"Green Eyes" is a popular song, originally written in Spanish under the title "Aquellos Ojos Verdes" ("Those Green Eyes") by Nilo Menéndez in 1929, with lyrics by Adolfo Utrera. The English translation was made by Eddie Rivera and Eddie Woods in 1931.
The song, a bolero, was written in 1929 and recorded in Cuba the same year. It was the only major hit, both originally in Cuba and then again in the Latin community in New York, for Cuban pianist Nilo Menéndez. The lyrics were supplied by Cuban tenor Adolfo Utrera.
The English version of the song was written in 1931 but did not become a major hit until it was recorded by the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra around ten years later. The recording was made on March 19, 1941 with vocals by Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly and released by Decca Records as catalog number 3698 with "Maria Elena" on the flip side. The record first reached the Billboard charts on May 9, 1941 and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. Since "Maria Elena" was also a #1 hit, this was a major double-sided hit recording.