Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)
"Lemon Tree" is a folk song written by Will Holt in the late 1950s. Inspired by a Brazilian song, Meu limão meu limoeiro, originally written in 1930. Background. The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song "", arranged by José Carlos Burle in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal. The song compares love to a lemon tree: "Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat." Trini Lopez recording. In 1965, Trini Lopez recorded the most successful version of the  song which hit number twenty on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number two on the "Billboard" Middle Road Singles chart. “I remember meeting Trini Lopez,” Holt told "Portland Magazine" in 2013. “He was a sweet guy, really charming. I heard his version of ‘Lemon Tree,’ and I thought, that’s another take of the song.” Other recorded versions. The song has also been recorded by: