It’s that time of year again, it’s “Hispanic Heritage Month” on “Oldies Sunday“! Hispanic Americans continue to make significant contributions to entertainment, sports, and pop culture, and we have highlighted a number of them. Today’s selection comes from Puerto Rico via Ricky Martin’s “María“.
Produced by KC Porter, Tom Vickers, and Steve Berkowitz and released through Columbia/Sony Music Mexico in 1995, Ricky Martin had his eyes set on a lovely, but dangerous Woman named, “María”. Inspired by the sounds of Mariachi from Mexico and how proud the people are of their heritage, Martin created a Spanish Language song that incorporated Flamenco, Dance, and Salsa, paying homage to the Latin sounds that were prevalent in Puerto Rico. The original version of “María” had a slower tempo, and was met with resistance from his label to release it. It soon became a public release after much back and forth, and was included on his 3rd studio album, “A Medio Vivir“.
“María” enjoyed great reception, becoming Ricky Martin’s breakout International single, but things took a turn for something epic when Puerto Rican DJ Pablo Flores remixed the song. Increasing the tempo and adding extra production, the “Spanglish Remix” of “María” took the world by storm, became a Samba megahit, and helped to launch the advent of Latin and Dance music crossovers. The original and remixed version enjoyed top placements on charts globally, but the remix went on to set a record for becoming the biggest Latin hit as it went on to sell over 5 Million records, and secured spots in the greatest Latin music releases of all time lists.
Since the release of “María”, Ricky Martin went on to become a Latin Music phenomenon, producing multiple hits, and becoming an Icon in the 90s and 2000s. He was a former member of the Puerto Rican Boy Band Menudo, but his solo career fared much better, as he became the face of the “Latin Pop explosion” in the 1990s, and one of the best-selling Artists of all time. He also ventured into acting with stints in TV shows and Broadway plays, but is still very active in music. “María” continues to secure its place in Pop Culture. Wepa!
Thank You Ricky Martin For This Classic!
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