Did You Know?

In this lively song crafted by the talented Brill Building songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis finds himself entangled with a girl who’s captivated by the bossa nova, a Brazilian music and dance style that took America by storm in the early 1960s. He performed this song for the movie “Fun In Acapulco,” in which he played the role of a circus performer turned boatman turned lifeguard, pitted against Mexico’s greatest diver.

Elvis received vocal support not only from his backing group, the Jordanaires but also from The Amigos. This Puerto Rico-based group, also known as The Four Amigos, teamed up with Elvis the previous year for the “Girls! Girls! Girls!” movie soundtrack.

Originally, this tune was recorded by Tippie and the Clovers in 1962, although the group is more commonly known as The Clovers. Their most significant hit came in 1959 with the Leiber and Stoller-penned song “Love Potion #9.” The jazzy rendition of this song was released through Tiger Records, the songwriting duo’s label. However, due to distribution limitations, it never made it onto the charts.

Interestingly, Elvis didn’t personally experience the fun of Acapulco; instead, his stunt double did. The singer was barred from entering Mexico due to riots that erupted during screenings of two of his previous films, “King Creole” and “G.I. Blues,” at the Las Americas movie theater in Mexico City. Additionally, false allegations were made that Elvis had publicly criticized the country while visiting Tijuana. However, these comments were later traced back to a powerful Mexican politician who held a grudge against the King for refusing to perform at his daughter’s birthday celebration. During this time, Elvis was also banned from receiving airplay, and his records were burned in Mexico City’s town square.

In 1963, several other bossa nova tracks graced the pop chart. Elvis’ song reached its peak at #8 on the Hot 100, while Eydie Gorme’s “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” ranked slightly higher at #7. Jazz composer Joe Harnell’s bossa nova rendition of “Fly Me To The Moon” reached #15, and The Dave Brubeck Quartet landed at #69 with “Bossa Nova U.S.A.” Lou Monte also made an appearance just below the chart at #128 with “Bossa Nova Italiano.” The following year, the trend reached its zenith when the collaboration between Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz, “The Girl From Ipanema,” peaked at #5.

This song also managed to secure the #20 spot on the R&B chart and had a notable appearance in the 2011 romantic comedy “No Strings Attached,” featuring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.

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Lyrics

I said, “Take it easy, baby
I worked all day and my feet feel just like lead
You got my shirt tails flyin’ all over the place
And the sweat poppin’ out of my head”

She said, “Hey, bossa nova baby
Keep on workin’ for this ain’t no time to quit”
She said, “Go, bossa nova baby keep on dancin’
I’m about to have myself a fit”
Bossa nova, bossa nova

I said, “Hey little mama, let’s sit down
Have a drink and dig the band”
She said, “Drink, drink, drink oh, fiddle-de-dink
I can dance with a drink in my hand”

She said, “Hey bossa nova baby
Keep on workin’ for this ain’t no time to drink”
She said, “Go bossa nova baby
Keep on dancin’, ’cause I ain’t got time to think”
Bossa nova, bossa nova

I said, “Come on baby, it’s hot in here
And it’s oh so cool outside
If you lend me a dollar, I can buy some gas
And we can go for a little ride”

She said, “Hey bossa nova baby
Keep on workin’ for I ain’t got time for that”
She said, “Go bossa nova baby
Keep on dancin’ or I’ll find myself another cat”
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova
Bossa nova, bossa nova

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