Tuesday 1 June 2010
Tune of the Day: Amapola
by Joseph LaCalle
This popular song was originally written by Spanish-American composer Joseph LaCalle with Spanish lyrics; the English language lyrics were later added by Albert Gamse. Although the song was published in 1924, the most popular recorded version was made nearly two decades later by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly. Japanese singer Noriko Awaya also released her version of the song in 1937, the year LaCalle died. “Amapola” was notably performed during the Three Tenors concert in Rome in 1990.
An instrumental version of the piece formed an important leitmotif in Sergio Leone's 1984 film Once Upon a Time in America.