Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)


"Green Eyes" is a popular song, originally written in Spanish under the title "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" 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. The lyrics were supplied by Cuban tenor Adolfo Utrera.

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 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. 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, 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?"

Recorded versions