María Elena

The melody of María Elena has a curious story behind its creation. It was conceived in 1932 by Lorenzo Barcelata, who wrote both the music and the lyrics in Spanish. Originally, he composed it for Lucía Martínez García, at the request of her husband, Ernesto Soto Reyes, who paid a considerable sum for it at the time. Shortly after, before formally registering it, Barcelata shared the piece with a businessman friend, Anacarsis "Carcho" Peralta. Peralta loved it, and strikingly, the song ended up being registered under the name "María Elena", which was the name of a girlfriend Peralta had. Later, English lyrics were added, by Bob Russell.

This song achieved great impact in 1941, when Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra recorded it with Bob Eberly on vocals. The record, released by Decca Records, entered the Billboard charts in May of that year and remained for 17 weeks, reaching the top spot in June and staying there for two weeks. It was such a big hit that its B-side, Green Eyes, also reached number one, becoming a double hit for the record. The album Cole Español by Nat King Cole, recorded in 1958, included this piece. This record, one of three that Cole dedicated to the Latin market, was partially recorded in Havana, Cuba, and completed with his vocals in Los Angeles, California. In 2007, Cole Español was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame.