Amapola (song)

"Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" is a 1924 song by Cádiz-born composer José María Lacalle García (later Joseph LaCalle), with Spanish lyrics. After the composer died in 1937, English language lyrics were written by Albert Gamse.

Miguel Fleta sang "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" in the 1925 film "The Lecuona Cuban Boys"; Deanna Durbin in the 1939 film "First Love"; and Alberto Rabagliati in a 1941 film. Japanese singer Noriko Awaya released her version of the song in 1937. A popular recorded version was made later by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly; this was released by Decca Records as catalog number 3629 and arrived on the Billboard charts on March 14, 1941, where it stayed for 14 weeks and reached #1. Another version, with vocals in English, was recorded by Spike Jones and his City Slickers in the unforgettable comic style of his band; the flip-side was Jones Polka, a drinking-song, sung in a strong European accent. An orchestral version of "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" served as a leitmotif in the 1984 gangster film Once Upon a Time in America. In 1990 Amapola was sung during the first Three Tenors concert in Rome. A boy named Brian Ibarra performed this song in a Hispanic show called "Tengo talento Mucho Talento". Ryuichi Kawamura's cover appears on his 2011 album The Voice.

Lyrics

Spanish version (original)

Amapola, lindísima Amapola,
Sera siempre mi alma tuya sola.
Yo te quiero, amada niña mia,
Igual que ama la flor la luz del dia.

Amapola, lindísima Amapola,
No seas tan ingrata y ámame.
Amapola, Amapola,
Como puedes tu vivir tan sola?

English lyrics (1940) by Albert Gamse

Amapola, my pretty little poppy,
You're like the lovely flower so sweet and heavenly.
Since I found you my heart is wrapped around you,
And, seeing you, it seems to beat a rhapsody.

Amapola, the pretty little poppy
Must copy its endearing charms from you.
Amapola, Amapola,
How I long to hear you say "I love you."