Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)
Encyclopedia
"Lemon Tree" is a folk
song written by Will Holt
in the 1960s. The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song Meu limão, meu limoeiro, arranged by José Carlos Burle in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal
. 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."
The song has been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary
, Chad & Jeremy, The Kingston Trio
, The Seekers
, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Sandie Shaw
, Trini Lopez
, Lonnie Donegan
and Roger Whittaker
. In the 1960s, the tune was used in television
advertisements for "Lemon Pledge", an aerosol
furniture polish.
The song was referenced in the Seinfeld
episode "The Phone Message
", and in Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
. It was performed on an episode of F Troop
in which the main characters anachronistically form a rock band. It figures prominently in the Eran Riklis
film, Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)
. The song was also referenced in Tim O'Brien
's book The Things They Carried
; when a fellow soldier named Curt Lemon steps on a booby trap and gets blown into a tree, it is the unsavory job of the protagonist and a squad mate to bring the pieces down. The main character is mildly shocked when his squad mate starts softly singing "Lemon Tree". The song provides the title and epigraph of Andrea Levy's 1999 novel, Fruit of the Lemon.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
song written by Will Holt
Will Holt
Will Holt is an American singer, songwriter, librettist and lyricist known first and primarily as a folk performer during the 1950s and 1960s and as an interpreter of the music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht in performances and recordings with Martha Schlamme...
in the 1960s. The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song Meu limão, meu limoeiro, arranged by José Carlos Burle in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal
Wilson Simonal
Wilson Simonal de Castro, was a Brazilian singer, born in Rio de Janeiro on February 26, 1939. He also died in Rio de Janeiro on June 25, 2000. He was a singer of a great success in the 1960s and in the first two years of 1970 decade. He was married and had two sons: Wilson Simoninha and Max de...
. The song compares love to a lemon tree
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
: "Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."
The song has been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
, Chad & Jeremy, The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
, Bob Marley and The Wailers, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
, Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
, Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
and Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
. In the 1960s, the tune was used in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advertisements for "Lemon Pledge", an aerosol
Aerosol
Technically, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas. Examples are clouds, and air pollution such as smog and smoke. In general conversation, aerosol usually refers to an aerosol spray can or the output of such a can...
furniture polish.
The song was referenced in the Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
episode "The Phone Message
The Phone Message
"The Phone Message" is the ninth episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the fourth of the show's second season. The episode concerns protagonist Jerry Seinfeld dating a woman who likes a commercial for cotton Dockers he dislikes...
", and in Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
Armistead Maupin
Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
. It was performed on an episode of F Troop
F Troop
F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
in which the main characters anachronistically form a rock band. It figures prominently in the Eran Riklis
Eran Riklis
Eran Riklis is an Israeli filmmaker. His films include Cup Final , The Syrian Bride , and Lemon Tree . He was born in 1954 and he studied at the National Film and Television School in England. He is married to Dina Riklis and they have two children, a daughter, Tammy, and a son, Jonathan...
film, Lemon Tree (Etz Limon)
Lemon Tree (film)
Lemon Tree is a 2008 Israeli drama movie directed by Eran Riklis and codirected by his cousin Ira Riklis. It stars Hiam Abbass, Ali Suliman, Danny Leshman, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Tarik Kopty, Amos Lavi, Lana Zreik and Amnon Wolf...
. The song was also referenced in Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien (author)
Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who often writes about his experiences in the Vietnam War and the impact the war had on the American servicemen who fought there...
's book The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried is a collection of related stories by Tim O'Brien, about a platoon of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, originally published in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin, 1990...
; when a fellow soldier named Curt Lemon steps on a booby trap and gets blown into a tree, it is the unsavory job of the protagonist and a squad mate to bring the pieces down. The main character is mildly shocked when his squad mate starts softly singing "Lemon Tree". The song provides the title and epigraph of Andrea Levy's 1999 novel, Fruit of the Lemon.
See also
- List of Peter Paul & Mary songs
- List of The Seekers songs