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"María" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...
for his third studio album, '' A Medio Vivir'' (1995). The song was written by Ian Blake, Luis Gómez Escolar, and KC Porter, while the production was handled by Porter, Tom Vickers, and Steve Berkowitz. It was released by Sony Music Mexico as the second single from the album on November 21, 1995. A Spanish language
flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
,
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, and salsa song, it is about an attractive but dangerous woman called "María". Local DJ Pablo Flores remixed the song, turning it into an up-tempo
samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...
tune in a
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
bassline. The remix version became more popular than the original one. The song has received highly positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, who complimented its production and catchy rhythm. The remix was ranked as one of the Greatest Latin Pop Songs of All Time by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', and was listed among the 11 remixes of classic Latin hits by ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''. It is known as the song that launched the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and dance music crossover of the '90s. "María" was also commercially successful, becoming Martin's breakthrough song and his first international hit. It topped the charts in 20 countries and has sold over five million physical copies worldwide, earning the
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
for the biggest Latin hit. It has received several
certification Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...
s, including diamond in France. The first accompanying
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
s for the original song and Pablo Flores remix were filmed in
La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Its location near the Port of Buenos Aires meant the neighbourhood became a melting pot of ...
, and aired in 1995. A re-made version of the video for the remix was filmed in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and directed by Memo del Bosque. It aired in 1998 and depicts Martin walking around the city and dancing in the streets. To promote the song, Martin performed it on several television programs and award shows, including both the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and the Brit Awards in 2000. Multiple contestants on various music talent shows have covered the song, including Carlito Olivero.


Background and development

In the beginning of
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...
's career as a solo artist,
Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
music was mainly made up of romantic
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
s. When he was in Mexico, he discovered that Mexicans are very proud of their traditional music genre,
Mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...
, and so he told his composer
Draco Rosa Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur. Rosa originally garnered fame ...
: "We have to be proud of who we are. They have their thing in Mexico. Let's go with what we have in Puerto Rico." Therefore, he allowed himself "to go into a very
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, African sound" on "María" and they created a mix of different Latin music genres. He wrote about the recording in ''Me'', his official autobiography: Although Martin was satisfied with the track and he describes it as a song that he is "extremely proud of", the first time he played it for a record label executive, the man said: "Are you crazy? You have ruined your career! I can't believe you are showing me this. You're finished — this is going to be your last album." In an interview with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', he told the magazine that "everybody got scared. They said, 'What are you doing? This is the end of your career. ..You do ballads, and now you're doing Latin sounds. The album is not going to work.'" As Martin wrote about it in ''Me'', he remembers that it "felt completely surreal", couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he was "devastated". Even though he really "loved" the song, hearing those words from "a high-ranking label executive" made him doubt himself and the work he had done. He thought with himself: "This guy is not even a musician, so I'm sure he didn't have the slightest clue about what it takes to lock yourself up in a studio and make music, everything you go through, emotionally speaking." Since making music is "a very personal process" for Martin, he felt the executive was attacking him at one of his "most vulnerable moments", and so he "took everything he said very personally". Martin even imagined his career was over and he "would never again be able to make a record or perform live on a stage". But despite this fear, he remained silent and did not say anything to the executive or anyone else. He experienced a few days of anxiety, but after that, the boss of the executive selected the song to be released as a single.


Music and lyrics

Musically, "María" is a Spanish-language
flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
,
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, and salsa song, featuring elements of
mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...
,
samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...
,
cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...
,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, African,
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
, and
Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
. It was written by Ian Blake, Luis Gómez Escolar, and KC Porter, while the production was handled by Porter, Tom Vickers, and Steve Berkowitz. Also, American musician
Draco Rosa Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur. Rosa originally garnered fame ...
joined the original version's lyricists to write the
Spanglish Spanglish (a blend of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mostly u ...
radio edit version, which was remixed by Puerto Rican DJ Pablo Flores. On the remix, Flores upped the tempo and the sex appeal of the song, turning the slow-burn flamenco laced track into an up-tempo samba tune in a
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
bassline. Suzy Exposito from ''Rolling Stone'' described it as "an electrifying, techno-samba ode to a difficult woman". According to the original song's
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
on Musicnotes.com, "María" is composed in the key of
G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...
with a
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
of 120
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
. Martin's vocals span from the low note of D4 to the high note of G5. The album version track runs for a total of 4 minutes and 22 seconds, while the Spanglish radio edit one runs for a total of 4 minutes and 31 seconds. Lyrically, the song is about an attractive but dangerous woman called "María". Upon release, there were rumors that the song is an ode to
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
, with lyrics including, "Así es María / Blanca como el día / Pero es veneno si te quieres enamorar / Así es María / Tan caliente y fría / Que si te la bebes de seguro te va a matar" (This is Maria / White like the day / But it is poison, if you fall in love / This is Maria / So hot and cold / That if you drink it, it will surely kill you). During an interview with '' El Tiempo'', Martin strongly denied the rumor and got angry about it: "I will never exalt drugs. María is a song that talks about Latina women and how addictive they can be, but does not mention or allude to drugs." He continued: "Latin women are capable of bringing any man who is seduced by her to their knees, but that has nothing to do with drugs and any comment made in that sense is, at least, malicious."


