Ramona (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ramona" is a 1928 song, with lyrics written by L. Wolfe Gilbert
and music by Mabel Wayne
.
(based on the novel Ramona
by Helen Hunt Jackson
). The song was used again in the 1936 remake
of the movie. Ramona was recorded in 1928 by Dolores del Río
, whose version charted for 17 weeks, eight weeks at #1, and easily topped a million in sales.
On record it was a popular hit, usually performed as a romantic ballad, sometimes with a Latin
inflection by "Whispering" Jack Smith and, in an idiosyncratic arrangement recorded on 4 January 1928, the Paul Whiteman
Orchestra. The Paul Whiteman version, Victor 21214-A, featuring Bix Beiderbecke
on cornet, was #1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard charts in 1928. It was a German number one hit in 1960 for the Blue Diamonds
, arranged in an upbeat style similar to the Everly Brothers recordings of that period. A few years later it was a UK hit for The Bachelors
. Singer Billy Walker
revived the song for the country market in 1968, reaching the top 10 of the US country charts.
It has been used on the soundtracks of several other films, most recently by Ken Loach
in Land and Freedom
(1995) and in the BAFTA
-nominated Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000).
This song was covered by the late Singaporean
singer/songwriter
/lyricist
Su Yin (舒雲) in Mandarin Chinese language with Chinese
lyrics written by Li Tian (黎天) and given the title name of蕾夢娜, appearing on his LP album 黃昏放牛＊一片青青的草地, and released by EMI Columbia Records
in 1967.
L. Wolfe Gilbert
Louis Wolfe Gilbert was a Russian-born American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Odessa, Russian Empire, Gilbert moved to the United States as a young man and eventually established himself as one of the leading songwriters on Tin Pan Alley.Gilbert began his career touring with John L...
and music by Mabel Wayne
Mabel Wayne
Mabel Wayne was an American songwriter. She is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, where she is credited as being the first woman composer to publish a hit song....
.
History
It was created as the title song for the 1928 adventure film-romance RamonaRamona (1928 film)
Ramona is a 1928 silent drama film directed by Edwin Carewe, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona. It starred Dolores del Rio and Warner Baxter....
(based on the novel Ramona
Ramona
Ramona is a 1884 United States historical novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. It is the story of a Scots-Native American orphan girl in Southern California, who suffers racial discrimination and hardship. Originally serialized in the Christian Union on a weekly basis, the novel became immensely...
by Helen Hunt Jackson
Helen Hunt Jackson
Helen Maria Hunt Jackson, born Helen Fiske , was a United States writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. She detailed the adverse effects of government actions in her history A Century of Dishonor...
). The song was used again in the 1936 remake
Ramona (1936 film)
Ramona is a 1936 Technicolor drama film directed by Henry King, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona. This was the third adaptation of the film, and the first one with sound...
of the movie. Ramona was recorded in 1928 by Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
, whose version charted for 17 weeks, eight weeks at #1, and easily topped a million in sales.
On record it was a popular hit, usually performed as a romantic ballad, sometimes with a Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
inflection by "Whispering" Jack Smith and, in an idiosyncratic arrangement recorded on 4 January 1928, the Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
Orchestra. The Paul Whiteman version, Victor 21214-A, featuring Bix Beiderbecke
Bix Beiderbecke
Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist, and composer.With Louis Armstrong, Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s...
on cornet, was #1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard charts in 1928. It was a German number one hit in 1960 for the Blue Diamonds
Blue Diamonds
The Blue Diamonds were a Dutch 1960s doo-wop duo, best known for their million-selling chart-topping single, "Ramona". Indo brothers Ruud de Wolff and Riem de Wolff founded the group shortly after immigrating to the Netherlands in 1949...
, arranged in an upbeat style similar to the Everly Brothers recordings of that period. A few years later it was a UK hit for The Bachelors
The Bachelors
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:The founding members of the group were Conleth Cluskey , Declan Cluskey , and John Stokes...
. Singer Billy Walker
Billy Walker (musician)
William Marvin Walker , better known as Billy Walker, was an American country music singer and guitarist best-known for his 1962 hit, " Charlie's Shoes"...
revived the song for the country market in 1968, reaching the top 10 of the US country charts.
It has been used on the soundtracks of several other films, most recently by Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
in Land and Freedom
Land and Freedom
Land and Freedom is a 1995 film directed by Ken Loach and written by Jim Allen. The film narrates the story of David Carr, an unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who decides to fight for the republican side in the Spanish Civil War...
(1995) and in the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
-nominated Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000).
This song was covered by the late Singaporean
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Su Yin (舒雲) in Mandarin Chinese language with Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
lyrics written by Li Tian (黎天) and given the title name of蕾夢娜, appearing on his LP album 黃昏放牛＊一片青青的草地, and released by EMI Columbia Records
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
in 1967.