# João Gilberto — Every Record We Rank

João Gilberto appears 3 times in our Bossa Nova list, placing as high as No. 1. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.

- **Ranked entries:** 3
- **Appears on:** Bossa Nova
- **Years:** 1958–1960
- **Highest placing:** No. 1 in Bossa Nova
- **Updated:** 2026-08-30
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/joao-gilberto/

## Appears on

### [Chega de Saudade](https://waxonia.com/track/joao-gilberto--chega-de-saudade/)

*1958 · Odeon · No. 1 in [Bossa Nova](https://waxonia.com/genre/bossa-nova/)*

The record everyone agrees started it. Gilberto's guitar and voice sit so far back in the mix that the engineers thought something was wrong, and Brazilian music changed in two and a half minutes.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jo%C3%A3o%20Gilberto%20Chega%20de%20Saudade) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kMQFLcyoXm0)

### [Desafinado](https://waxonia.com/track/joao-gilberto--desafinado/)

*1959 · Odeon · No. 3 in [Bossa Nova](https://waxonia.com/genre/bossa-nova/)*

A song about singing out of tune, which is a defence of the whole style against the critics who said exactly that. Jobim's joke, delivered deadpan.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jo%C3%A3o%20Gilberto%20Desafinado) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rhq53sCfRU)

### [Samba de Uma Nota Só](https://waxonia.com/track/joao-gilberto--samba-de-uma-nota-so/)

*1960 · Odeon · No. 7 in [Bossa Nova](https://waxonia.com/genre/bossa-nova/)*

One note, held while the chords move underneath it. Jobim demonstrating that the harmony was always doing the work, and doing it as a pop single.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Jo%C3%A3o%20Gilberto%20Samba%20de%20Uma%20Nota%20S%C3%B3) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=AcgoxJ9mUp8)

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.