Beautiful Maria of My Soul, known in Spanish as Bella María de mi alma, is a Latin-flavored ballad prominently featured in the 1992 film The Mambo Kings. In the movie, Antonio Banderas sings the Spanish version and an English version appears on the soundtrack by Los Lobos. The song was written and composed by Arne Glimcher and Robert Kraft and is tied to the film’s story of Nestor Castillo writing it for his long-lost love Maria Rivera. The film is based on Oscar Hijuelos’s 1989 novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.
Key facts
- Original artist: Antonio Banderas (Spanish version in the film); English version by Los Lobos on the soundtrack
- Year of release: 1992 (film and soundtrack)
- Album: The Mambo Kings soundtrack
- Genre: Latin-flavored ballad / mambo
- Notable: Nominated for Best Original Song at the 65th Academy Awards; lost to A Whole New World
- Live performance note: Placido Domingo performed at the Oscars for the Spanish number, accompanied by Sheila E
- Other nominations: Grammy for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television; Golden Globe for Best Original Song
- Chart and covers: Los Lobos’ version reached #11 on the Hot Latin Songs chart; Paola & Chiara covered it on their 2002 album Festival
- Additional context: In 2010 Oscar Hijuelos published a follow-up novel also titled Beautiful Maria of My Soul, centering on Maria
