Synopsis
This animated video places the classic bossa nova recording in a vividly stylized version of mid-1960s Rio de Janeiro. A young woman spends a carefree day on Ipanema beach, relaxes at home with records, travels above the city by gondola, and moves through colorful streets and nightlife. The journey culminates in a performance by animated versions of Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, and their ensemble. Beaches, cocktails, sunsets, and music create a bright, nostalgic portrait of the world evoked by the song.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released in 2020 as part of Verve Records' Summer Samba campaign, which paired classic Latin jazz recordings with newly created animated visuals.
- Its visual language draws on 1950s and 1960s cartoons, using unusually saturated colors to amplify the song's sunny, relaxed atmosphere.
- The animation incorporates Rio landmarks and imagery associated with the city, including Ipanema beach, the Christ the Redeemer statue, a funicular, and an imagined underwater concert.
- The video also includes redesigned versions of classic album covers connected with Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfa, Astrud Gilberto, and other Brazilian musicians.
- The recording used in the video comes from the 1964 album "Getz/Gilberto." Astrud Gilberto's English vocal was her recording debut and helped turn the song into an international hit.
- "The Girl from Ipanema" reached No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won the 1965 Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
- Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz also performed the song as themselves in the 1964 film "Get Yourself a College Girl," one of the earliest filmed appearances associated with the recording.