Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)

"Green Eyes"
originally written as "Aquellos Ojos Verdes"
Song
English title Those Green Eyes
Writer Adolfo Utrera
Nilo Menéndez
Lyricist (English) Eddie Rivera
Eddie Woods
Language originally Spanish
new English lyrics written 1929
Recorded by Jimmy Dorsey orchestra
many other artists; see #Recorded versions
Performed by Orquesta Aragon (1960s)

"Green Eyes" is a popular song, originally written in Spanish under the title "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" ("Those Green Eyes") by Adolfo Utrera and Nilo Menéndez, 1929. The English translation was made by Eddie Rivera and Eddie Woods in 1931.

Spanish version

The song, a bolero, was written in 1929 and recorded in Cuba the same year. It was the only major hit, both originally in Cuba and then again in the Latin community in New York for Cuban pianist Nilo Menéndez (Matanzas, 26 September 1902 - Los Angeles, 15 September 1987). The lyrics were supplied by Cuban tenor Adolfo Utrera.[1]

English version

The English version of the song was written in 1931 but did not become a major hit till ten years later when recorded by the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra. The recording was made on March 19, 1941 with vocals by Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly[2] and released by Decca Records as catalog number 3698. The flip side was "Maria Elena." The record first reached the Billboard charts on May 9, 1941 and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.[3] Since "Maria Elena" was also a #1 hit, this was a major double-sided hit recording. The Shadows performed an instrumental version of this song on their 1967 album Jigsaw. Gloria Jean sang the Spanish lyrics to "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" in the 1943 film, When Johnny Comes Marching Home.

Ben Affleck also sang the Spanish version, in the 2006 film, Hollywoodland, in pivotal scenes just prior to the fatal shooting of his character, George Reeves.

R&B group, the Ravens, had regional success with a 1955 revival.

Allan Sherman recorded a version titled "Green Stamps", a parody of S&H Green Stamps. During the recording session (according to the liner notes on the album), Sherman had a talk with the college types who hadn't heard of "Green Eyes." He said it was, like the Bossa Nova, once a red-hot tune by Helen O'Connell. He asked, "Any of you remember red-hot Helen O'Connell?" (About half did.)

Recorded versions

Lyrics

Original Spanish Lyrics
Fueron tus ojos los que me dieron,
el tema dulce de mi cancion,
Tus ojos verdes claros serenos,
Ojos que han sido mi inspiracion.
Aquellos ojos verdes
de mirada serena,
dejaron en mi alma
eterna sed de amar.
Anhelos de caricias,
de besos y ternuras.
De todas las dulzuras
que sabían brindar.
Aquellos ojos verdes,
serenos como un lago,
en cuyas quietas aguas
un día me miré.
No saben las tristezas
que en mi alma han dejado
Aquellos ojos verdes,
que yo nunca besaré.
No saben las tristezas
que en mi alma han dejado
Aquellos ojos verdes,
que yo nunca olvidaré.
Aquellos ojos verdes,
que yo nunca olvidaré.
Aquellos ojos verdes
serenos como un lago
en cuyas quietas aguas
un día me miré,
no saben las tristezas
que a mi alma le dejaron
aquellos ojos verdes
que yo nunca besaré
English Translation
Those green eyes
with their serene gaze,
they left in my soul
eternal thirst to love.
yearning for caresses,
for kisses and tenderness.
for all the sweetness
that they knew how to offer.
Those green eyes,
serene like a lake,
in whose calm waters
one day i saw myself
They do not know the sadness
that in my soul they have left
Those green eyes,
that I never will kiss.
They do not know the sadness
that in my soul they have left
Those green eyes,
that I never will forget.
Those green eyes,
that I never will forget.
Those green eyes,
serene like a lake,
in whose calm waters
one day i saw myself
They do not know the sadness
that in my soul they have left
those green eyes
that I never will kiss

English lyrics

The version written for English audiences varies from the Spanish. The Big Band version typically had a male voice singing these words, followed by a female voice singing the same words, with the exception of the last line. This is one version:

Well, Green Eyes with their soft lights
Your eyes that promise sweet nights,
Bring to my soul a longing, a thirst for love divine
In dreams I seem to hold you, to find you and enfold you
Our lips meet and our hearts, too, with a thrill so sublime
Those cool and limpid Green Eyes
A pool wherein my love lies
So deep that in my searching for happiness
I fear that they will ever haunt me
All through my life they'll taunt me
But will they ever want me?

(Male voice)

Green Eyes, make my dreams come true.

(Female voice)

Green Eyes, I love you.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Josephine Powell Tito Puente: When the Drums Are Dreaming 2007 Page 21 2007 "Fellow Cuban Adolfo Utrera, a well-known tenor part of a core of singers recording consistently with Enric Madriguera, supplied the lyrics. Cugat wasn't pleased when his orchestra arrived in New York and the song had gained national recognition."
  2. ↑ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 2, side A.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.