"Corcovado" (known in English as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars") is a bossa nova song and jazz standard written by AntĂ´nio Carlos Jobim in 1960. English lyrics were later written by Gene Lees.
“Corcovado,” which translates as “hunchback,” is the name of the mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro, a 700-meter peak capped by an almost 40-meter statue of Jesus Christ a symbol of the city. But when Gene Lees wrote English lyrics to Jobim’s song, he decided that hit songs need something other than a mountain, hunchback, or Jesus Christ in the title, and renamed “Corcovado” as “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” often shortened to “Quiet Nights.” (Gioia, Ted. The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire (Page 72). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition).
Notable recordings:
JoĂŁo Gilberto, from The Legendary JoĂŁo Gilberto , 1960
Miles Davis (with Gil Evans), from Quiet Nights , 1962
Cannonball Adderley (with Sérgio Mendes), from Cannonball’s Bossa Nova , 1962
Stan Getz (with JoĂŁo Gilberto), from Getz/Gilberto , 1963
Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim – Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. 1967
Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim, from Elis & Tom , 1974
