Samba do Avião, also known as Song of the Jet, is a Brazilian bossa nova tune composed in 1962 by Antonio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Jobim and English lyrics by Gene Lees. It was written for the Italian film Copacabana Palace (1962) and first performed in August 1962 at Au Bon Gourmet in Copacabana, Rio, by Tom Jobim and Os Cariocas alongside João Gilberto and Vinícius de Moraes in a famous bossa nova moment. The first recording appeared in October 1962 by Elza Laranjeira, and Os Cariocas had a hit with their version in 1963. In the song, Jobim writes about landing at Galeão in Rio, and the airport was renamed in 1999 to Rio de Janeiro - Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport. The English version was recorded by Tony Bennett for his 1965 album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set, and the tune has since been covered by many artists, helping to popularize Brazilian music worldwide.
