Popular bossa nova songs: a roundup of recommended classic BGM

Preciso Aprender a Ser SóMarcos Valle

Insensatez – Tom Jobim

This song poignantly portrays the heartache of a breakup, as the singer tells themselves, “From now on, I have to get used to being alone.” Crafted by Brazilian music maestro Marcos Valle, this classic ballad blends the soothing rhythms of bossa nova with the refined sonorities of jazz.

His gentle vocals offer quiet comfort in the face of overwhelming loneliness.

Valle’s own rendition can be heard on the 1965 landmark album “O Compositor e o Cantor,” though the song had already gained wide popularity the previous year, when Sylvia Telles’s performance was named Best Song by a radio station.

On a quiet night when you feel like sinking into your thoughts, it just might gently permeate your heart.

So Danco SambaPAULA LIMA

So Danco Samba.- PAULA LIMA – musica di Antonio Carlos Jobim

One of the bossa nova classics by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes is “Só Danço Samba,” in which they sing “Samba is the best!” to a bossa nova rhythm.

It appears to have been performed for the first time in the film Copacabana Palace.

O Grande AmorStan Getz & Joao Gilberto

Stan Getz & João Gilberto – O Grande Amor

One of the bossa nova classics written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes is “O Grande Amor.” Although it isn’t as well-known as some of their other songs, it can be considered a masterpiece that conveys an ineffable melancholy and depth within its simple structure.

Águas de MarçoElis Regina

Elis Regina, Águas de Março

One of the bossa nova masterpieces written and composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, known in Japanese as “March Rain,” lyrically depicts the changing of the seasons as the long summer ends and autumn draws near.

Since Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere, March is the opposite season from the Northern Hemisphere.

Mas que NadaJorge Ben Jor

Jorge Ben Jor – Mas que nada

It was originally a bossa nova song composed by Brazilian singer-songwriter Jorge Ben.

Later, Sérgio Mendes released a cover featuring female chorus vocals, which became a worldwide hit and made the song famous.

In recent years, it was covered by The Black Eyed Peas and became a revival hit.

PonyoClémentine

Clementine *** Ponyo *** ANIMENTINE ***

Clementine, known as a French pop and bossa nova singer, has released an album called “Animentine,” in which she covers famous Japanese anime songs in bossa nova arrangements.

This track is the bossa nova version of the theme song from “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.”

O BarquinhoNara Leao

O Barquinho Nara Leao

One of the representative bossa nova songs by Roberto Menescal is O Barquinho, known in Japanese as Kobune (The Little Boat).

It is well known that Menescal composed this song when he went fishing off the coast of Rio de Janeiro with Nara Leão and Ronaldo Bôscoli, and their boat broke down and drifted out to sea.