Release and promotion

Sony Music Mexico released "María" on CD on November 21, 1995, as the second single from Martin's third studio album, ''A Medio Vivir''. It was included as the third track on the album, released September 12, 1995. Later that year, Flores remixed the song and the remix version became more popular than the original. In 1996 and 1997, a
CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
, titled "(Un, Dos, Tres) Maria", which includes both album version and Pablo Flores remix, was released in several European countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Also in 1996, an
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, titled ''Maria (Remixes)'', containing six remixes of the song was released in the United States. In 1998, Sony Music Asia released a promo CD containing three versions of "María", and " The Cup of Life". Additionally, in the same year,
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
released "María" as a commercial CD single in Japan on March 25. ''Click on'' Discography. The song was also used as a musical backdrop for a
television advertisement A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
campaign for Japanese vehicle manufacture
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
in the same month. In Australia, "María" was released as a double A-side single with "The Cup of Life" on June 1, 1998. "María (Pablo Flores Spanglish Radio Edit)" was included as the 14th track on Martin's fifth studio album ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...
'', released May 11, 1999.


Critical reception

"María" has been met with widely positive reviews from music critics.
Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' labeled the song " rousing tribal anthem", and praised it for working "extremely well within the confines of a house bassline, which is iced, contrasting with the original cut's flashy horns and
rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
-ish synths". He described its
chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...
s as "infectious" and said that they "add fleshy fun to the spree of wriggling percussion". Also from ''Billboard'', Lucas Villa stated: "This is the ''Wepa!'' that launched the Latin and dance music crossover of the '90s." Suzy Exposito from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' noted that although Martin's American fans may remember him since his English-language crossover, "he had the rest of the world swooning upon the 1995 release of 'María'". In another article, she named it a "megahit", the same as a writer of '' ¡Hola!''. Luca Mastinu from ''Optimagazine'' ranked it as one of Martin's five greatest hits and wrote: "''Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa'lante Maria'' is the verse that we have all sung at least once in our life." At ''Zeleb'', an author labeled the track "a great song with capital letters" and stated: "If to a hit like this, we add a Latin hottie such as ..Martin, with half hair and hips with impossible movements, it was clear that the world was going to dance that of 'Un pasito p'alante, María'." Cristian Grosso from ''
La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal ''Clarín (Argentine newspaper), Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argen ...
'' described "María" as catchy. Toby Rose from ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'' wrote that it is "the summer holiday smash hit, the one that every bar and Eurodisco from
Mykonos Mykonos (, ; ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. At the 2021 census, there were 10,704 inhabitants, most of ...
to
Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...
plays non-stop - the one that, however much you try you cannot stop yourself from humming". An author of ''
Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' called the song an "excellent flamenco flavoured pop tune" and credited it as "a large step towards attaining the same status" as what Martin had in Latin America "in other parts of the world". Christophe Sabot, program director of French nationwide CHR network
NRJ Nouvelle Radio Jeune, (Acronym: NRJ, , ) is a private France, French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981 in France, 1981. Widely popularized by its "godmother", singer Dalida, who prevented it from closi ...
said that "Latin music is bound to enjoy a great future" and that he believes in "the rise of Latin music in Europe". ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' rated the song four out of five, viewing it as a "lively Latinpop stomper". The reviewer added, "Can the UK resist its racy rhythms? Probably not."
Los 40 Los 40 (stylized as LOS40, formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', ) is a Spanish Top 40-themed music radio station that broadcasts current and recent music, primarily focusing on genres such as pop, dance, electropop, Electro Latin, and Reggaeton. T ...
's Alejandro Gomez Lizarraga described it as "a very danceable song that does not fail at any party worth its salt". Also from Los 40, Laura Coca labeled it " legend", questioning, "who has not given everything with each and every one of its verses?", and Ramon Redondo named it "one of the songs of the summer". He also celebrated its "highly catchy rhythm and lyrics". Olivier Pérou from ''
Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and conservative news magazine published in Paris. It is one of the three major French news magazines. ''Le Point'' was founded in 1972 by former journalists of ''L'Express'' and quickly rose to be ...
'' stated that with "María", Martin "with the face of an angel has even become an object of international fantasy" and "some have even learned, thanks to him, to count to three in Spanish". Writing for ''
O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. In 2021, Winfrey and Hearst rebranded it as ''Oprah Daily''. Overview It was first pu ...
'', Amanda Mitchell ranked the track as Martin's tenth best song on her 2019 list and complimented it as "undeniably catchy". Also in 2020, MTV Argentina ranked it as one of Martin's best songs. In 2022, Noelia Bertol from
Cadena Dial Cadena Dial is a Spanish radio station. The station belongs to the Spanish media group PRISA. It was founded in 1990 and broadcasts exclusively pop music in Spanish (and Catalan, in the case of Catalonia). On 7 April 2017 Cadena Dial began broad ...
listed oy among the "10 Ricky Martin songs that brighten up summers", labeling it "the jewel in the crown".


