“Maria Maria” by Santana (ft. The Product G&B)

The way the vocalist goes about shrieking “Maria Maria”, you would think that this is a love song. And yes, in the third verse he finally does get around to putting forth that the two of them are ‘lovers’. But most of the lyrical focus isn’t on their relationship. Instead, “Maria” is depicted as someone who is stressed due to living in a challenging environment, and accordingly is trying to figure out “ways to make it better”. But in all, as far as the thesis sentiment goes, it would appear that her style has the vocalist fascinated.

According to Santana, this song is “speaks to women”.

Did Carlos Santana write “Maria Maria”?

Yes. He co-wrote it alongside the following:

• Wyclef Jean (whose vocals appear in the song’s intro and outro)
• Jerry Duplessis
• Karl Perazzo
• Raul Rekow

The Product G&B

The bulk of the song is sung by The Product G&B (who are officially credited as features on the song). Product G&B is an R&B duo made up of the following:

• David McRae
• Marvin Moore Hough

It is actually McRae who lends his vocals to this song the most.

When was “Maria Maria” released?

It was released on the 23rd of November, 1999 as a single from Santana’s famed “Supernatural” album.

Achievements of “Maria Maria”

This song currently has a Gold certification in United Kingdom. It has sold half a million units in Britain alone. As for the United States, this figure stands at over 1 million copies. It has also been certified platinum in America.

In addition to being a million-seller in America, this tune also was a number 1 hit there.

All in all, “Maria Maria” was an extraordinary hit around the globe. Outside of the U.S., it also enjoyed number 1 status in France, Hungary, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In the U.K., it made it number 6 on the country’s official singles chart.

Below are other countries where it performed very well:

• Austria (#3)
• Belgium ( #2)
• Denmark (#2)
• Greece (#4)
• Iceland (#3)
• Netherlands (#2)
• Norway (#7)
• Portugal (#6)
• Romania (#4)

At the 2000 Grammys, this song took home an award in the “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals”. In doing so, it beat other popular songs like Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and TLC’s “Unpretty”.

DJ Khaled sampled this hit in his 2017 smash hit titled “Wild Thoughts“. This song, which featured Rihanna and Bryson Tiller was a global success thanks to the sample used in it.

The “Supernatural” Album

Santana’s “Supernatural” album was released on June 15 of 1999 as the group’s 18th studio album.

Arista Records, a record label owned by Sony Music, was responsible for the album’s release.

Having sold over 30,000,000 copies globally, the album has been described as a major global success. It received the following certifications across the globe:

• 15× Platinum certification in the US
• Diamond in Canada
• 2× Platinum in Germany
• 3× Platinum in the UK
• 6× Platinum in Australia

It spent a combined 12 weeks at No.1 in the US and was found atop top-10s in the likes of Australia, Canada, UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and New Zealand.

Until the release of “Supernatural”, the band’s last No.1 album on the Billboard 200 was “Santana III” of 1971.

The album went on to break a record held by Michael Jackson’s album, “Thriller” of 1982 for the most honored album at the Grammys. It achieved this feat at the 2000 Grammy Awards where it won a total of 9 awards. “Thriller” won 8 awards at the 1983 edition of the Grammys.

“Supernatural” won “Album of the Year” and “Best Rock Album” at the said Grammys.

In addition to “Maria Maria”, the album spawned the following singles:

• “Smooth”
• “Put Your Lights On”
• “Love of My Life”
• “Corazón Espinado”
• “Primavera”