"Maria Maria" is a song by American rock band

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

featuring

the Product G&B The Product G&B is an American hip hop/ R&B vocal duo consisting of David McRae (also known as Sincere Gubano) and Marvin Moore-Hough (also known as Money Harm). They were associated with The Refugee Camp of Wyclef Jean. Upon their debut in the ...

, included on Santana's 18th studio album, ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' (1999). The song was written by

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

, Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis,

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

, Karl Perazzo, and Raul Rekow, while Jean and Duplessis produced it. The track samples the drum beat from "God Make Me Funky" by American

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

band

the Headhunters The Headhunters was an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music. History and band name Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with ...

, and the melody riff was inspired by the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

song "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit". Interspersed with guitars and other strings, "Maria Maria" is driven by a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

beat. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, the song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals before it experienced commercial success. "Maria Maria" was released on September 14, 1999, to American

urban radio Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary rad ...

and was issued physically worldwide throughout the following year. It reached number one in Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. In the US, it stayed at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks and reached number one on two other ''

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 ...

'' listings. In 2018, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Hot 100, ''Billboard'' compiled its list of the top songs since the ranking's inception, on which "Maria Maria" appeared at number 122. The song's success has inspired numerous sampling usages, plus a restaurant chain named after the track.

Background

"Maria Maria" was written by

, Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis,

, Karl Perazzo, and Raul Rekow. Jean and Duplessis conceived the song with Carlos Santana while Jean's previous musical group,

Fugees The Fugees () are an American hip hop group formed in South Orange, New Jersey, in 1990. The trio of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill was known for their fusion of hip hop, reggae, R&B, and funk; their socially conscious lyrics; and ...

, was on tour in San Francisco. During a ''Drink Champs'' podcast interview, Jean said that he came up with the song's composition by reworking a 1993

song titled "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit", borrowing the instrumental that plays during the title lyrics. The track also samples the drum beat from

' song "God Make Me Funky" from their 1975 debut album, ''

Survival of the Fittest "Survival of the fittest" is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection. The biological concept of fitness is defined as reproductive success. In Darwinian terms, th ...

''. Jean asked

, a musical duo composed of Marvin Moore and David McRae, to sing on the track after the two had telephoned a nearby music studio in New York to speak to a friend. Rapper and Fugees member

Pras Michel Prakazrel Samuel Michel (born October 19, 1972), known professionally as Pras (), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known as a member of the hip-hop group Fugees, which he formed with fellow New Jerseyans Wyclef Jean and Lau ...

answered the call, at which point Moore and McRae immediately decided to meet him at the studio. Jean soon added the duo to his

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

, Yclef.

Composition

Jean and Duplessis produced "Maria Maria" while the Product G&B provided the lead vocals. Musically, "Maria Maria" is a

song with

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 ...

influences, punctuated by Spanish guitars and Carlos Santana's electric guitar. Tom Breihan of online publication ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' called the recording a "rap song ..with no actual rapping". The song describes a woman named Maria who observes the tumultuous circumstances of the world around her and wishes for a more pleasurable existence. Santana himself sings additional vocals, performing the "''Ahora vengo mama chula''" chants, as does Jean, who created his intermittent lyrics by

freestyling Freestyle rap, also simply known as Freestyle, is a style of hip hop music where an artist normally improvises an unwritten verse from the head, with or without instrumental beats, in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure ...

. Duplessis plays the bass guitar while he and Jean collaborated on the drum programming. Additional instrumentalists who contributed to the recording include Jeremy Cohen on violin, Daniel Seidenberg and Hari Balakrishnan on viola, and Joseph Hébert on cello. The track was mixed, engineered, and mastered at three studios in New York City and at Fantasy Studios in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

Release and promotion

"Maria Maria" first appeared as the seventh track on ''

'', which was released in the United States on June 15, 1999. Three months later,

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

serviced the song to US

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

and

on September 14, 1999, three weeks after the previous single, "

Put Your Lights On "Put Your Lights On" is a song by American rock band Santana and American musician Everlast from Santana's 18th studio album, ''Supernatural'' (1999). Serviced to US rock radio in August 1999, the song peaked at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Bub ...

", was sent to rock-oriented radio.

Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

officially added "Maria Maria" to its playlists on November 23, 1999. On January 25, 2000, the song was issued in the US as 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 ...

