"
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".
Vaughan Monroe and his Orchestra recorded the song in 1951, and it was among the "popular hit singles at the record stores" that year. It has since become a standard, performed by many notable singers across several genres of popular music.