Girl from Ipanema
By: Dr. John D. Moore
The girl from Ipanema is a song you have likely heard many times in the past. With a non-traditional mixture of samba and jazz, it’s the ultimate mood enhancer to for many seeking to get their romance, love and intimacy juices flowing. It’s What you may not know is that this particular ditty became a worldwide hit when it was released in the mid-1960s. This brief article will explore a few facts about this legendary hit and identify 5 intimate gifts.
Brief History
The Girl from Ipanema was written in 1962 by Antônio Carlos Jobim (with Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes) and was released in 63’. In 1964, it took off like a rocket after the song was performed by Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto. In fact, the tune became so popular that in 1965, it won Grammy Record of the year!
What you most likely hear today is a shortened variation of the original that came out in 1963. What’s fascinating is how deep “The Girl from Ipanema” is seeded in our culture. Many romance based movies and television shows have this song gently playing the background. It even can be heard in the 1997 “Vegas Vacation”.
And so there’s a good chance that no matter what country you are in when you hear this tune, people will know the title by name. That’s how much of a cultural influence this piece of music has had worldwide. And by the way, Ipanema is a very real place. Specifically, it’s located in what is commonly referred to as the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; just between Leblon and Arpoador.
There have been numerous renditions of The Girl from Ipanema since the 60’s, including memorable recordings by old “Blue Eyes”, Frank Sinatra. The song itself was introduced into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001 and is thought to be the most recorded pop song in history, following close behind the Beatles hit, “Yesterday”.
As you can see, this is one particular song that has stood the test of time and continues to be a favorite among audiences of all age groups. In a 2014 broadcast of The Voice, it made a bit of a revival by Brittany Butler – which only added to this tune’s popularity.
Girl from Ipanema Classic Love Song
At Couples Counseling Center, we like to celebrate all things connected to love. It is for this reason that we like the Girl from Ipanema so much. It’s all about close, intimate moments. What follows are 5 specific reasons this tune is encourages intimacy. We’ve included a video at the end for your listening enjoyment.
Are you ready? Let’s jump right in!
1. Translation not needed
When you listen to this tune, it doesn’t matter if you hear it being sung in Portuguese, French, Spanish or English – it is instantly understood as a love song. The lyrics speak directly to your soul and require no translation. Sure, if you listen to the English version of the song it will likely have deeper meaning for the purpose of synthesis but it is certainly not required. Simply put, this tune speaks in the international language of love.
2. Sensual and alluring
The combination of the different instruments, such as guitar, piano and sax create a jazz-samba mix that have the ability to warm even the coldest of hearts. Known as Bossa-Nova, this kind of music is loosely translated from Spanish to English as new trend. Perhaps it is for this reason when you hear this song, it speaks to something new inside of you and sparks a desire for intimacy. Maybe that guitar you hear hitting the various chords compels you to think of love in the here and now – or in the past?
3. Unrequited love
The lyrics of The Girl from Ipanema are all about love, youth and beauty. It’s a wonderful story about people seeing a fabulous girl walking by on the beach that happens to be – tall, tan and lovely. In fact she is so beautiful that whenever she walks by, people can’t help but notice her and say … ahhh. One person in particular, a man, is drawn to the girl and begins to look for her each day. Sadly, as stated in the lyrics, she looks straight ahead each time she passes him by and doesn’t “see” him. At its core, we are talking about a kind of love that all of us can relate to – unrequited love.
4. The chance of romance
Listeners to this song are left with a narrative that is incomplete. For example, we do not know if there comes a time when the Girl from Ipanema ever notices her male admirer’s smile. Given this fact, we can only fantasize about what could be. In this way, all of us can project our own romantic storyline onto our mind’s projector. Which character are you by the way – the girl or the man? How would you end this song in your fantasy?
5. Super sexy
The final reason the Girl from Ipanema encourages intimacy is because it is super sexy! In many versions of this tune, you will hear the sounds of the strings, breaking way to a deep saxophone. Bossa-Nova music is designed in many ways for romantic settings and strikes strong chords of love. Maybe this is why you think about relationships and romance whenever you hear the familiar lyrics?
Final Thoughts
Romance doesn’t just happen. It requires a bit of magic, couples with just the right touch of intimacy. If you are wondering where things stand romantically in your relationship, be sure to download a free copy of our relationship report card.
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