Released 1943 Recorded 1943 Length 02:55 | Format 7-inch single Genre bolero Label RCA Victor | |
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"En mi Viejo San Juan" (English: In my Old San Juan) is a composition by Puerto Rican composer and singer Noel Estrada. Interpreted by numerous singers and translated into various languages, the song is "widely known around the world". There are musical interpretations in German, English and French. At least over 1,000 distinct recordings of the song have been made worldwide.
Contents
The song was written in 1942 for Estrada's brother who had been deployed to Panama during World War II and was feeling nostalgia for his Puerto Rico motherland. The song has become an anthem of Puerto Rican emigration to New York.
Background
The song was first recorded by El Trio Vegabajeño in 1943 under the label RCA Victor and later under Mar-Vela. The song had an immediate impact and many other versions followed. Two later interpretations achieved large popularity as well as measured by radio ratings: those of Manuel Jiménez Quartet (RCA Víctor, 1948) and the one by Joe Valle with Moncho Usera and his orchestra (Seeco, 1949).
Theme
Together with La Borinqueña and Preciosa, "En mi Viejo San Juan" is considered a national anthem by many Puerto Ricans, especially those who live far away from their Caribbean homeland, Puerto Rico. In this context, the song was put in juxtaposition with Anglo songs including America from West Side Story and America by Neil Diamond. In more general terms, and despite its original military motivation and origins, the song reflects the sentiments of not just Puerto Ricans stationaed abroad as servicemen as was Estrada's brother Eloy Jr., but those of the entire DiaspoRican community as well. By all measures, nevertheless, the song is a reflection of Estrada's "intimate" love connection with his motherland.
Popularity
"En mi Viejo San Juan" is considered a classic and has been performed by numerous artists. Originally interpreted by El Trío Vegabajeño, the song would later be interpreted by artists like Luis Miguel, Javier Solis,Vikki Carr, Danny Rivera, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Trío Los Panchos, Rafael Cortijo, Ismael Rivera, Celia Cruz, and Rocío Dúrcal, plus "hundreds of other voices including Libertad Lamarque, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Ginamaría Hidalgo, and Felipe Pirela. In 1999, Mexican singer-songwriter Marco Antonio Solís performed a live cover of the song during his concert in the Centro de Bellas Artes which was included on his live album En Vivo (2000). His version peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs and number eight on the Regional Mexican Airplay charts in the United States. In 2012, American pianist Arthur Hanlon performed a live cover of the song where he was accompanied by Marc Anthony for Hanlon's album Encanto del Caribe (2012). It was presented during the first concert to ever be recorded on the Castillo de San Cristóbal.
The song has also been recorded in at least three other languages in addition to its original Spanish version: English, German, and French. "There are versions in all musical genres, including instrumental, acústico, tango, bolero, ranchera, and even a disco version by Oscar Solo". The song is heard in over 50 Mexican and over 20 Puerto Rican motion pictures, including “Romance en Puerto Rico” (1961) and Antonio Aguilar's “Mi aventura en Puerto Rico” (1975). “En mi Viejo San Juan” has been recorded by American, Russian, German, French, Japanese orchestras, among others. The first know interpretation in French was by the vedette Lolita Cuevas. At least over 1,000 distinct recordings of the song have been made worldwide. The only other boleros to have achieved such popularity are “Obsesión” and “Perdón” (by Pedro Flores) y “Piel canela” (by Bobby Capó) followed by “Desvelo de amor” and “Capullito de alelí” (by Rafael Hernández Marín).
Legacy
In 1971, during the mayoral administration of Carlos Romero Barcelo, the song was adopted as the official city anthem of the City of San Juan. The city of San Juan also passed a resolution making the author of the song (Estrada) an honorary citizen of the city.
The 1898 Tato Laviera's "Mainstream Ethics" poem uses most of the lyrics of En mi Viejo San Juan to depict the Puerto Rican "revolving door" migration motif.
Recordings
Following is a partial list of recordings of the song by year.