"María Elena" is a

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

written by

Lorenzo Barcelata Lorenzo Barcelata (July 24, 1898 – July 13, 1943) was a Mexican composer and actor born in Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz. He died in Mexico City from cholera, shortly before his 45th birthday. Biography Barcelata came from a musically oriented fami ...

(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

words and music). It was published by Peer International Corporation of Mexico. The

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

lyrics are by Bob Russell.

Jimmy Dorsey recording

The song was a number one hit for the

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peopl ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

with

Bob Eberly Robert Eberly (born Robert Eberle; July 24, 1916 – November 17, 1981) was an American big band vocalist best known for his association with Jimmy Dorsey and his duets with Helen O'Connell. His younger brother Ray was also a big-band singer, m ...

on vocals. The recording was made on March 19, 1941 by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

as catalog number 3698. The flip side was " Green Eyes". The record first reached the ''

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 ...

'' charts on May 16, 1941 and lasted 17 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1 on June 14, 1941. The record was number one for two weeks. Since "Green Eyes" was also a No. 1 hit, this was a major double-sided hit recording.

Cover versions

*A version with an English language lyric was recorded in February 1940 by Adolph Hofner and his Texans, one of the great Western Swing bands, in Dallas. *

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

brought the song wide attention in the United States on his radio program, then in 1941 on the

Okeh Records OKeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name originally was spelled "OkeH" from the init ...

label. *In the same year of 1941, The

Wayne King Harold Wayne King (February 16, 1901 – July 16, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter, and bandleader with a long association with both NBC and CBS. He was referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved w ...

Orchestra also had a #2 hit with "Maria Elena". *

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

recorded "Maria Elena" in 1958, and it was released on August 1, 1958. *An instrumental version was recorded in 1958 and released in the United States as a single by

Los Indios Tabajaras Los Indios Tabajaras ''(The Tabajara Indians)'' was a guitar duo of two brothers, Antenor Lima and Natalicio (Nato) Lima, from Tianguá, Ceará in the Northeast of Brazil. The group name refers to the ''Tabajara'', indigenous people who lived on t ...

in 1963. This popular revival hit No. 6 in the ''Billboard'' pop chart and No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' easy listening chart in the US in late 1963, as well as making No. 5 on the UK singles chart at the same juncture. *

Family Four Family Four were a Swedish pop group who recorded during the 1960s and 1970s. They were made up of Berndt Öst, Marie Bergman, Agnetha Munther and Pierre Isacsson. They won Melodifestivalen twice, in 1971 with "Vita vidder" and in 1972 with " ...

released a Swedish version (called "Mari Helena"), crediting Henrick Lindström (and L. Barcelata), in 1966. *

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

performed an instrumental version of this song on their 1967 album '' Jigsaw''. *

Ry Cooder Ryland Peter Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, and h ...

performed an instrumental version of this song on his 1972 album ''

Boomer's Story ''Boomer's Story'' is the third studio album by American roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released in 1972. Track listing Side one # "Boomer's Story" (listed as "Traditional," actually Carson Robison) – 4:13 # "Cherry Ball Blues" (instrumen ...

''. *German guitarist Dieter Geike recorded an instrumental version on his 1983 album ''Homeland''. *

Sneaky Pete Kleinow Peter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (August 20, 1934 – January 6, 2007) was an American country-rock musician and animator. He was a member of the band the Flying Burrito Brothers, and worked extensively as a session musician, playing pedal stee ...

, formerly pedal steel guitarist with the Flying Burrito Brothers, recorded an instrumental version of this song on his 1994 album ''The Legend and the Legacy''. *

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American Rock music, rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting wit ...

also performed an instrumental version on his 1994 album ''Unknown Territory''. *

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011) was a Cape Verdean singer known for singing morna, a genre of music from Cape Verde, in her native Cape Verdean Creole. Her songs were often devoted to themes of love, homesickness, nos ...

released a cover of the song on her 1999 album, '' Café Atlantico''. *In 2002,

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

released his own version on the album ''Dream''. *Mike Dowling recorded an instrumental version on his 2005 Blue Fandango album.

Popular culture

*An instrumental version of the song was used for the background theme of the film '' Bordertown'', starring

Paul Muni Paul Muni (born Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund; September 22, 1895 – August 25, 1967) was an American stage and film actor from Chicago. He started his acting career in the Yiddish theater and during the 1930s, he was considered one of ...

and

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

, in 1935. The next year the words and music were used in the Mexican film ''María Elena''. *The

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; ; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. Originally from Girona, Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving i ...

ʼs version is used in

Wong Kar Wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...

film

Days of Being Wild ''Days of Being Wild'' is a 1990 Hong Kong drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Starring some of the best-known actors and actresses in Hong Kong, including Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Jacky Cheung and Tony L ...

(1990), starring

Leslie Cheung Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing (born Cheung Fat-chung; 12 September 1956 – 1 April 2003) was a Hong Kong singer and actor. One of the most influential cultural icons in the Sinophone, Sinophone world, Cheung was known for his debonair demeanor, flamb ...

References

{{authority control Songs with lyrics by Bob Russell (songwriter) 1932 songs 1941 singles Wayne King songs Songs in Spanish Okeh Records singles