Portuguese Baby Blue: Gal Costa and "Negro Amor (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue)"

Today's random tune is a Brazilian cover of a Bob Dylan tune. Negro Amor (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue) is by Gal Costa, a popular Brazilian singer. She first got interested in music at age 14 after listening to João Gilberto's Chega de Saudade, cementing her interest in bossa nova, and later she worked in a record store to be closer to music. At 18 she was introduced and became lasting friends with Caetano Veloso. She began her musical career at age 19, performing in a concert with Veloso, Gilberto Gil and others, and she released her first album three years later in 1967. In 1968 she joined the Tropicalismo movement, which encompassed music, poetry and theater and encouraged the fusion of Brazilian artistic endeavors with foreign influences. Her 1969 album Gal Costa is considered a classic of Tropicalismo, balancing Brazilian music and psychedelia. She was also controversial - the cover of her 1973 album, India, was censored due to the revealing nature of her red bikini. Negro Amor (It's All Over Now, Baby Blue) can be found on her 1977 album Caras e Bocas and her on 1982 album (re-released in 2001) Minha Voz, Minha Vida.