, a maxi-CD single, a

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single (music), single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was introduced in 1980 in music, 1 ...

, and a 7-inch vinyl single. The CD and cassette contain a remix of "Maria Maria" by Jean plus "Migra", the eighth track on ''Supernatural''. The maxi-CD includes additional remixes while the 7-inch single has the album's lead single, " Smooth", as its B-side. In Europe, a two-track CD single and a maxi-CD were distributed, with the latter format issued on February 7, 2000. Both formats contain various mixes and

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

s of "Maria Maria". The maxi-CD was also issued in Australia. In the United Kingdom, the single was due to be released in late June 2000 to coincide with

's tour there, but it was delayed several times. It was eventually issued on July 24 as a CD and cassette containing the radio mix of the track plus Jean's remix and the Pumpin' Dolls remix. To promote the song, an accompanying music video was made, directed by

Marcus Raboy Marcus Raboy (born November 30, 1965) is an American film director, film and music video director. Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Dixie Chicks, Rihanna, Lu ...

and filmed from November 19–20, 1999, in Los Angeles. It features Santana, Jean, and the Product G&B performing the song in front of a large group of people, during which a woman arrives and begin dancing with them. In January 2000,

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

added the video to their playlists.

Critical reception

"Maria Maria" received generally 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 ...

. On October 23, 1999, ''

'' reviewed the song, preferring the original version over the Wyclef remix and writing that it "sounds cooler than an autumn breeze on the airwaves", noting that its simplistic nature does not detract from the quality and pointing out that its classic yet modern sound works well. British columnist

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...

referred to the track as a "perfect summertime soundtrack" and called Jean's contributions to the track "unmistakable". In February 2000, before the song became a commercial success, it won a

Grammy Award 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 ...

for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, one of the eight awards Santana accrued for that night. British trade paper ''

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 ...

'' listed the track as a "recommended" single in July 2000, calling Jean's contribution "a touch of magic". Retrospectively, in August 2022, Breihan reviewed the single for his "The Number Ones" column, giving the track a grade of 6 out of 10. He wrote that the song's beat and chants are the most engrossing parts of the composition, but the track does not live up to expectations, concluding, "It ultimately sounds like little more than a brand extension for all the parties involved, and that's really what it was."

Commercial performance

On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Maria Maria" debuted at number 15 on the chart dated February 12, 2000, becoming that week's highest debut with 55,000 sales. The following week, the song jumped to number eight, giving Santana two simultaneous top-10 hits, along with "Smooth", which was at number five. After rising above "Smooth" on February 26, the song took five more issues to reach number one, garnering 102,500 weekly sales on April 8. It topped the chart for 10 weeks, dropping to number eight on June 17, and stayed on the Hot 100 for 26 weeks in total. On other ''Billboard'' rankings, the song reached number one on the Maxi-Singles Sales chart for four weeks and on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart for three weeks. It also peaked at number two on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

, number seven on the

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

, and number 12 on the

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...

. At the end of 2000, ''Billboard'' ranked the song at three on its year-end edition, and in 2009, the same publication placed the track at number 14 on its decade-end ranking. In 2018, the Hot 100 published an all-time chart for its 60th anniversary, on which "Maria Maria" appeared at number 122. The

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) awarded the song a

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

disc in March 2000, denoting shipments of one million units. In Canada, "Maria Maria" peaked atop the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' 100 Hit Tracks chart on April 17, 2000, and also appeared on the Adult Contemporary Tracks and Top 30 Dance rankings. In Europe, "Maria Maria" was the second-best-selling single of 2000, topping the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

. The song stayed at number one in Switzerland for five weeks, earned a platinum certification from the

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

(IFPI), and came in at number two on the country's year-end chart for 2000. In Sweden, the single reached number one for two weeks, while in both France and Germany, it remained atop the charts for four weeks. It also reached number one in Hungary in March 2000. Elsewhere in continental Europe, the song entered the top 10 in nine other nations, including Austria, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Belgium's

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

region, where it entered the top three. In the Czech Republic and Spain, the single achieved top-20 placings. In July 2000, the song debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and at number 21 on the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

. The song also charted in Australia and New Zealand, topping off at number 49 in both countries and spending two non-consecutive weeks within the top 50 on both national charts.

