"Giamaica" (also known as "Jamaica") is a song written by T. A. Valli. In late 1950s and 1960s it was recorded by a number of Italian artists: Luciano Virgili, Giorgio Consolini, 13-year-old

Robertino Loretti Roberto Loreti (born 22 October 1947 in Rome), also known by stage name Robertino (a diminutive of ''Roberto''), is an Italian singer, known mostly for songs he performed as a teenager. Early years He was born to a large family with eight other c ...

Composition

Robertino Loretti characterizes the song as "bright and fresh". The lyrics go like this:

Popularity in the Soviet Union

In the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

's version of the song became immensely popular when around 1962 his record containing it was released in the country. Together with his rendition of "

Santa Lucia Santa Lucia and similar terms may refer to: Architecture * Abbey of Santa Lucia, a medieval abbey in the comune of Rocca di Cambio, Abruzzo, central Italy * Monastero di Santa Lucia, Adrano, a former Benedictine monastery in Catania, Italy * S ...

", "Giamaica" could be heard from every window. The song was since translated into Russian.

Other covers

In 1961 the song was covered by Danish singer Birthe Wilke. Her version was released as a single, with "Pepito" on the other side.

Track listings

Luciano Virgili "Giamaica" (single)

7-inch (45 RPM) single La Voce Del Padrone 7MQ 1498 (1958, Italy) : A. "Giamaica" :: (T. A. Valli) : B. "Ti desidero" :: (Guarino, Pluto)

Giorgio Consolini "Giamaica" (single)

7-inch (45 RPM) single Parlophon QMSP 16269 (1959, Italy) : A. "Giamaica" :: (Valli) : AA. "Rimpiangimi" :: (Testoni, Piubeni)

Robertino "Jamaica / Pappagallo" (single)

7-inch (45 RPM) single (1959, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, etc.) : A. "Jamaica" :: Robertino with the Otto Franckers Orchestra : AA. "Pappagallo" :: Robertino with the Otto Franckers Orchestra

Robertino "Jamaica" (EP)

7-inch EP (45 RPM) Triola TEP 31 (1961, Sweden, Switzerland, etc.) : A1. "Jamaica" : A2. "Pappagallo" : B1. "'Anema e core" : B2. "Papaveri e papere"

Birthe Wilke "Pepito / Jamaica" (single)

7-inch (45 RPM) single Philips 355 247 PF (1961, Denmark) : A. "Pepito" : B. "Jamaica"

References

{{Reflist Italian songs Italian-language songs Songs about Jamaica 1958 singles 1959 singles 1961 singles Year of song missing