Accolades

In 2018, Cadena Dial hailed the song as the most famous song of the last 24 years. In the same year, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked "María (Pablo Flores Remix)" as the 27th Greatest Latin Pop Song of All Time, and in 2020, ''Billboard'' placed it on an unranked list of 11 remixes of classic Latin hits. Also, according to '' ABC'', "María" was voted the favorite song of the summer of all time in Spain, based on a study in 2011.
Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and digital music store operated by Amazon. As of January 2020, the service had 55 million subscribers. It was the first music store to sell music without digital rights manag ...
ranked the track as the 31st best-ever Latin hit. It was recognized as one of the best-performing songs of the year at the 1997 BMI Latin Awards.


Commercial performance

"María" became Martin's breakthrough song and his first international hit. It topped the charts in 20 countries, and has sold over five million physical copies worldwide. As a result, the song was featured in the 1999 edition of '' The Guinness Book of Records'' as the biggest Latin hit. It was also the Song of the Summer in Spain in 1996 and was the second best-selling single in the world that year. In Australia, "María" spent six weeks at number one. It topped the country's year-end chart in 1998 and was certified platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA), denoting shipments of over 70,000 copies in the region. The song topped the
Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...
Wallonia chart of Belgium for 10 consecutive weeks and was certified double platinum by the
Belgian Entertainment Association The Belgian Recorded Music Association (BRMA), previously Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) is the organisation that represents the interests of the music industry in Belgium. The BRMA is the local record industry association in Belgium of ...
(BEA), denoting sales of over 100,000 copies in the country. "María" spent nine weeks at number one in France, where it became Martin's first number-one hit and was certified diamond by the
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
(SNEP), denoting shipments of over 750,000 copies in the country. As of 2014, the song has sold over 1.4 million copies in France. The track also peaked at number three in Germany, where it was certified gold by
Bundesverband Musikindustrie The ( English: Federal Music Industry Association), or simply BVMI, represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 280 labels and music industry related enterprises, which comprise 90% of the music i ...
(BVMI), denoting shipments of over 250,000 copies in the country. In Israel, it became the second Spanish language song in history to reach number one, following "Macarena" (1993). In the United Kingdom, "(Un, Dos, Tres) María" debuted at number six, giving Martin his first top 10 hit in the region. Additionally, "María" peaked at number one in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, as well as the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. The song was also a big hit in Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. In the United States, "María" debuted at number 22 on ''Billboard''s
Hot Latin Tracks The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, ...
chart on December 9, 1995, becoming Martin's ninth entry on the chart. It subsequently peaked at number six on the chart on February 3, 1996, giving Martin his fifth top 10 hit. On the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, "María" debuted at number 90 on the chart issue dated July 20, 1996, becoming Martin's first entry. It later peaked at number 88 in its twelfth week on the Hot 100. The track also reached number 33 on the US Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart on September 28, 1996. On the US Maxi-Singles Sales chart, the song originally peaked at number 34 on July 27, 1996, but almost one year and a half later, it re-entered the chart and reached a new peak of 28 on the chart issue dated February 21, 1998.


