Celebrity Jukebox #91: Astrud Gilberto

Tall and tanned and young and lovely,

The girl from Ipanema goes walking.
And when she passes, each one she passes goes, ‘ahhh’.

So go the English lyrics to “Garota de Ipanema”, the second most recorded song in popular music (after bloody "Scrambled Eggs"). The woman who sang those lyrics on the version that became an international hit was Astrud Gilberto.  Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, who also played on the track, made enough money from that record to buy a 23 room mansion. Astrud got $120.

 

Astrud Gilberto passed away earlier this week. Here are some tunes to pay tribute, starting with a song that owes quite a debt to the track above...

To Astrud Gilberto tunes

We made love in the afternoon

Then strolled down the Champs Elysees

Sharing a warm baguette

Coffee with anisette

We kissed in the Metro

In love, very retro

We're together again, by the Seine, 

Samba Blue

Michael Franks - Samba Blue

Another very close tribute comes from Roxy Music's Big Phil, and vocalist Ana Maria Velez. I hope she got more than 120 bucks.

We were slow dancing

To the voice of Astrud

That's when you undid

My secret heart

Are we taking a risk

Do we face abyss

Is the mystery of love around

Is it safer to say

We got carried away

By Astrud

Phil Manzanera - Astrud

Odd Nordstoga is a Norwegian folk singer. He's the same age as me, but looking at him, I reckon there's a portrait in his attic that's rotting to pieces.

Melankoliens avenyar

Der var eg heime ein gong

Eg trudde alt det vakre

Som Astrud Gilberto song

Med Marty Paich sitt orkester i 1965

Og diktarens ord kom føre meg

Du skal aldri komme hjem

It translates, very roughly, and rather wonderfully, thus...

Avenue of Melancholy

I was at home there once

I thought everything was beautiful

Like Astrud Gilberto song

With Marty Paich's orchestra in 1965

And the poet's words came to lead me

You will never come home

Odd Nordstoga - Min eigen song

Here's another folkie. One you may be a little more familiar with...

When I hear Astrud

Jasmine fills the air

Donovan - Joe Bean's Theme

I don't know anything about the Fay Hallam Trinity, but I liked this for what it was...

The Fay Hallam Trinity - Astrud 

But this was my favourite. You may remember Basia, originally the singer with 80s band Matt Bianco, before she branched out on her own. Here she is on the Johnny Carson show, with a song from her hit 1987 album Time & Tide... 

Nobody knows where she came from

The tall-and-tanned-young-and-lovely girl

With a voice as light as air

Nobody knows but no one cares

'Cause everybody loves her

Finally, because because, here's Astrud with George. 'Nuff said.