Once I Loved, originally O Amor Em Paz, is a bossa nova and jazz standard composed in 1960 by Antônio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes, with English lyrics later added by Ray Gilbert. The first recording came in 1961 by João Gilberto on his self-titled album. Jobim recorded an instrumental version in 1963 for The Composer of Desafinado Plays. The song gained wide recognition after Frank Sinatra recorded it with Jobim on Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1967. Jazz critic Ted Gioia notes it is a rare melancholy soliloquy that benefits from a medium tempo to balance nostalgia with the forward drive of the bossa nova beat. It remains a popular standard with many notable versions by artists such as Gilberto, Sinatra, and others across decades.
