The music has been there so long and so comfortably that when the comedians Flight of the Conchords went to make a French parody, they reached for those upbeat guitars. In France, the singer-songwriter Séverin's 2016 album was heavily influenced by Brazil the French outfit Nouvelle Vague continues to rework British New Wave songs the electronic duo Thievery Corporation switched between French and Portuguese on their bossa nova-homage Saudade. The general consensus in its native Brazil seems to be that bossa nova is great, but it is the music of the past. I thought that maybe this was a confusion that only I had when looking back at the post-war, pre-youth-culture window: jazz, bright colors, Josephine Baker in a banana skirt, Carmen Miranda with a banana hat and so on, but it's a trend that can still be seen in music coming out today, more than a half century since this breezy, intricate music broke onto the world scene. While it remains no doubt a worldwide phenomenon, bossa nova seems especially beloved in France.