Once I Loved, originally titled 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, and English words later added by Ray Gilbert. The song tells a quiet, reflective love story—a melancholic soliloquy set to a gentle bossa nova groove. It was first recorded in 1961 by João Gilberto on his self-titled album João Gilberto. Jobim then recorded an instrumental version in 1963 on The Composer of Desafinado Plays. The tune gained wide popularity after Frank Sinatra and Jobim teamed up for the 1967 album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, and it is often praised for its balanced tempo and introspective mood.
