"Lisboa Antiga" (pronounced[liʒˈβoãˈtiɣɐ];
Portuguese for "Old
Lisbon") is a
Portuguesepopular song that was originally written in 1937, with music by Raul Portela and
Portuguese lyrics by José Galhardo and Amadeu do Vale.[1] The song was recorded, among others, by
Hermínia Silva and
Amália Rodrigues. The version of song that ended being popular in the United States in the
1950s is called "Lisbon Antigua".
Nelson Riddle recording
"Lisbon Antigua" was a hit in the United States when recorded by the
Nelson Riddle orchestra in 1956. It was brought to Riddle's attention by
Nat King Cole's manager who had heard a version played by an orchestra in Mexico. Riddle recorded his own arrangement with himself on the piano accompanied by a string section, brass, and a wordless male chorus. "Lisbon Antigua" topped the
Billboard magazine chart on February 25, 1956 and remained there for four weeks. The song became a
gold record. Riddle then used the song for the theme music when he wrote the score for the 1956 film Lisbon.[2]Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1956.[3]
Other recorded versions
In 1956, Coral Records released "Lisbon Antigua" (US catalog# 9-61553, elsewhere as 'In Old Lisbon') with Alan Dale singing Harry Dupree's English lyrics. [4] *In 1956, another popular version was recorded by
Frank Chacksfield's orchestra under the title "In Old Lisbon", in which the male chorus sang lyrics written in English by Harry Dupree. It was released by the United Kingdom
Decca label as catalog number F 10689,and reached #15 on the UK charts.[5]
In October 1956, the song made the French charts with
Gloria Lasso's "Lisboa Antigua" and
Darío Moreno´s "Adieu Lisbonne".