The Green Leaves of Summer

"The Green Leaves of Summer" is a song by Paul Francis Webster, with music by Dimitri Tiomkin, written for the 1960 film The Alamo.^[1] It was performed in the film's score by the vocal group The Brothers Four. In 1961 the song was nominated for an Academy Award; its parent soundtrack, for the film The Alamo, was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.^[2]

History

In The Alamo, the song is heard on the last night before the Battle of the Alamo. Davy Crockett (John Wayne), when asked what he is thinking, responds "not thinking. Just remembering" as the song is heard. The men of the Alamo reminisce on their lives and reflect on their own mistakes, faith, and morality.

The song itself has no lyrical connection to the Alamo, or to any other historical events, but is simply a nostalgic reminiscence of the narrator's idyllic youth.^[3]

"The Green Leaves of Summer" has been covered by a number of musicians including Brothers Four, Sil Austin, Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, The Ventures, Frankie Avalon, the Ray Conniff Singers, Ken Dodd, Anita Harris, The Springfields, Hampton Hawes, Mahalia Jackson, Frankie Laine, the Johnny Mann Singers, Patti Page, Nick Perito, Peter and Gordon and The Ventures. A French-language translation, "Le Bleu de l'été", was performed by both Michèle Arnaud and Maya Casabianca (fr). A Finnish-language translation, "Kesän vihreät lehvät", written by Sauvo Puhtila, was performed by both Eino Grön and Vieno Kekkonen (fi).

The song had renewed interest when Nick Perito's version was featured in the title sequence of the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino.^[4]

References