Astrud Gilberto as the real-life girl from Ipanema. The young, unseasoned singer's voice is what propelled the song to international popularity. 

It has been proposed that her lack of experience is exactly what the track needed, and I happen to agree. There's something perfectly charming in her delivery. If you watch the video, it really looks like Gilberto was suddenly thrust in front of a microphone and found herself performing when all she wanted was to take a walk.

So, like. If that's what they were going for...

Pinheiro has stated that her favorite cover is this one by Frank Sinatra (x):

I don't think it has quite the same charm. Something to do with the fact that Sinatra's an old man, and he's singing about this child. But he's charismatic, too, obviously, and I appreciate that he goes all in with the Portuguese. Impressive.

Overview:

Genre:
Bossa nova

Favorite Lyrics:
When she walks, she's like a samba.

Verdict:
I want to learn ballroom dancing.