When you think of modern music, what do you think of? Oftentimes, we would conclude that Rock, Pop, Country, Rap, and Hip-Hop are the most popular modern genres of music. Bossa Nova was a style popular in the 1960s during the 1964 Brazilian Coup D’etat, in which Brazilian civilians rose up to overthrow sitting president João Goulart after rumors that he was conspiring with communists. Bossa Nova emphasizes the importance of the melody of a song, while paying little attention to the percussion and other accompaniment.
So what makes Bossa Nova different? Is it really a forgotten genre of music?
When you think of modern music, what do you think of? Oftentimes, we conclude that Rock, Pop, Country, Rap, and Hip-Hop are the most popular modern genres of music. Bossa Nova was a style popular in the 1960s during the 1964 Brazilian Coup D’etat, in which Brazilian civilians rose up to overthrow sitting president João Goulart after rumors that he was conspiring with communists.
After the Coup, Brazil became a military dictatorship, until its collapse in 1985. Bossa Nova is a genre of music that works to inspire feelings of relaxation and solitude, which were probably needed during the time of the dictatorship, which brought various hardships to the average Brazilian citizen.
Bossa Nova was left in the past as it represents the past. Compared to many modern genres, there are few similarities between them and Bossa Nova. The most similar genres of music to Bossa Nova are Samba and Smooth Jazz, both of which aren’t exactly making the billboard.
“Águas De Março” (Waters of March) is a Brazilian song written in the style of Bossa Nova. It is widely regarded as one of the most popular Bossa Nova songs. Written in 1972 by Antônio Carlos Jobim, it features singer Elis Regina, another Brazilian singer who was popular in the Bossa Nova scene.
Bossa Nova is an incredibly catchy, incredibly relaxing, and overall good-feeling genre of music. If you haven’t taken a listen to Bossa Nova, I would highly recommend it to everyone!
