The Girl From Ipanema - Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes

Tall and tan and young and lovely

The girl from Ipanema goes walking

And when she passes, each one she passes

Goes "A-a-a-h"

When she walks she's like a samba

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 "A-a-a-h"

Oh, but I watch her so sadly

How can I tell her I love her

Yes, I would give my heart gladly

But each day as 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. She just doesn't see

No, she just doesn't

***

Launch March 18/19, 1964

March 1963 recording

Genre(s)

bossa novajazz

Duration 5:21

Label(s) Verve Records

Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim - Brazilian Music

Lyricist(s)

Vinicius de Moraes

Norman Gimbel (English version)

***

Story behind the lyrics of the song

The song was inspired by Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto (now known as Helô Pinheiro), a seventeen-year-old girl who lived on Rua Montenegro in Ipanema. Every day, she passed by the bar-cafe Veloso on her way to the beach. Sometimes she would go into the bar to buy cigarettes for her mother. In the winter of 1962, the composers saw the girl pass by the bar and, inspired by her, composed the song.

For forty nights, Tom Jobim, Moraes and João Gilberto performed at the Au Bon Gourmet nightclub. Despite not receiving a fee, Vinicius released five songs during his performance, including "Girl from Ipanema".[33] In the presentation, the singing of the song began with a dialogue between the three:

João: — “Tom, what if you made a song now that could tell us, tell us what love is?”

Tom: — “Look, Joãozinho, I wouldn’t have known without Vinicius writing the poetry.”

Vinicius: — “For this song to come true, I wish I had João to sing!”

João: — “Ah, but who am I? Better if we sing the three.”