Popular bossa nova songs: a roundup of recommended classic BGM

Você e euKay Lyra

Kay Lyra (com o pai Carlos Lyra) – “Você e eu”

This song, known in Japanese as “You and I,” is one of the bossa nova classics by Carlos Lyra and Vinicius de Moraes.

The lyrics by Moraes are very beautiful and full of a joyful, happy atmosphere.

By the way, the singer, Kay Lyra, is Carlos Lyra’s daughter.

A FelicidadePauline Croze

Pauline Croze – A Felicidade (Session acoustique) ft. Vinícius Cantuária

One of the bossa nova masterpieces by Antônio Carlos Jobim, “A Felicidade,” means “happiness.” It served as the theme song for the renowned Franco-Brazilian-Italian co-production film “Black Orpheus,” and its poignant lyrics—saying that sorrow has no end, while happiness does—seem to hint at the film’s very content.

Agua De BeberSophie Milman

Sophie Milman – Agua De Beber

This is a song by Antônio Carlos Jobim, one of the most iconic Brazilian musicians of the 20th century.

Known in Japanese as “Oishii Mizu” (“Fresh Water”), it was given English lyrics by Norman Gimbel, just like “The Girl from Ipanema.” It’s a song that conveys the idea that love is as essential to life as water.

Eu Quero Um SambaLisa Ono

EU QUERO UM SAMBA (Samba of Joy)

This song is known in Japanese as “Joyful Samba,” and it’s a piece that clearly showcases João Gilberto’s batida technique—his distinctive method of conveying samba rhythm using only the guitar, earning him the title “god of bossa nova.” The singer, Lisa Ono, could very well be called one of Japan’s leading bossa nova vocalists.

MeditationNova

Baila Nova – Meditação (Meditation) – Antonio Carlos Jobim

It is one of the early bossa nova masterpieces, composed and written by Newton Mendonça and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Unusually for a Jobim piece, the title does not appear in the lyrics; in Japanese it is known as “Meditation.” Although it is a song about heartbreak, it carries no sense of despair—rather, it is gentle and serene.