"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. The English
translation was made by Eddie Rivera and Eddie Woods in
1929.
The English version of the song was a hit for 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
Billboardcharts 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.
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.)
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:
(Male voice)
(Female voice)