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They Call the Wind Maria is a song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, Paint Your Wagon (musical). It was included on the Kingston Trio's 1959 LP album, ...from the Hungry i, which reached #2 on the Billboard Pop chart in 1959, and won a RIAA gold record in 1960.
The song was featured in the 1969 Hollywood film Paint Your Wagon, starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg. In the film, the song was performed by Harve Presnell. The New York Times said that Presnell's performance in the film "delivered the golden opportunity to sing the unforgettable ballad." [1]
Background
editIn George Rippey Stewart's 1941 novel Storm, he gives the storm which is the protagonist of the story the name "Maria", but mentions that the pronunciation is "Mariah". [2] Although the novel is set in 1935, it inspired Lerner and Lowe to write a song for their play about the California gold rush.
Pronunciation
editMariah Carey
editMariah Carey is named after the song. [3]
Critical Reception
editDescribing the original Broadway version, Thomas Hischak called the song a "runaway hit" and a "pensive ballad". Discussing the song in the 1969 film, he said that "in one of the films few pleasing moments, Harve Presnell gave full voice to They Call the WInd Maria and it was lovely to hear . . . " [4]
"a sad and wistful song about being far from home"
"memorable song"
"rousing but plaintive"
"haunting", evokes "emptiness"
Korean War - listed among the "popular music listened to by the troops"
"a knockout version of the best song"
"during the folksinging craze of the later 1950s countless American thought They Call the Wind Maria was a folksong, not a show tune."
Cover Versions
editNotable performers who have recorded the song include:
References
edit- ^ Grimes, William."Harve Presnell, Singing Actor, Dies at 75,"The New York Times, July 2, 2009
- ^ Norcross, Bryan (2007). 2007 Hurricane Almanac: The Essential Guide to Storms Past, Present, and Future. Macmillan. p. 138. ISBN 9780312371524.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Celebrity Central / Top 25 Celebs - Mariah Carey". People.com. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2008). The Oxford companion to the American musical: theatre, film, and television. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN 9780195335330.
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