The song of the day for Thursday, June 27, 2013 is “Quiet Nights.”

About This Song

“Quiet Nights” was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1960. The original Portuguese title was “Corcovado,” after the mountain in Rio de Janiero. Gene Lees wrote the English lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first heard bossa nova music in the early 1960s on the beaches of Rio de Janiero when he was performing there.  His bass player, Don Payne, woke him up one morning and dragged him down to the beach to hear Joao and Astrud Gilberto singing and playing. He fell in love with the music and began to feature Jobim songs in concerts and on his albums.

“Quiet Nights” from I Wanna Be Around was his first recording of Jobim’s bossa nova music in 1963.

“Quiet Nights,” as well as the entire I Wanna Be Around album, is available from iTunes.