"Lemon Tree" is a folk song written by Will Holt in the late 1950s. Inspired by a Brazilian song, Meu limão meu limoeiro, originally written in 1930.

Background

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."

Trini Lopez recording

In 1965, Trini Lopez recorded the most successful version of the song which hit number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Middle Road Singles chart. “I remember meeting Trini Lopez,” Holt told Portland Magazine in 2013. “He was a sweet guy, really charming. I heard his version of ‘Lemon Tree,’ and I thought, that's another take of the song.”

Other recorded versions

The song has also been recorded by:

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