They Call the Wind Maria They Call the Wind Maria "They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, "Paint Your Wagon", which is set in the California Gold Rush. Rufus Smith originally sang the song on Broadway, and Joseph Leader was the original singer in London's West End. It quickly became a runaway hit, and during the Korean War, the song was among the "popular music listened to by the troops". Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra recorded the song in 1951, and it was among the
They Call the Wind Maria which is pronounced . The lines throughout the song end in feminine rhymes mostly using the "hard i" sound /aɪ/, echoing the stress pattern and vowel sound of the name "Maria". American singer, songwriter and producer Mariah Carey was named after this song. Broadway and recording star Robert Goulet considered it "a personal favorite", and a version by Jack Barlow charted at number 58 on Hot Country Songs. Other notable acts who have performed the song include: They Call the Wind Maria "They Call the Wind Maria" is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and