Songfacts®:

• "Maria" was Ricky Martin's first big hit, and the one that established the high-energy Latin party sound that propelled his career.
  
  After aging out of the boy band Menudo in 1988 when he turned 17, Martin released solo albums in 1991 and 1993 that were mostly filled with Spanish-language ballads. His third album, A Medio Vivir in 1995, was also loaded with ballads but also contained "Maria," a tune that could get the hips shaking. It became a international sensation, particularly in France, Spain and Australia, and set Martin up for global domination. His next album, Vuelve, was released in 1998 and expanded on this sound, particularly on the "The Cup Of Life," which became the anthem to the World Cup in France. Martin's American breakthrough came in 1999 with another propulsive track, "Livin' La Vida Loca."
• The lyrics are in Spanish. They describe a seductive but dangerous woman that Martin can't resist. "Es veneno si te quieres enamorar" translates to "She is poison if you want to fall in love."
  
  You can see why Martin didn't come out as gay until 2010 - songs like this one star a woman as his love interest. He quickly learned that no matter his sexual orientation, fans wanted him to perform "Maria" - it stayed in his setlists.
• For the most part, Martin didn't write his own songs around this time. "Maria" was composed by Escolar Gomez, Robi Rosa and Karl Porter. Rosa co-wrote Martin's biggest hits, including "Livin' La Vida Loca," "She's All I Ever Had," and "Shake Your Bon-Bon."
• The most popular version of "Maria" is a remix by the Puerto Rican DJ Pablo Flores. This is the version that's used in the official music video.
• According to Martin, the 1998 World Cup organizers wanted to use "Maria" as an official song, but he talked them into letting him put together a new one, which ended up being "The Cup Of Life."
  
  "FIFA wanted to use 'Maria' as an anthem," he explained to The Big Issue. "I said no. What do you mean no? Let's do something else. Something similar that talks about how important it is to reach for goals, and get it."
• The 1999 Santana song "Maria Maria" owes a debt to this track. That song went to #1 in America, where most listeners weren't familiar with Martin's "Maria."