Did you know that Bossa Nova’s timeless love song, ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ won a gold medal in music streaming following the opening ceremony of Rio de Janeiro’s Summer Olympic Games in 2016.
Yep, Spotify says the song was streamed more than 40,000 times a day after the Olympics kicked off on that historic Friday night in Rio de Janeiro. That’s a 1,200 percent rise for the track, which was typically streamed about 3,000 times a day before the Olympics, the streaming service said.
Why? Well, Supermodel Gisele Bundchen walked onstage during the opening ceremony while “The Girl from Ipanema” played.
The Grammy-winning song was released in 1964. Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote the song as a tribute to a girl he fell in love with as she left Ipanema Beach, one of Rio’s iconic beaches. It is arguably Brazil’s most recognizable song internationally. AP
We’ve included Marina Lima’s soft and sultry cover, featuring photos of the song’s muse, Heloisa Pinheiro. What’s your favorite version?
