Slightly Out of Tune (Desafinado)
Encyclopedia
"Desafinado", a Portuguese word (usually rendered into English as "Out of Tune", or as "Off Key"), is the title of a bossa nova
song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim
with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça
. The English language lyrics were written by Jon Hendricks
and Jessie Cavanaugh. 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. The version by Stan Getz
and Charlie Byrd
(from the album Jazz Samba
) was a major hit in 1962, reaching 15 and 4 on Billboard's pop and easy-listening charts, respectively; their definitive rendering also reached No 11 in the UK, whilst Ella Fitzgerald's version made No 38.
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça
Newton Mendonça
Newton Ferreira de Mendonça was a musician, composer, and lyricist. He began as a pianist in 1950. In 1953 he started working with Antonio Carlos Jobim, something for which he is best known. Mendonça went on to co-compose music and lyrics for Desafinado, Meditação, and Samba de uma nota só...
. The English language lyrics were written by Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
and Jessie Cavanaugh. Another English lyric, more closely based on the original Portuguese lyric (but not a translation) was written by Gene Lees
Gene Lees
Frederick Eugene John "Gene" Lees was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and former journalist. Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States where he was a music critic and lyricist...
, and appears on some recordings as well. The version by Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
and Charlie Byrd
Charlie Byrd
Charlie Lee Byrd was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre...
(from the album Jazz Samba
Jazz Samba
Jazz Samba is a bossa nova LP by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, released on the Verve label on April 20, 1962.Jazz Samba was the first major bossa-nova album on the American jazz scene. It was the real start of the bossa-nova excitement in America, which peaked in the mid-1960s...
) was a major hit in 1962, reaching 15 and 4 on Billboard's pop and easy-listening charts, respectively; their definitive rendering also reached No 11 in the UK, whilst Ella Fitzgerald's version made No 38.
Notable recordings
- João GilbertoJoão GilbertoJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
- Chega de SaudadeChega de Saudade (album)Chega de Saudade is the debut album from João Gilberto and is often credited as the first bossa nova album. The title can be translated roughly as "enough longing", though the Portuguese word saudade carries with it more complex meaning....
(1959) - Herb AlpertHerb AlpertHerbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
- The Lonely BullThe Lonely BullThe Lonely Bull, released in 1962, is the debut album from Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, and was also the first album ever released by A&M Records - which was co-founded by Alpert and Jerry Moss...
(1962) - Coleman HawkinsColeman HawkinsColeman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
- DesafinadoDesafinado (album)Desafinado is an album by American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins featuring performances recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(1962) Prestige RecordsPrestige RecordsPrestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
) - Herbie MannHerbie MannHerbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
- Right Now (1962) - João GilbertoJoão GilbertoJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
, Stan GetzStan GetzStanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
and Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
- Getz/GilbertoGetz/GilbertoGetz/Gilberto is a jazz bossa nova album released in 1964 by the American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, and featuring composer and pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim. Its release created a bossa nova craze in the United States and internationally...
(1963) - Julie LondonJulie LondonJulie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
- The End of the World (Julie London album)The End of the World (Julie London album)The End of the World was an LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records under catalog number LRP-3300 as a monophonic recording and catalog number LST-7300 in stereo in June 1963...
(1963) Liberty RecordsLiberty RecordsLiberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
LRP-3300 - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Antonio Carlos Jobim - The Complete Reprise Studio RecordingsThe Complete Reprise Studio RecordingsThe Complete Reprise Studio Recordings is a 1995 box set album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. The release coincided with Sinatra's 80th birthday celebration.The original 1995 packaging had the 20 discs encased in a small, leather-bound trunk...
(1995) (recorded 1969) - Jula de PalmaJula de PalmaJula de Palma is an Italian singer.-Biography:She started to work in the early 1950s as a singer in radio with pianist, composer, and showman Lelio Luttazzi...
- Jula al Sistina (1970) - Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
- Ella Abraça JobimElla Abraça JobimElla Abraça Jobim or Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook is a 1981 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, devoted to the songs of Antonio Carlos Jobim....
(1981) - Nina PerssonNina Perssonis the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group The Cardigans. She has also worked as a solo artist, releasing two albums as A Camp and appearing on the tribute album to Serge Gainsbourg entitled Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited...
- at MTV Classic 90s (1996) - George MichaelGeorge MichaelGeorge Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, Astrud GilbertoAstrud GilbertoAstrud Gilberto is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She is well known for the Grammy Award-winning song "The Girl from Ipanema".-Biography:...
- Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George MichaelLadies & Gentlemen: The Best of George MichaelLadies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael is a greatest hits collection released by George Michael in 1998.The collection of 28 songs are separated into two halves, with each CD of the double set containing music of a particular theme and mood...
(1998) - Kenny GKenny GKenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
- Classics in the Key of GClassics In The Key Of GClassics in the Key of G is the first cover album by saxophonist Kenny G. It was released by Arista Records in 1999, and reached number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number 13 on the Internet Albums chart, number 17 on the Billboard 200 and number 27 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.-...
(1999) - João GilbertoJoão GilbertoJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
- João Voz e ViolãoJoão Voz e ViolãoJoão Voz e Violão is a bossa nova album by João Gilberto, released in 2000, winner 2001 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album...
(2000) - Lisa HanniganLisa HanniganLisa Margaret Hannigan is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. For several years she was a member of Damien Rice's band before beginning her solo career in 2008. She has been the recipient of various award nominations and critical praise both in Ireland and the USA...
and Damien RiceDamien RiceDamien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
- for the film Goldfish MemoryGoldfish MemoryGoldfish Memory is a feature film about everyday relationships, set and filmed in Dublin. It was written and directed by Elizabeth Gill.- Plot :...
(2003) - ToquinhoToquinhoAntônio Pecci Filho , better known as Toquinho , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. He is well-known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with Vinicius de Moraes.-Childhood and musical studies:...
- Tributo a Bossa Nova (2005) - Seth MacFarlaneSeth MacFarlaneSeth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
(as Brian GriffinBrian GriffinBrian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
) - Family Guy: Live in VegasFamily Guy: Live in Vegas-Reception:The album received positive reviews from music sources and critics. Rob Theakston of Allmusic said that "[Family Guy is] back and raunchier than ever, sparing no expense and leaving no pop culture stone unturned" and "without the constraints of network censors, the profanity and heat are...
(2005) - Ana BelénAna BelénAna Belén is the artistic name of María del Pilar Cuesta Acosta, a Spanish actress and singer. She was born on 27 May 1951 in Madrid.- Biography :...
, Pastora SolerPastora SolerPastora Soler is an Spanish singer.A precocious chanteuse, she started singing coplas and flamenco songs at several events when she was a child. She has made versions of classical songs by León or Quiroga and worked with musicians like Carlos Jean...
, LucreciaLucrecia (singer)Lucrecia Pérez Sáez is a Spanish-Cuban singer born in Havana who currently lives in Barcelona.She was born in El Vedado block, and passed her childhood in Guanabacoa....
, Lolita FloresLolita FloresLolita Flores is a Spanish actress and singer.She is the daughter of Lola Flores and Antonio González, sister of Antonio Flores and Rosario Flores...
, Carmen Paris - Samba Pa Ti (Un Tributo A Brasil) (2006)