Now here is a name that goes back a few thousand years at least. And, in its various derivations is still one of the most popular names. Therefore, we shouldn’t have too much trouble finding songs with the name Maria in the title.
Maria was originally a Latin name. In ancient Greek, it translates as Mariam. That name is found in the Greek Septuagint and the New Testament, so it will be familiar to church-going people.
The original Hebrew version of Maria or Mariam was Miryam; in French, it’s Marie, and in English, it’s Mary. Although, Mary was hardly used until the 14th Century. It became better known with the English Queen Mary and became popular in America throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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Stick With One?
So, shall we stick with one version or include some of the derivatives? I think we will stay in the main with Maria. There is no shortage of options. But, at the end, maybe we can take a bit of poetic license and include an English Mary or two and a French Marie.
They are all related, after all. But Maria is where we will start with…
Top 30 Songs With The Name Maria in The Title
1
I’ve Got To Find A Way To Win Maria Back by Junior Walker and The All-Stars
This is a Junior Walker track from 1969 taken from the album, What Does It Take (To Win Your Love).
Junior Walker and The All-Stars were with us for a long time, releasing their first record in 1962. They came to everyone’s attention in 1965 with the record, Shotgun, which reached #4 in America. They are fondly remembered for Walker’s great tenor sax sound.
The song is about a man who has broken up with his girl, Maria. In this Maria song, he is trying to win her back.
2
They Call The Wind Maria by Pernell Roberts
From 1965, let’s go back a bit further to 1951 with this song. It was written by Frederick Loewe and Alan J Lerner specifically for the musical “Paint Your Wagon.” The original Broadway version was sung by Rufus Smith.
It was an instant success because of the images of the Old West it created. Always a popular theme in certain sections of the American community. It was also a popular song amongst the soldiers in the Korean war.
It was revived again after the release of the film, Paint Your Wagon in 1969. Then it was sung by Harve Presnell. The song references and gives names to three natural elements: Fire, Rain, and Wind. Tess is the Rain, and Joe the Fire. The wind is called Maria.
3
I Did What I Did For Maria by Tony Christie
I can remember this song causing a bit of a furor in the UK when it came out. More on that in a minute. It was written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander and reached #2 in the UK in 1971. It also sold well in Ireland and Australia and helped to establish Christie.
Just A Little Controversy…
The song caused a minor ripple in some circles. It tells the story of a man who is waiting to be executed for murdering his wife’s killer. The death penalty in the UK had been abolished in 1965, but it was still a topic of conversation in some circles.
Add to that the idea of “revenge killing.” That is also something that would not be looked upon positively by some. The result is you have a contentious song that divided people’s opinions.
It was an interesting song in some ways. For such a dark subject matter, it had a strangely bouncy melody and musical arrangement.
4
Ave Maria by Andrea Bocelli
It isn’t correct to call this a song; it is more of a piece of music. “Ellen’s dritter Gesang,” as it was in German, or “Ellen’s Third song,” as it was originally known. It was written by Franz Schubert in 1825. It formed part of seven songs that used the theme of Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady Of The Lake.”
The opening words of the music were “Hail Mary” or, in Latin, “Ave Maria.” This brought forth the idea of using it as music for the Roman Catholic prayer of the same name.
In religious circles today, that is how it is most known. There are plenty of versions and musical arrangements for this classic song with the name Maria in the title.
5
Maria by Blondie
This song about Maria was written by Jimmy Destri, a keyboard player with Blondie. It was included in their album, No Exit, released in 1999. It was their first release after a long hiatus with their previous recording in 1982.
The album seemed to catch the imagination of the European record-buying public. It went to #1 in the UK, their first #1 record in nearly 20 years. Also, it did well across Europe topping the chart in Greece and Spain.
It didn’t do so well in America, where it peaked at #82. This is a powerful vocal from Debbie Harry on what is quite an ordinary Pop/Rock song and not out of place for the time.
6
Take a Letter Maria by R.B. Greaves
This is a song that was written and sung by R.B. Greaves. Not a “one-hit-wonder”; nevertheless, he arrived in 1969 and was gone by 1970. However, if you are going to have a one-hit, this wasn’t a bad one to have. The song reached #2 in America and sold more than one million copies.
It is an interesting story of a man who finds out about his wife’s infidelity. He gets his secretary to type a letter to her ending their relationship. Then he asks his secretary out on a date to “start his new life.” I suppose that is one way of doing it.
Okay, let’s use our bit of poetic license to include a few songs with the name Maria in the title that use a derivation of the name. Here are some great songs about Mary or Maria or Marie.
7
Along Comes Mary by The Association
The Association was known by some people as a “sunshine” band. Just what that means exactly; I have no idea. Probably one of these lame attempts by people who feel the need to ensure everything is put in a box.
All I knew about The Association was some good songs and excellent vocal harmonies. At the time, they were one of the best, especially on songs like “Never My Love” and “Cherish.”
This song was released in 1966 and was their first successful recording. It came from their album, And Then… Along Comes The Association.
The release date was a year before the Summer of Love…
When all you had to do was walk down the street in California, and you caught a whiff of something that maybe you shouldn’t. That became what this song achieved notoriety for. Was it a song about a girl named Mary? Or, was it all about marijuana, often referred to as Mary Jane?
It was written by Tandyn Almer, who, while he was alive, made no mention of any such links. After his death, a close friend revealed that it was a thinly-disguised reference to the drug. Aylmer was himself an advocate of legalizing cannabis.
It is a song that seems to have an urgent rush with the lyrics and fitting them all into the melody. Clearly, they had something to say in the song and packed as many words into the verses as possible.
