"Bim Bom" () is considered the first
bossa nova song. It was composed by
João Gilberto
João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira – ; 10 June 1931 – 6 July 2019) was a Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world, he was of ...
around 1956. The song wasn't recorded until July 1958 when Gilberto released it under
Odeon Records
Odeon Records is a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. The label's name and logo come from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris.
History
Straus a ...
along with his version of the first produced
bossa nova song, "
Chega de Saudade
"Chega de Saudade" (), also known as "No More Blues", is a bossa nova jazz standard. It is often considered to be the first bossa nova song to be recorded. Like "The Girl from Ipanema", the music for "Chega de Saudade" was composed by Antônio Ca ...
", which had been released by
Elizete Cardoso
Elizeth Moreira Cardoso (sometimes listed as Elisete Cardoso) (July 16, 1920 – May 7, 1990), was a singer and actress of great renown in Brazil.
Biography
Cardoso was born in Rio de Janeiro; her father was a serenader who played guitar, a ...
earlier that year.
Gilberto wrote the song on the banks of the
São Francisco river as he watched laundresses passing by, balancing loads on their heads. Inspired by the swaying of their steps, Gilberto reproduced their rhythm with "Bim-Bom".
The only lyrics of the song, apart from ''Bim-bom-bim'', are roughly translated as ''This is all of my song / And there's nothing more / My heart has asked that it be this way''.
Bossa nova would come to be known for the relaxed simplicity of its lyrics as is exemplified in "Bim-Bom".
Bossa nova songs
1956 songs
1958 songs
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