Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)
| "Lemon Tree" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Trini Lopez | |
| from the album The Folk Album | |
| Genre | Folk |
| Songwriter(s) | Will Holt |
"Lemon Tree" is a folk song written by Will Holt in the late 1950s.Inspired by a Brazilian song, Meu limão meu limoeiro, originally written in 1930.
Background[]
The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song Meu limão, meu limoeiro, arranged by in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal.[1] The song compares love to a lemon tree: "Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."
Trini Lopez recording[]
In 1965, Trini Lopez recorded the most successful version of the song which hit number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Middle Road Singles chart.[2][3] “I remember meeting Trini Lopez,” Holt told Portland Magazine in 2013. “He was a sweet guy, really charming. I heard his version of ‘Lemon Tree,’ and I thought, that’s another take of the song.”[4]
Other recorded versions[]
The song has also been recorded by:
- Peter, Paul and Mary (1962), this version marked the trio's first appearance on the US Hot 100.[5]
- Chad & Jeremy
- The Kingston Trio
- The Seekers
- Bob Marley and The Wailers
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (1965), on Whipped Cream & Other Delights[6]
- Sandie Shaw
- Roger Whittaker.
- Low-Maintenance Perennials as "Lemon Peel Mmm (Live At Altamont)" on Jurassic Park: The Album
Popular culture[]
- A reference is made to the song in the Seinfeld episode "The Phone Message" (Season 2, Episode 4, 17:38).
- Another television reference has the character Jefferson D'Arcy singing it during a dream sequence in the Married... with Children episode "Lookin' for a Desk in All the Wrong Places" (Season 6, Episode 5, 17:00).
- It was adapted as a jingle in the late 1960s for Lemon Pledge.
See also[]
- List of Peter Paul & Mary songs
- List of The Seekers songs
References[]
- ^ "Meu limão, meu limoeiro". Cifrantiga3.blogspot.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 149.
- ^ "Middle-Road Singles", Billboard, February 20, 1965. p. 46
- ^ "Music Man – Songwriter Will Holt | PORTLAND MAGAZINE". Retrieved 2020-09-08.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 654.
- ^ "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
External links[]
- Will Holt | "Lemon Tree, very pretty, and the story behind it’s sweet.", article by Portland Magazine
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- English-language Brazilian songs
- Peter, Paul and Mary songs
- Chad & Jeremy songs
- Trini Lopez songs
- The Kingston Trio songs
- Lemons
- 1965 singles
- Folk song stubs