Music videos

The first accompanying
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
s for the original song and Pablo Flores remix were filmed in
La Boca La Boca (; "the Mouth", probably of the Matanza River) is a neighborhood (''Barrios of Buenos Aires, barrio'') of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Its location near the Port of Buenos Aires meant the neighbourhood became a melting pot of ...
, a
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. They were aired in 1995, and throughout them, Martin is seen with straight hair, blonde highlights, and a wide white shirt. He dances happily with the background of the
tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...
s with colorful roofs and several neighbors as extras. Following "(Un, Dos, Tres) María"s success in France, a re-made version of the video for the Pablo Flores remix was filmed in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and directed by Memo del Bosque. It was aired in 1998, and shows Martin walking around Paris, from
Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
to the
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...
. It depicts Martin counting on his fingers, which is similar to the lyrics of the song, "Un, dos, tres" (One, two, three). Maria was played by spanish model Laura Cisneros. The visual also shows Martin swaying to salsa tunes and making most of the women he meets in the streets crack. In a scene, he throws himself on the hood of a car, firmly determined to seduce the driver. The "grainy" music video continues with Martin's dance steps. The last video is available on the singer's
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel and has received over 175 million views, as of August 2021. Cristal Mesa from mitú named the visual Martin's 24th best music video on her 2018 list, and an author of Cultura Colectiva listed it among the "13 Videos to Appreciate Ricky Martin's Talent and Sickening Good Looks". An alternate music also exists, which was shown in countries like Australia. It features Ricky in a white suit in various indoor settings including a room with a white couch, a room with a painted multicolored wall and a room with fluffy white walls. The video shows many female and male models dancing and wearing different outfits in various states of dress and make up. Some of the characters include a woman wearing a dress made of polaroids, a woman with long protruding snake like strands of hair that stick upwards, a black woman in a white wig and pearls, other women in various wigs and bikinis, some holding fans and feather Boas, and men with face paint. No version exists on Youtube but it is featured on the Australian CD/DVD release Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition


Live performances

In an interview with ''Billboard'' in 1998, Martin told the magazine: "'Maria' is a song I am going to be singing for the rest of my life." The song was included on the
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
s for Martin's the A Medio Vivir Tour, the Vuelve World Tour, the Livin' la Vida Loca Tour, the One Night Only with Ricky Martin tour, the Black and White Tour, the
Música + Alma + Sexo World Tour Musica (Latin), or La Musica (Italian) or Música (Portuguese and Spanish) may refer to: Music Albums * ''Musica è'', a mini album by Italian funk singer Eros Ramazzotti 1988 * ''Musica'', an album by Ghaleb 2005 * ), a German album by Giova ...
, the Ricky Martin Live tour, the Live in Mexico tour, the One World Tour, the All In residency, the Ricky Martin en Concierto, the Movimiento Tour, and the Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Live in Concert tour. Martin also performed the track along with his other hits during the 37th, 48th, 55th, and 61st editions of the
Viña del Mar International Song Festival The Viña del Mar International Song Festival () is an annual international music festival held every third week of February in Viña del Mar, Chile. Started in 1960 it is the oldest and largest music festival in Latin America, and one of the long ...
in 1996, 2007, 2014, and 2020, respectively. He performed a medley of "
Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his third studio album, ''A Medio Vivir (album), A Medio Vivir'' (1995). The song was written by Carlos Lara, while the production was handled by KC P ...
" and "María" at the 1996 Premios ERES. The following year, he gave another performance of "María" in the ceremony, this time along with " Bombón de Azúcar". Martin delivered a performance of "(Un, Dos, Tres) María" on the BBC's ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'' on September 19, 1997. He also performed "María" and "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo" at the 47th edition of the Miss World pageant on November 22, 1997, and "María" and "La Copa de la Vida" on ''
Hey Hey It's Saturday ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' is a long-running variety television program on Australian television. It initially ran for 28 years on the Nine Network from 9 October 1971 to 20 November 1999, with a recess in 1978. Its host throughout its entire ...
'' on June 4, 1998. Additionally, he performed "María" in a ring of fire at the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...
on February 23, 2000, and later that year, he performed it along with " Livin' la Vida Loca" and "The Cup of Life" at the 20th Annual Brit Awards on March 3.


