This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "How Insensitive" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

"How Insensitive" (Portuguese: Insensatez) is a bossa nova and jazz standard song composed by Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim. The original lyrics are by Vinícius de Moraes (in Portuguese); an English version was written by Norman Gimbel.^[1] Jobim recorded the song in 1994 with Sting on lead vocals for his last studio album Antônio Brasileiro.^[2]

Background

In Brazil the song goes by the title "Insensatez", which translates more accurately to "Foolishness". The beginning of the song resembles Chopin's prelude in E minor.^[3]

Recorded versions

The song has been performed and recorded often by a diverse group of singers, such as:

• Frank Sinatra and Antônio Carlos Jobim on their 1967 album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim^[4]
• Peggy Lee on her 1964 album In Love Again!^[5]
• Andy Williams on his 1966 album The Shadow of Your Smile^[6]
• Vic Damone on his 1966 album Stay with Me^[7]
• Nancy Wilson on her 1968 album Easy^[8]
• Shirley Bassey on her 1979 album The Magic Is You^[9]
• Olivia Newton-John on her 2004 release Indigo: Women of Song^[10]
• Petula Clark on her 1967 album These Are My Songs^[11]
• William Shatner as part of a medley on his 1968 The Transformed Man^[12]
• Iggy Pop on his 2009 release Préliminaires^[13]
• Sinéad O'Connor on her 1992 album Am I Not Your Girl?^[14]
• Robert Wyatt on his 2003 release Cuckooland^[15]
• Pat MacDonald on his 2004 album In the Red Room^[16]

Musicians who covered the composition in the jazz genre:

• Joao Gilberto
• Laurindo Almeida
• Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfá on their 1963 album Jazz Samba Encore!^[17]
• Wes Montgomery on his 1966 album Tequila^[18]
• Sergio Mendes on his 1967 album Quiet Nights^[19]
• Stacey Kent on her 2013 album The Changing Lights^[20]
• George Shearing on his 1985 album Grand Piano^[21]
• Diana Krall on her 2006 album From This Moment On^[22]
• Pat Martino on his 1972 album The Visit^[23]
• Pat Metheny^[3]
• Larry Coryell and Emily Remler on their 1985 album Together^[24]
• Roy Hargrove on his 2000 release Moment to Moment^[25]

See also

• Jazz standard

References