Isle of Capri (song)

"Isle of Capri" is a popular song.

The music was written by Wilhelm Grosz (aka Hugh Williams), the lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The song was published in 1934.

It was recorded by Lew Stone and his Band with vocal by trumpeter Nat Gonella on July 25, 1934 and released on Decca (UK) catalogue number F 5132. Other popular British recordings were by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocal by Al Bowlly on August 30, 1934 and by Gracie Fields on October 9, 1934.

The first US hit version of the song was by Freddy Martin's orchestra with vocal by Elmer Feldkamp recorded on December 3, 1934. Later hit versions were recorded by Wingy Manone in 1944, and later by The Gaylords and by Jackie Lee in 1954. Frank Sinatra recorded it on October 1, 1957 for his album: Come Fly with Me, issued in 1958.

Shortly after first release, the song has been covered in Spanish and recorded by Osvaldo Fresedo with singer Roberto Ray. This version, labeled a "Tango-Foxtrot," remains a staple of milongas (i.e., tango dances) to the present day.

The recording by The Gaylords was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70350. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on May 5, 1954 and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #15. The flip side, "Love I You," was a minor chart hit. ^[1]

The recording by Jackie Lee was released by Coral Records as catalog number 61149. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on April 28, 1954 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at #17. ^[1]

This song was a huge world-wide hit, sung in countless arrangements and translations.

The song's melody strongly resembles that of another popular standard, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's "Get Happy".

Some suggest that there are two minor errors in the lyrics of the song: '...the shade of an old walnut tree' - there are no walnut trees on the Isle of Capri. And '...though we leave on the tide in the morning' - Capri is in the Mediterranean which is not tidal. Both of these claims are wrong. There are indeed walnut trees on Capri, and the Mediterranean does experience slight changes in sea level due to tides.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.