Artist
João Gilberto
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
Appears on
Chega de Saudade
1958 · Odeon
Ranked No. 1 in 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.
Desafinado
1959 · Odeon
Ranked No. 3 in 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.
Samba de Uma Nota Só
1960 · Odeon
Ranked No. 7 in 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.