Legacy

Carlos Santana worked with chef Roberto Santibañez and California business Dudum Sports and Entertainment (DSE) to open a restaurant chain named after the song in 2007. The menu, created by Santibañez with assistance from Santana, contains traditional Mexican food with modern alterations, including duck tacos,

zucchini Zucchini (; : ''zucchini'' or ''zucchinis''), courgette () or ''Cucurbita pepo'' is a summer squash, a Vine, vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and Fruit anatomy#Epicarp, epicarp (rind) are still soft a ...

-filled

poblano The poblano (''Capsicum annuum'') is a mild chili pepper originating in Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish word ''ancho'' (wide). Stuffed fresh and roasted, it is popular in chiles rellenos poblanos. W ...

chipotle A chipotle ( , ), or chilpotle, is a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño chili pepper used for seasoning. It is a chili used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Tex-Mex and Southwestern United States dishes. It comes in differen ...

sauce, and salmon filet. Only four of these restaurants are still operational, with two in

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

, one in Arizona, and one in Texas. Five painters and visual artists were recruited to design the restaurants' decor, which was inspired by Santana's music. In 2017, "Maria Maria" was sampled by

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...

on his song " Wild Thoughts", which features

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

and

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He began his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single ...

. The single reached the top 10 in many countries, peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Santana, who co-signed the track, said that it brings the original guitar riff "to a new dimension" without sacrificing his song's summery essence, which he called "timeless". In 2023, Dutch DJ and producer Essam Jansen recorded a dance music version of the track under the name "Tech It Deep". This version peaked at number 63 on the UK Singles Chart for the week of May 5, 2023, by which time the original version had re-entered the chart at number 51. In November 2023, the cover was certified silver by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI) for sales and streaming figures exceeding 200,000 units.

Track listings

US CD and cassette single # "Maria Maria" – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" ( Wyclef remix) – 4:21 # "Migra" – 5:54 US maxi-CD single # "Maria Maria" (album version) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Wyclef remix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls radio edit) – 3:56 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls club mix) – 8:36 # "Maria Maria" (Wyclef Remix instrumental) – 4:21 # "Migra" (album version) – 5:54 US 7-inch single # "Maria Maria" – 4:21 # " Smooth" (featuring Rob Thomas) UK CD and cassette single # "Maria Maria" (radio mix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Wyclef remix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls remix) – 3:56 European CD single # "Maria Maria" (radio mix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls club mix) – 8:36 European maxi-CD and Australian CD single # "Maria Maria" (radio mix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls radio edit) – 3:56 # "Maria Maria" (Wyclef remix) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls club mix) – 8:36 # "Maria Maria" (Wyclef remix instrumental) – 4:21 # "Maria Maria" (Pumpin' Dolls club mix instrumental) – 8:36

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the ''Supernatural'' booklet and ''Stereogum''. Studios * Mixed at

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History In 1969, songwriter Jerry Ragavoy opened a recording studio in New York City and named it ''The Hit Factory.'' On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, ...

(New York City) * Engineered at The Hit Factory (New York City) and Fantasy Studios (

, US) * Mastered at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He attended ...

(New York City) Personnel *

– writing, drum programming, production * Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – writing, bass, drum programming, production *

– writing, additional vocals, guitar * Karl Perazzo – writing * Raul Rekow – writing *

The Product G&B The Product G&B is an American hip hop/ R&B vocal duo consisting of David McRae (also known as Sincere Gubano) and Marvin Moore-Hough (also known as Money Harm). They were associated with The Refugee Camp of Wyclef Jean. Upon their debut in the ...

– lead vocals * Joseph Hébert – cello * Daniel Seidenberg – viola * Hari Balakrishnan – viola * Jeremy Cohen – violin * Andy Grassi – mixing, engineering * Michael McCoy – mixing assistant * Chris Theis – engineering * Steve Fontano – engineering * Chuck Bailey – engineering assistant * Jason Groucott – engineering assistant *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1999 songs 1999 singles Arista Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Music videos directed by Marcus Raboy Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Hungary Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland RPM Top Singles number-one singles Santana (band) songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Jerry Duplessis Song recordings produced by Wyclef Jean Songs written by Carlos Santana Songs written by Jerry Duplessis Songs written by Wyclef Jean Wyclef Jean songs