Desafinado
"Desafinado" (a Portuguese word, usually rendered into English as "Out of Tune", or as "Off Key") is a 1959 bossa nova song and jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça.
Background
"Desafinado" was originally a response to critics who claimed that bossa nova was a new genre for singers who can't sing. The English language lyrics were written by
The Richmond Organisation). Another English lyric, more closely based on the original Portuguese lyric (but not a translation) was written by Gene Lees
, and appears on some recordings as well.
Chart performance
The version by
Billboard
′s pop and easy-listening charts, respectively; their definitive rendering also reached number 11 in the UK.
Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd
Chart (1962) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles ( The Official Charts Company)[1]
|
11 |
US Billboard Easy Listening[2] | 4 |
US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 15 |
Accolades
The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone as the 14th greatest Brazilian song.[4] The 1959 João Gilberto album Chega de Saudade contained the song and was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.[5]
Other recordings
- Also in 1962, Ella Fitzgerald's version made number 38.[6]
- The instrumental was included on The Lonely Bull by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (1962).[7]
- Astrud Gilberto and George Michael recorded a version for the 1996 compilation album Red Hot + Rio.
- Kali Uchis recorded an English cover of the song that was included on Minions: The Rise of Gru (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack), for the 2022 film of the same name.
See also
- List of bossa nova standards
References
- ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 43.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 128.
- ^ Duarte, Alexandre (2009). "As 100 Maiores Músicas Brasileiras – "Desafinado"". Rolling Stone Brasil (in Portuguese). Spring. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2001. Archived from the originalon 5 February 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ "Hits from early December 1962". Everyhit.com.
- ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
External links