En mi Viejo San Juan
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"En mi Viejo San Juan"
En mi Viejo San Juan
Single by Noel Estrada
Released 1943
7-inch single
Format
Recorded 1943
Genre bolero
Length 2:55
Label RCA Victor
Songwriter(s) Noel Estrada
Producer(s) Fernandito Álvarez[1]
"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".[2] There are musical interpretations in German, English and
French. At least over 1,000 distinct recordings of the song have been made worldwide.
The song was written in 1942[3] for Estrada's brother who had been deployed
to Panama during World War II and was feeling nostalgia for his Puerto Rico motherland.[4] The song
has become an anthem of Puerto Rican emigration to New York.[5]
Contents
1Background
2Theme
3Popularity
4Legacy
5Recordings
6Notes
7References
Background[edit]
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).[1]
Theme[edit]
A street scene in Old San Juan, the subject of the song
Trio Vegabajeño "En mi
Viejo San Juan"
MENU
0:00
A 17 second sample for the
opening lyrics of the song,
"En mi Viejo San Juan" first
recorded by Trio
Vegabajeño in 1943.
Problems playing this file? See media
help.
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.[a] In this context, the song was put in juxtaposition with Anglo
songs including America from West Side Story and America by Neil Diamond.[7] 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.[1][8] By all measures, nevertheless, the song is a reflection
of Estrada's "intimate" love connection with his motherland.[9]
Popularity[edit]
"En mi Viejo San Juan" is considered a classic and has been performed by numerous
artists.[10] Originally interpreted by El Trío Vegabajeño,[11] the song would later be interpreted by
artists like Luis Miguel,[12] Javier Solis,[13][14][15]Vikki Carr,[16] Danny Rivera,[17] Marco Antonio
Muñiz,[18] Trío Los Panchos,[19]Rafael Cortijo,[20] Ismael Rivera,[21] Celia Cruz,[b] and Rocío Dúrcal,[23][self-
published source?]
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 Arteswhich was
included on his live album En Vivo (2000).[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]
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".[27] 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).[1]
Legacy[edit]
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.[a][28][29] The city of San Juan also passed a resolution
making the author of the song (Estrada) an honorary citizen of the city.[30]
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.[31]
