Desafinado is a landmark bossa nova tune composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça and first recorded by João Gilberto on November 10, 1958 at Odeon Studios in Rio de Janeiro. It was released as a single in February 1959 by EMI-Odeon and later appeared on Gilberto's debut album Chega de Saudade, released in March 1959. The song helped define the bossa nova style and was written as a response to critics who claimed the music was for singers who were out of tune. It has been covered by many artists including Jobim, Herb Alpert, Nara Leão, Ella Fitzgerald and Stan Getz, whose 1963 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist or Small Group recognized the song. Two English adaptations exist: Slightly Out of Tune by Jon Hendricks and Off Key by Gene Lees. The track runs about 1 minute 58 seconds and is categorized as bossa nova.