Cover versions and appearances in media

"María" has been covered by several contestants on various music talent shows. Robert Kudelski delivered a performance of the track on the sixth season of '' Jak oni śpiewają'' in 2009. Paola Miranda and Federico Moore performed it together on the third season of the Argentine television series '' Cantando por un Sueño'' in 2011. Former Menudo member Carlito Olivero performed a medley of "La Copa de la Vida" and "María" on season three of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' in 2013. "María" has been used multiple times in Argentine dance competition television series ''
Bailando por un Sueño Bailando may refer to: * Bailando (Paradisio song), "Bailando" (Paradisio song), 1996 * Bailando (Enrique Iglesias song), "Bailando" (Enrique Iglesias song), 2014 * Bailando (Rouge song), "Bailando" (Rouge song), 2018 * ''Bailando!'', special prom ...
''; Evangelina Anderson y Julián Carvajal danced to it on the 2008 season, Cinthia Fernández and Gabriel Usandivaras on the 2011 season, and María Sol Pérez and Fernando Bertona on the 2017 season. In 2015, Junior New System performed a multi-track dance using a medley composed of "
We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album '' News of the World'', written by guitarist Brian May. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it p ...
" by
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
, " This Is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan, "María", " Let's Get Loud" by
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
, and " Crazy in Love" by
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
on the first season of '' Asia's Got Talent''. Darren Kennedy and
Karen Byrne Karen Byrne (born 30 May 1992) is an Irish dancer and choreographer. She is known as being a judge and, previously, a professional dancer on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars. Early life Byrne was born in Ballyfermot in Dublin. She ...
danced to "María" on series three of the Irish television series ''
Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...
'' in 2019. During the show, Kennedy talked about his struggles as a shy adolescent and how Martin helped him find his identity. In the same year, John Kelly and Annette Dytrt danced to the track on the fourth season of ''
Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...
''. In 2022, Colombian singer
Karol G Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born February 14, 1991), known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer. Considered as one of the most influential reggaeton and Urban contemporary music, urban pop artists, she has received awards including a ...
performed "María" at the 21st Coachella Festival as part of a homage to "all the Latin songs that went number one in the world and were never played" in the festival but gave her the "opportunity" to be there. "María" was the main theme of the Brazilian
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
'' Salsa e Merengue'' (1996–1997). The song is available on the main setlist for the dance video game Just Dance 2014. "María (Pablo Flores Spanglish Radio Edit)" was featured in the American animated comedy film '' Despicable Me 3'' (2017).


Formats and track listings

*Australian CD 1 #" The Cup of Life" – 4:28 #"The Cup of Life" (Remix – Radio Edit) – 4:37 #"La Copa de la Vida" (Remix – Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:37 #"La Copa de la Vida" – 4:28 #"María" ( Jason Nevins Remix) – 3:45 *Australian CD 2 #"María" (Radio Edit) – 4:31 #"La Copa de la Vida/The Cup of Life" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:37 #"María" (Album Version) – 4:23 #"María" (Perc A Pella Mix) – 5:07 #"La Copa de la Vida" (Spanish) – 4:37 *European CD maxi-single #"María" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 3:58 #"María" (Spanish Radio Edit) – 4:38 #"María" (Spanglish Extended) – 7:56 #"María" (Spanish Extended) – 8:10 #"María" (Spanglish Dub) – 6:07 #"María" (Perc A Pella Mix) – 5:07 *French CD #"María" (Spanish Radio Edit) – 4:38 #"María" (Version Album) – 4:23 *Japanese CD maxi-single #"María" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:31 #"María" (Original Album Version) – 4:21 #"María" (Perc A Pella Mix) – 5:08 #"María" (Spanglish Dub) – 6:07 *Spanish CD maxi-single #"María" (Club Mix) – 8:10 #"María" (Dub Mix) – 6:05 #"María" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:31 #"María" (Spanglish Extended) – 7:56 #" Dónde Estarás" (Version Remix) – 4:51 #" Bombón de Azúcar" (M+M Classic Club Mix) – 6:14 #"Bombón de Azúcar" (The Disco Dream Dub) – 5:20 *UK CD #"María" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:30 #"María" (Spanish Radio Edit) – 4:38 #"Dónde Estarás" (Pablo and Javier's Moon Mix) – 9:18 #" Volverás" (Album Version) – 4:53 *UK CD 12-inch single #"María" (Spanglish Extended) – 7:56 #"María" (Spanish Extended) – 8:10 #"María" (12" Club Mix) – 5:50 #"María" (Spanglish Dub) – 6:07 #"María" (Perc A Pella Mix) – 5:07 *US CD 12-inch single #"María" (Spanglish Extended) – 7:56 #"María" (Spanish Extended) – 8:10 *US CD maxi-single #"María" (Spanglish Radio Edit) – 4:31 #"María" (Spanish Radio Edit) – 4:38 #"María" (Spanglish Extended) – 7:56 #"María" (Spanish Extended) – 8:10 #"María" (Spanglish Dub) – 6:07 #"María" (Perc A Pella Mix) – 5:07


