Corcovado is a bossa nova song written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, who composed the music and the Portuguese words in 1960. It is named after the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro and runs about 2 minutes 25 seconds. The original recording was made by João Gilberto in 1960 for the album O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor. Gene Lees later wrote English lyrics under the title "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars", and the song became a jazz standard. Early recordings include those by Sylvia Telles (1960), Cannonball Adderley and Sérgio Mendes (1962), Miles Davis (1962) and Getz/Gilberto (1963).
Tony Bennett recorded an English cover in 1963 with lyrics by Buddy Kaye, one of the first English popular versions. Andy Williams reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, and Kitty Kallen released the album Quiet Nights in 1964. Later recordings include those of Frank Sinatra with Jobim (1967), Ella Fitzgerald (1981) and Diana Krall (2009). In 2000 the song served as the opening theme of the Rede Globo soap opera Laços de Família.
