"Tall and tan and young and lovely"
RIO DE JANEIRO — “Tall and tan and young and lovely” — you’ve heard of her. The Girl From Ipanema.
You might have come across the bossa nova classic while on hold on the phone, during a long elevator ride, or in a cafe in Beirut or Bangkok — but you’ve heard it. It’s been recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Amy Winehouse to become, according to Performing Songwriter magazine, the second-most recorded song in the world.
The quintessential bossa nova tune, inspired by a young woman who passed the songwriters in a beachside bar on her way to the sea, introduced Rio de Janeiro to the world. Now, it’s turning 50, and to its legions of fans, the decades have only heightened its allure, adding a wash of nostalgia to this hymn to passing youth and beauty.
“I love this music, and had been searching for this place,” said Venezuelan tourist Xiomara Castillo, who with her husband was taking pictures inside the bar where the song’s authors watched their muse saunter by in the song’s eponymous neighborhood. “For me, Rio de Janeiro is this song, is bossa nova; the city has this rhythm, this charm, this sensuality.”
Link:http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2012/07/21/girl-from-ipanema-entrancing-at-50/
