"O Morro Não Tem Vez" (loosely translated as "The Slums aren't Given a Chance"), also known as "Favela", "O Morro", and "Somewhere in the Hills", is a bossa nova

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 written by

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed "O Poetinha" ("The Little Poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwrig ...

. The English lyrics were written by

Ray Gilbert Ray Gilbert (September 5, 1912 – March 3, 1976) was an American lyricist. He grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He married Janis Paige in 1962. Career Gilbert is best remembered for the lyrics to the Oscar-winning song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from ...

. The song was first released in 1962 by Pedrinho Rodrigues as an

a-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

to "O Amor e a Canção". In 1963, it was popularized by

Jair Rodrigues Jair Rodrigues de Oliveira (February 6, 1939 – May 8, 2014) was a Brazilian musician and singer. He is the father of Luciana Mello and Jair Oliveira, who also followed in his footsteps and became musicians. Biography Born in Igarapava, Rodr ...

. The most famous versions are by

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert; March 29, 1940 – June 5, 2023) was a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer and songwriter. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her recording of the song " The Girl f ...

, and

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 ...

Context

In 1964, not shortly after the song was released, the Brazilian government suffered a coup and was replaced by a

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

. During this time, many musicians and composers, including songwriters Jobim and de Moraes, were arrested and interrogated by the police or had their telephones and mail tapped for creating "subversive" music. While bossa nova has not usually been regarded as having political themes, the song became one of the genre's only protest songs due to its subject surrounding the

favelas Favela () is an hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Morro da Providência, Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de J ...

. The phrase "o morro não tem vez" has since been used in opposition of economic injustice in Brazil.

Notable recordings

* Pedrinho Rodrigues - ''O Morro Não Tem Vez / O Amor e a Canção'' (1962) *

- ''O Samba Como Ele É'' (1963) *Antônio Carlos Jobim - '' The Composer of Desafinado Plays'' (1963) *

Luiz Bonfá Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film '' Black Orpheus''. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in Ri ...

- ''

Jazz Samba Encore! ''Jazz Samba Encore!'' is a bossa nova album by Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfá, released on the Verve label. It is bossa nova in a slower groove. It contains a mix of Jobim standards as well as originals from Bonfá. Performers also include Antonio ...

'' (1963) *

Sambalanço Trio Sambalanço Trio was a Brazilian samba-jazz group formed by Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano), Humberto Clayber (bass) and Airto Moreira (drums). The band started to play in 1964 and lasted for about two years. Their albums are considered some of the ...

- ''

'' (1964) *

- ''

The Astrud Gilberto Album ''The Astrud Gilberto Album (with Antonio Carlos Jobim)'' is the debut studio album by Astrud Gilberto. With Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar and the arrangements by Marty Paich, it was released via Verve Records in 1965. It peaked at number 41 on ...

'' (1965) *Antônio Carlos Jobim - '' The Wonderful World of Antônio Carlos Jobim'' (1965) *

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 1982), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of Bossa nova, Música popular brasileira, MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and ...

- ''2 Na Bossa'' (1965) * Sérgio Mendes Trio - ''The Swinger From Rio'' (1966) *

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

& Bola Sete - '' Live at El Matador'' (1966) *

Charlie Byrd Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was an American jazz guitarist. Byrd was best known for his association with Brazilian music, especially bossa nova. In 1962, he collaborated with Stan Getz on the album '' Jazz Samba' ...

- ''Sugarloaf Suite'' (1980) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

- '' Ella Abraça Jobim'' (1981) *

Tim Maia Sebastião "Tim" Rodrigues Maia (; 28 September 1942 – 15 March 1998) was a Brazilian musician, songwriter, and businessman known for his iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, and humorous musical style. Maia contributed to Brazilian music withi ...

- ''Só Você (Para Ouvir e Dançar)'' (1997) *

References

1962 songs {{authority control Bossa nova songs Songs with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim Songs with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes Ella Fitzgerald songs Protest songs Songs about poverty