Once I Loved


"Once I Loved" is a bossa nova and jazz standard composed in 1960 by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. Words in English were later added by Ray Gilbert. In a few early cases, the song was also known as "Love in Peace", a translation into English of the original Portuguese title.
The first recording was in 1960 by Agostinho dos Santos, followed by João Gilberto's version on his self-titled album João Gilberto. Jobim recorded an instrumental version of the song in 1963 on his debut album, The Composer of Desafinado Plays.
In The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire, jazz critic Ted Gioia credits Frank Sinatra and his version with Jobim on their joint album Francis Albert Sinatra & [Antonio Carlos Jobim] for the popularity of the song. "Even during the height of the bossa nova craze, which peaked around 1964-65, 'Once I Loved' was not widely known and it is conspicuously missing from most of the bossa nova theme albums of the day. But after Francis Albert Sinatra & [Antônio Carlos Jobim|Sinatra's 1967 recording], the song became one of Jobim's best-known and most-covered compositions."
Describing the uniqueness of the song, Gioia writes, "here are a handful of songs in the standard repertoire that convey a sense of introspection and quiet soul-searching. For the most part, they are slow pieces, delicate ballads that sacrifice rhythmic drive in exchange for a ruminative self-questioning. But 'Once I Loved' is that rarity--a melancholy soliloquy that shouldn't be played too slowly. The composition works best at a medium tempo, almost as if the lingering nostalgia of the lyrics needs to tussle with the forward momentum of the bossa nova beat."

Recorded versions