South of the Border ( 1939 song ) - wikipedia South of the Border ( 1939 song ) This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( August 2010 ) `` South of the Border '' is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry. In the lyrics, a man looks back with regret and pain for having lied to the woman he ca n't forget ( ``... and now as I wander, my thoughts ever stray... '' ) and returned far too late, to discover she had become a nun. The lyric is in juxtaposition with the music, which swings with syncopated joy. The song was a hit in 1939 for Shep Fields, vocal by Hal Derwin. Other successful recordings in 1939 were by Guy Lombardo, Gene Autry, Ambrose ( vocal by Denny Dennis ) and Tony Martin. Frank Sinatra recorded the song on April 30, 1953 for Capitol Records and it reached the Billboard charts with a top position of # 18 in a 4 - week stay. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Other notable recordings Al Bowlly recorded May 11, 1939 ( see Al Bowlly Discography ) Acker Bilk - included in the album Clarinet Moods ( 2002 ) Bing Crosby included in his album Bing Crosby 's Treasury - The Songs I Love ( 1965 ) Chris Isaak for his album Baja Sessions ( 1996 ) Chuck Berry - for the album Chuck Berry ( 1975 ) ( a few liberties taken with the lyrics ) Dean Martin for his album Dino Latino ( 1962 ) Engelbert Humperdinck - for the album The Winding Road ( 2007 ) Fats Domino included in his album Here He Comes Again ! ( 1963 ) Frankie Laine ( 1953 ) Gale Storm - issued as a single and also included in the album Gale Storm Sings ( 1957 ) Herb Alpert for his album South of the Border ( 1964 ) Keely Smith for the album Keely Sings Sinatra ( 2001 ) Malcolm Vaughan - included in the EP Requests for Malcolm Vaughan ( 1960 ) Mel Tormé - included in the album ¡ Olé Tormé ! : Mel Tormé Goes South of the Border with Billy May ( 1959 ) Patsy Cline - included in her album Showcase ( 1961 ) Patti Page - recorded for her album Let 's Get Away from It All ( 1957 ) Perry Como recorded for his album We Get Letters ( 1957 ) Russ Conway - for his album Piano Requests ( 1958 ) Sam Cooke - included in his Cooke 's Tour album ( 1960 ) The Shadows - for their album Out of the Shadows ( 1962 ) Slim Whitman - included in the album In Love the Whitman Way ( 1968 ) Willie Nelson - for his album What a Wonderful World ( 1988 ) and for his album Let 's Face the Music and Dance ( 2013 ) References Jump up ^ Soundtrack : South of the Border ( 1939 ). - IMDb. Jump up ^ Frederick B. Pike, `` FDR 's Good Neighbor Policy : Sixty Years of Generally Gentle Chaos '' ( 1995 ), University of Texas Press. P. 198. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1986 ). Joel Whitburn 's Pop Memories 1890 - 1954. Wisconsin, USA : Record Research Inc. p. 157. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 083 - 0. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1986 ). Joel Whitburn 's Pop Memories 1890 - 1954. Wisconsin, USA : Record Research Inc. p. 583. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 083 - 0. Jump up ^ `` Frank Sinatra Discography ''. jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1986 ). Joel Whitburn 's Pop Memories 1890 - 1954. Wisconsin, USA : Record Research Inc. p. 394. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 083 - 0. Jump up ^ Western Writers of America ( 2010 ). `` The Top 100 Western Songs ''. American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` allmusic.com ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 45worlds.com ''. 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 45cat.com ''. 45cat.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` allmusic.com ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 45cat.com ''. 45cat.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Discogs.com ''. Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_of_the_Border_(1939_song)&oldid=847999950 '' Categories : 1939 songs Frank Sinatra songs Pop standards Songs with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy Songs with music by Michael Carr ( composer ) Number - one singles in Australia Hidden categories : Articles that may contain original research from August 2010 All articles that may contain original research All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2010 Talk About Wikipedia Italiano Norsk Norsk nynorsk Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 29 June 2018, at 05 : 08 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the song south of the border
Answer: Jimmy Kennedy