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"O Morro Não Tem Vez" (loosely translated as "The Slums aren't Given a Chance"), also known as "Favela", "O Morro", and "Somewhere in the Hills", is a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics written by Vinicius de Moraes. The English lyrics were written by Ray Gilbert.

The song was first released in 1962 by Pedrinho Rodrigues as an a-side to "O Amor e a Canção". In 1963, it was popularized by Jair Rodrigues. The most famous versions are by Astrud Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and Stan Getz.

Context

In 1964, not shortly after the song was released, the Brazilian government suffered a coup and was replaced by a military dictatorship. During this time, many musicians and composers, including songwriters Jobim and de Moraes, were arrested and interrogated by the police or had their calls and mail tapped for creating "subversive" music. While bossa nova has not usually been regarded as having political themes, the song became one of the genre's only protest songs due to its subject surrounding the favelas.

The phrase "o morro não tem vez" has since been used in opposition of economic injustice in Brazil.

Notable recordings

• Pedrinho Rodrigues - O Morro Não Tem Vez / O Amor e a Canção (1962)
• Jair Rodrigues - O Samba Como Ele É (1963)
• Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Composer of Desafinado Plays (1963)
• Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfá - Jazz Samba Encore! (1963)
• Sambalanço Trio - Sambalanço Trio (1964)
• Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965)
• Antônio Carlos Jobim - The Wonderful World of Antônio Carlos Jobim (1965)
• Elis Regina - 2 Na Bossa (1965)
• Sérgio Mendes Trio - The Swinger From Rio (1966)
• Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete - Live at El Matador (1966)
• Charlie Byrd - Sugarloaf Suite (1980)
• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Abraça Jobim (1981)
• Tim Maia - Só Você (Para Ouvir e Dançar) (1997)

References

1. "Somewhere in the Hills - Credits". Muso.AI. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
2. AD (2016-02-01). "Song No. 78 — O Morro Não Tem Vez | Antônio Carlos Jobim & Vinícius de Moraes (1962)". Retrieved 2021-04-04.
3. Merhy, Silvio Augusto (March 13, 2010). "Letra, melodia, arranjo: componentes em tensão em O morro não tem vez de Antonio Carlos Jobim e Vinícius de Moraes". Per Musi (in Portuguese) (22): 90–98. doi:10.1590/S1517-75992010000200008. ISSN 1517-7599.
4. Jobim, Helena (2011). Antonio Carlos Jobim : an illuminated man. Montclair, NJ: Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1-4584-2942-1. OCLC 946707314.
5. Polack, Joachim (2020). "Samba Do Aviao: Transnationalism and Sophistication-as-Modernity in Antonio Carlos Jobim's Early 1970s Repertoire". ufdc.ufl.edu. p. 188. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
6. "Getz/Gilberto Fifty Years Later: A Retrospective". notevenpast.org. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
7. The Routledge history of social protest in popular music. Jonathan C. Friedman. New York: Routledge. 2013. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-136-44729-7. OCLC 852758591.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
8. Jobim, Antonio Carlos (1990). Tom Jobim. Almir Chediak. Rio de Janeiro: Lumiar Editora. p. 18. ISBN 85-85426-49-7. OCLC 30362774.
9. Pardini, Renata; Umetsu, Fabiana (2006). "Pequenos mamíferos não-voadores da Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande: distribuição das espécies e da diversidade em uma área de Mata Atlântica". Biota Neotropica. 6 (2). doi:10.1590/s1676-06032006000200007. ISSN 1676-0603.
10. Grátis, Baixe (2020-02-17). "Ensaio técnico da Mangueira exibe graça de Evelyn Bastos". Jetss (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-03-26.
11. ^ "Cover versions of O Morro Não Tem Vez written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.

• 1962 songs
• Bossa nova songs
• Songs with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim
• Songs with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes
• Ella Fitzgerald songs
• Protest songs
• Songs about poverty