"María Elena" is a 1932 popular song written by Lorenzo
Barcelata (Spanish words and music). It was published by Peer
International Corporation of Mexico. The English words by Bob
Russell.
The song was dedicated to María Elena, the wife of Mexican
President Emilio Portes Gil.
An instrumental version of the song was used for the
background theme of the film
Bordertown, starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis, in 1935.
The next year the words and music were used in the Mexican film
María Elena.
Lawrence Welk later introduced the tune in the United States
on his radio program, then in 1941 on the Okeh Records
label.
The song was a hit for the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra with Bob
Eberly doing the vocals. The recording was made on March 19,
1941 by Decca Records as catalog number 3698. The flip side was
"Green Eyes." The record first reached the Billboard magazine
charts on May 16, 1941 and lasted 17 weeks on the chart,
peaking at #1 on June 14, 1941. Since "Green Eyes" was also a
#1 hit, this was a major double-sided hit recording. In the
same year the Wayne King Orchestra also had a #2 hit with
"Maria Elena".
An instrumental version was recorded in 1958 and released in
the United States in 1962 by Natalico and Antenor Lima, better
known as Los Indios Tabajaras. This popular revival hit #6 pop,
#3 easy listening in 1963.
Ry Cooder performed an instrumental version of this song on
his 1972 album
Boomer's Story.