One Note Samba
"Samba de Uma Nota Só" ("One-Note Samba") is a song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Newton Mendonça. The English lyrics were written by Jobim.
The song title refers to the main melody line, which at first consists of a long series of notes of a single tone (typically D, as played in the key of G) played over a descending chord progression in a bossa nova rhythm. The first eight measures consist of D, followed by four measures of G, and then four measures of D. This is followed by eight measures of a more conventional, scalar melody line.
This well-known song first reached a wide audience on the Grammy-winning bossa nova LP Jazz Samba (Getz/Byrd/Jobim), which reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200 in 1963. Another well-known release is the Sergio Mendes-Brasil '66 version, in medley with "Spanish Flea".
The song was featured in a prominent scene of "A Man Without A Skin", a 1963 episode of "Naked City".
Notable recordings
Podcasts:
Samba De Uma Nota So
Eis aqui este sambinha
Feito numa nota só
Outras notas vão entrar
Mas a base é uma só
Esta outra é conseqüência
Do que acabo de dizer
Como eu sou a conseqüência
Inevitável de você
Quanta gente existe por aí
Que fala tanto e não diz nada
Ou quase nada
E voltei pra minha nota
Como eu volto pra você
Vou contar com minha nota
Como eu gosto de você
E quem quer todas as notas
Re mi fá sol lá si dó
Fica sempre sem nenhuma