What Do Martians Have to Do with the Girl from Ipanema?

What Do Martians Have to Do with the Girl from Ipanema?
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If you've been in an elevator or a waiting room, you've heard "The Girl From Ipanema." It's the song that made the bossa nova famous!

The story goes that Antonio Jobim and Vinicius Moraes were sitting in a bar in Rio de Janiero, drinking and watching girls, when suddenly the gorgeous Heloisa Eneida Menezes Pais Pinto passed by and the two men, overcome with inspiration, scribbled the song down on a napkin for her right then and there.

Except, that's not the entire story.

Turns out, Jobim and Moraes were working on a musical comedy called Dirigível (or Blimp, in English) about a Martian who lands in Rio during Carnival. And what might most impress a little green alien about Earth? Why, a lovely young lady in a bikini, of course! The songwriting duo figured Helo Pinto was just about the finest representation of earthly beauty this planet had to offer. Their musical Blimp never did take off, but "The Girl From Ipanema" lives on as the second-most recorded song in the world after The Beatles' "Yesterday."

So there ya go. The song isn't really about a creepy old dude leering at a barely legal teenager, after all; it's about a horny Martian!

Comedian Kevin Janus and I tell you all sorts of other fun facts about Brazil -- and we even have ANOTHER special appearance by Steven Seagal! -- on the latest episode of the Where The F**k Are We comedy podcast (WTFAW for the kids on iTunes and on Stitcher). Have a listen!

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