Credits and personnel


Original version

Credits adapted from Tidal. *
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...
vocal, associated performer * Ian Blake composer, lyricist, arranger, associated performer, co-producer, drums, engineer, keyboards * Luis Gómez Escolar composer, lyricist * K.C. Porter composer, lyricist, producer, arranger, associated performer, director, drums, engineer, keyboards, piano * Tom Vickers producer * Steve Berkowitz producer * Frank Marocco accordion *
Tim Pierce Tim Pierce (born 1958 in Albuquerque) is an American session guitarist. He has worked for artists such as Joe Cocker, Crowded House, Goo Goo Dolls, Michael Jackson, Beth Hart, Roger Waters, Alice Cooper, Johnny Hallyday, Phil Collins, and th ...
acoustic guitar * Michael Thompson acoustic guitar, guitar * Jeremy Lubbock arranger, director * Suzi Katayama arranger * Leslie Ann Jones assistant engineer * June Murakawa assistant engineer * Chris Vela assistant engineer * Diego De Pietri assistant engineer * Eddie Miller assistant engineer * Sebastian Krys assistant engineer * Mike Aarvold assistant engineer, mixing engineer * Willie Wheaton associated performer *
Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...
associated performer * Jessica Williams associated performer * Alex Brown associated performer * Della Miles associated performer * Terry Steele associated performer * Tony Warren associated performer * Bridgette Bryant associated performer *
Maxayn Lewis Maxayn Lewis is an American soul singer, musician, songwriter, and producer. She began her career in the 1960s, under her birth name Paulette Parker, as member of the Ikettes in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In the 1970s, Lewis sang lead in the ba ...
associated performer * Terry Bradford associated performer * Gustavo Laureano associated performer * Mona Lisa Young associated performer * Maxi Anderson associated performer * Anita Sherman associated performer * Jackie Gouche Farris associated performer * Philip Ingram associated performer * Stella Payton associated performer * Sue Ann Carwell associated performer * Néil Stubenhaus bass *
Lee Sklar Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. He rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coalesced into a group in its own right, The Section (band), The Section, which supported ...
bass *
Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Mini ...
drums * Dennie Fongheiser drums * Ralf Stemmann drums, engineer, keyboards, piano *
Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...
drums * Don Hahn engineer * John Lengel engineer *
Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record-producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchel ...
guitar * Jussi Wenger guitar * Robbie Buchanan keyboards, piano * Randy Waldman keyboards, piano * Claude Gaudette keyboards, piano *
Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance-p ...
mastering engineer * Joe Palmaccio mastering engineer * Kathy Yore mixing engineer * Benny Faccone mixing engineer, recording engineer * Luis Enrique percussion * Luis Conte percussion * Sam Riney saxophone


Pablo Flores Spanglish Radio Edit

Credits adapted from Tidal. * Ricky Martin vocal, associated performer * KC Porter composer, lyricist, producer, arranger * Robi Rosa composer, lyricist, co-producer * Luis Gómez Escolar composer, lyricist * Pablo Flores producer, re-mixer * Javier Garza producer, re-mixer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


See also

* List of best-selling singles in France *
List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1990s The following lists the number one singles on the Australian Singles Chart, along with other substantial hits, during the 1990s in music, 1990s. The source for this decade is the ARIA Charts. 1990 Top 5 singles by Australian and New Zealand ...
*
List of number-one singles of 1997 (France) This is a list of the French SNEP Top 100 Singles number-ones of 1997. Summary Singles Chart See also *1997 in music *List of number-one hits (France) *List of artists who reached number one on the French Singles Chart References

{ ...
*
List of UK top-ten singles in 1997 The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles. This li ...
* Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 1997


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria 1995 singles 1995 songs Columbia Records singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Brazil Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Spain Ricky Martin songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Spanglish songs Song recordings produced by K. C. Porter Songs written by Draco Rosa Songs written by K. C. Porter Songs written by Luis Gómez Escolar Sony Discos singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Wallonia) number-one singles Music videos shot in France