# Famous bossa nova song featured in Mad Men? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 13, 2024, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209 "2024-09-13T11:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/1 "2024-09-13T11:20:27Z")
There were at least a few bossa nova songs featured in Mad Men. The one I’m thinking of had no lyrics, at least not during the intro - just a woman’s voice singing “dee bee dee dee bee dee” in time with the music. Can anyone name the tune based on that horribly vague description? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/2 "2024-09-13T11:22:28Z")
Not “Zou Bisou Bisou” (that Don’s wife sang), I presume? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/3 "2024-09-13T11:56:07Z")
Nope, not that one. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/4 "2024-09-13T12:13:59Z")
Without a video example this might be tough. Was the tune a happy one or a sad one? Fast or slow? Considering that most Americans only know one or two bossa nova songs, you might have luck finding a top-10 list and watching a few YouTube videos until you hit the one. With Bossa it reminds me of the language-color-terms thing: if a language has a word for a single color then it’s “red”. for two colors, then the next one is either “yellow” or “green” If someone has heard one Bossa tune, then it’s “Girl from Ipanema”. If two, then it’s that one and “One Note Samba”. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/5 "2024-09-13T12:41:37Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Considering that most Americans only know one or two bossa nova songs, you might have luck finding a top-10 list and watching a few YouTube videos until you hit the one. Smart idea. I found it: Agua de Beber, by Astrud Gilberto: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/sJKXJIv4cs4/maxresdefault.jpg "Astrud Gilberto Greatest Hits -The Girl From Ipanema 想い出のアストラッド・ジルベルト　ボサノバ名曲集") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJKXJIv4cs4&t=170) In my search, I heard her singing some other BN songs and thought “yeah, it’s _her_ voice.” Found the above compilation, there it was, track 2. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-bossa-nova-song-featured-in-mad-men/1007209/6 "2024-09-13T12:45:45Z")
Excellent. On that greatest hits album, try number 4–How Insensitive (Insensatez)–and number 8–Manha de Carnaval (a.k.a. Black Orpheus). Those are some sweet tunes.