"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 Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

composed by

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered as one of the great exponents of Brazilian ...

with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça.

Background

"Desafinado" was originally a response to critics who claimed that the bossa nova genre was created for singers who can't sing. English language lyrics were written by Jon Hendricks and "Jessie Cavanaugh" (a pseudonym used 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

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

and Charlie Byrd (from the album '' Jazz Samba'') was a major hit in 1962, reaching number 15 and number 4 on ''

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''′s pop and easy-listening charts, respectively; their definitive rendering also reached number 11 in the UK. In Canada the song was co-charted with the Grammy nominated version by Pat Thomas where they reached No. 14.

Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd

Accolades

The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' as the 14th greatest Brazilian song. The 1959

João Gilberto João Gilberto (born João Gilberto do 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 w ...

album '' Chega de Saudade'' contained the song and was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

Other recordings

*Also in 1962, Ella Fitzgerald's version made number 38. *An instrumental version was included on '' The Lonely Bull'' by

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter, pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, conductor, painter, sculptor and theatre producer, who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (sometimes called "Herb Alpe ...

and the Tijuana Brass (1962). * Astrud Gilberto and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

recorded a version for the 1996 compilation album '' Red Hot + Rio''. *

Ana Caram Ana Lucia Ribeiro Caram (born 1 October 1958) is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and flautist who sings jazz, samba, and bossa nova music. Caram was born in São Paulo to a family versed in musical expression. She graduated from São Paulo Univers ...

covered the song on her 2001 album ''Bossa Nova''. * Kali Uchis recorded an English cover of the song that was included on the soundtrack of ''Minions: The Rise of Gru''.

References

External links

Jazzstandards.com

1950s jazz standards 1959 songs Bossa nova songs Brazilian songs Bossa nova jazz standards Ella Fitzgerald songs Frank Sinatra songs George Michael songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Kali Uchis songs Latin Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Real Book Song Songs in Portuguese Songs with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim Songs with lyrics by Newton Mendonça Songs about music {{1950s-jazz-composition-stub