8
The Wind Cries Mary by Jimi Hendrix
One more Mary song, and this is a great track from Jimi Hendrix. He was known as the wild man of Rock, but if you had heard this, you would wonder why. With delicate, tasteful guitar and a haunting melody, Jimi turned that description of himself on its head with this song.
The Arrival
When Jimi arrived in England, he started to hang out, like many others, at Jim Marshall’s Shop in West London. Mitch Mitchell worked there. There was one London-based guitarist with a bent nose who thought Jimi was wonderful.
I remember word going around he was looking for a bass player and a drummer, and an ad was placed in the New Musical Express. He took Mitch, of course, jazz-trained by Jim Marshall himself, and Noel Redding, a guitarist who had just failed an audition with someone else.
Let’s cut the story short. He would come into the shop and play and jam a bit, and people can distinctly remember the intro of this song being played. Probably as a prelude to something else.
The Song
It was released in the UK in 1967 and reached #6 on the UK chart. The inspiration for the song has some different interpretations. Some say it is about an argument that he had with his then-girlfriend Kathy in London, whose middle name was Mary.
Others say it was about Mary, who had been a girlfriend in Seattle. She talks about the lines, “Somewhere a Queen is weeping – Somewhere a King has no wife.” She says they were lines included in a poem he wrote to her before he left America.
It seems to have influences from all over the place and may well be about both of them. He certainly had the song in his mind when he arrived in the UK. Great track that showed a softer side to one of the greatest and most creative guitarists we ever had.
9
The Day I Met Marie by Cliff Richard
From Maria to Mary, to one last derivation and the French version, Marie. Another 1967 song release from the “Peter Pan of Pop” as he is known. The song came from an unlikely source.
It was written by The Shadows’ lead guitarist Hank Marvin. He was not known for his songwriting, but he did a good job with this one. It reached #10 in the UK. This was at a time when Richard was falling out of favor after a few years of the onslaught from The Beatles and others.
If he was to make an impression at this period in time, then the song had to be good, and this one was. The song was also covered by The Shadows themselves in 1967 on their album, From Hank, Bruce, Brian, and John.
Cliff’s version is interesting…
The voice seems to be far too forward in the mix, shutting out some nice guitars from Hank. And they have used brass instead of strings in some parts, which feels far too aggressive. Still, what do I know?
A nice song, though, and the change in tempo is “different” and demonstrates that Hank Marvin was far more than Buddy Holly glasses and a big smile.
10
Maria (from West Side Story) by Andy Williams
Back we go to Maria now and this unforgettable song with Maria in the title. I had to look at about 30 cover versions of this song before deciding which to include. In the end, I chose Andy Williams as this is a song that suits him perfectly.
Taken from the 1957 musical play on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story was a Bernstein and Sondheim masterpiece. The song is sung by Tony when he finds out the name of the girl he has met and fallen in love with.
One of the great songs from musicals we have heard. And, easily, one of the best songs with the name Maria in the title.
11
Maria Elena by Gene Pitney
So, let’s close our look at songs that have Maria in the title with not only a talented singer and songwriter but an all-around nice guy. He had a wide-ranging career, especially as a singer who saw great success in the 60s and 70s. He wrote several big hits for other people:
- “Rubber Ball” by Bobby Vee.
- “Hello, Mary Lou” by Ricky Nelson.
- “He’s A Rebel” by The Crystals.
The links between this song to Buddy Holly and his wife, Maria Elena, are well-documented. Incidentally, Buddy named his first publishing company Maria Music.
Back to the song…
“Maria Elena” was released in the UK in 1969 and was #25 on the UK chart. He had always been popular in the UK and toured and visited often starting in the 60s. He died suddenly in Cardiff, Wales, in 2006 while on yet another UK tour.
The song is rather self-explanatory. It is about a young man going off to war and leaving his love behind. It has his trademark high vocals and is one of his best vocal performances.
12
Ave Maria by Jackie Evancho
13
Maria (You Were The Only One) by Michael Jackson
14
My Maria by B.W Stevenson
15
Maria Maria by Santana ft. The Product G&B
16
My Maria by Brooks & Dunn
17
O Maria by Beck
18
Along with Comes Maria by The Association
19
Sancta Maria by Enya
20
Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me) by Willie Nelson
21
Dear Maria, Count Me In by All Time Low
22
Elma Maria by Don Miguelo, Maffio, Darrell
23
Maria (You Were The Only One) by Michael Jackson
24
My Maria by B.W Stevenson
25
Sancta Maria by Enya
26
Maria by Green Day
27
Ave Maria (Schubert) by Luciano Pavarotti
28
Along Comes Mary by Bloodhound Gang
29
Oh Maria ( Sister Act) by Whoopi Goldberg
30
Maria by Men At Work
Want More Songs Dedicated to People or Things?
Well, take a look at our detailed articles on the Top Songs With The Name Jennifer In The Title, the Top Songs With the Name Olivia in the Title, and the Top Songs with the Name Ruby in the Title for more great songs about names.
Also, check out our in-depth articles on the Top Songs With the Name John or Johnny in the Title, the Top Songs with the Word “Rose” in the Title, and the Top Songs With the Word “Heart” in the Title to discover even more incredible songs.
But you will need to hear them in all their musical glory. So, don’t miss our comprehensive reviews of the Best Headphones for Music, the Most Comfortable Headphones, the Best Noise Isolating Earbuds, the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, and the Best True Wireless Earbuds you can buy in 2023.
Songs With The Name Maria in The Title
An inspiring name? It seems to be. And a name that conjures up images. It is a name that covers a range of circumstances and personal beliefs. Almost certainly the reason it has maintained its prominence as a chosen name.
It is more than interesting, in a world of changing opinions and beliefs, how it has remained so popular for so long. Perhaps the reason is that it is what it is, a nice name.
Until next time, happy listening.
