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Maria (Blondie song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Maria
| cover = Blondie - Maria.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Blondie
| album = No Exit
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
* Red Night Recording
* Electric Lady
* Chung King House of Metal (New York City)
| venue =
| genre = Power pop
| length =
| label =
* Logic
* Beyond
| writer = Jimmy Destri
| producer = Craig Leon
| prev_title = War Child
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = Nothing Is Real but the Girl
| next_year = 1999
| misc =
}}
"'Maria'" is a song by American rock band Blondie. The song was written by Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri and produced by Craig Leon. Taken from their seventh album, 'No Exit' (1999), it was Blondie's first new release since 1982. "Maria", issued as a single in Europe on January 11, 1999, reached number one in the United Kingdom; Blondie's sixth UK chart-topper. The song also topped the charts of Greece and Spain, becoming a top-20 hit across Europe and in New Zealand.
The song was included on the band's 2014 compilation album, 'Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux'. The compilation was part of a two-disc set titled 'Blondie 4(0) Ever', which includes 'Ghosts of Download', their tenth studio album, and marked the 40th anniversary of the band's formation.
Background and composition
"Maria" was written by the band's keyboardist, Jimmy Destri, who had penned some of their earlier hits such as "Atomic". He wrote the song while reflecting on his days in Catholic school, when he fantasized about meeting the ideal girl. According to Destri, the track is about teenage desire. A line from the song: "...like a millionaire/walking on imported air", was used in the previous Blondie track "Walk Like Me" (also written by Destri) from the album 'Autoamerican' (1980), and the track shares a similar lyrical motif with their 1977 single "Rip Her to Shreds". "Maria" is written and composed in the key of A major, with Harry's range in the song spanning from the low note of E3 to the high note of C5.
Release
In the United Kingdom, "Maria" was released as a two-CD set. The first contains remixes of the song, and the second contains live versions of "Screaming Skin" (a track from the 'No Exit' album) and their first hit single: "In the Flesh". Both were recorded during Blondie's No Exit Tour.
Critical reception
A reviewer from 'Billboard' described the song as a "delectable track", and a "skillfully arranged array of passionate Debbie Harry vocals, great guitar and drum thrusts, and neat harmonica passages that climb into the toll of cathedral bells." It was also noted that "all these touches are in the service of a cool rock/pop intelligence powered by the street smarts that are the Blondie trademark." Scottish newspaper 'Daily Record' commented, "Almost two decades after their last No 1, comeback stars Blondie have gone back to their 'new wave' roots" with "Maria". The Daily Vault's Mark Millan called it a "pop gem", that "kicks off". He added that the singer's "commanding performance" really shows off her impressive range, and stated that "this one is still one of their best singles to date." Troy J. Augusto from 'Variety' declared it as an "infectious standout song".
Chart performance
"Maria" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on February 7, 1999, giving Blondie their sixth UK number-one single and first chart-topper since "The Tide Is High" in November 1980. It spent 17 nonconsecutive weeks in the top 100, ending the year as the UK's 33rd-best-selling hit. The release of "Maria" came exactly 20 years after "Heart of Glass", Blondie's first UK number-one hit. Across the rest of Europe, "Maria" topped the charts in Greece and Spain and was a top-10 hit in Austria, Flanders, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It additionally reached the top 20 in Italy and the Netherlands and attained a peak of number five on the Eurochart Hot 100.
"Maria" was not as successful in North America, stalling at number 82 on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 and number 43 on the Canadian 'RPM' Top Singles chart; however, it did enter the top 20 on the 'Billboard' Adult Top 40, Hot Dance Club Play, and Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales charts. The single also underperformed in Australia, where it peaked at number 59, but fared better in New Zealand, reaching number 16 during its third week on the country's chart.
Music video
The music video for "Maria" was directed by Roman Coppola (credited as Alan Smithee), and takes place in New York City. Parts of New York through night-vision goggles are seen before zooming into an apartment where Blondie are performing the song. Mysterious dark-clothed individuals are seen around different buildings setting up surveillance equipment to monitor the band. Toward the end of the video, one of the dark-clothed individuals aims a sniper rifle towards lead singer Deborah Harry, and fires a bullet at her. In slow motion, the bullet smashes through a window, a light bulb and the microphone towards her, but Harry (moving in real time) simply plucks the bullet from the air before it hits her (perhaps tying into the theme of "no exit", the band's comeback album).
Track listings
'US 12-inch single'
:A1. "Maria" (Soul Solution Full Remix)
:A2. "Maria" (Soul Solution Bonus Beats)
:B1. "Maria" (Talvin Singh Remix)
:B2. "Maria" (Talvin Singh Rhythmic Remix edit)
:B3. "Maria" (album version)
'US maxi-single (The Remixes)'
# "Maria" (Soul Solution Full Remix) 9:27
# "Maria" (Talvin Singh Remix) 7:27
# "Maria" (Talvin Singh Rhythmic Remix edit) 4:39
# "Maria" (album version) 4:51
'UK and European CD single'
# "Maria" (radio edit)
# "Maria" (Soul Solution Remix radio edit)
# "Maria" (Talvin Singh Remix edit)
'European cassette single'
:A. "Maria" (radio edit)
:B. "Maria" (Soul Solution Remix radio edit)
'Thailand promo CD single'
# "Maria" (radio edit) 4:09
# "Maria" (Talvin Singh Rhythmic Remix) 7:26
# "Maria" (Soul Solution Remix radio edit) 4:08
# "Maria" (album version) 4:51
# Radio sampler of album "Best Music from Blah Blah Blah 7:03
* The Australian CD single and European maxi-single contain the same tracks but omit the radio sampler.
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the UK and US single liner notes.
'Studios'
* Recorded at Red Night Recording, Electric Lady Studios, Chung King House of Metal (New York City)
* Mixed at Encore Studios (Los Angeles)
'Blondie'
* Clem Burke drummer
* Jimmy Destri keyboardist, writer
* Deborah Harry vocalist
* Chris Stein guitarist
'Additional musicians'
* Leigh Foxx bass guitar
* Paul Carbonara guitar
'Production'
* Craig Leon producing, recording
* Cassell Webb production assistant
* Mike Shipley mixing
* Steve Hall mastering
* Randy Nicklaus A&R
* Rob Roth art direction, photography
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
Category:1999 singles
Category:1999 songs
Category:American power pop songs
Category:Blondie (band) songs
Category:Logic Records singles
Category:Music videos credited to Alan Smithee
Category:Number-one singles in Greece
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:Number-one singles in Spain
Category:Song recordings produced by Craig Leon
Category:Songs written by Jimmy Destri
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
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