# So how come they call the wind Maria? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168 "2003-07-09T05:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/1 "2003-07-09T05:23:36Z")
I thought at first that maybe it was in honor of Mariah Carey, because the wind blows, and so does she. But obviously, the song was written long before she was a gleam in a plastic surgeon’s eye. So why **do** they call the wind Maria? As you might guess, I watched “Paint Your Wagon” the other night on TV. It’s a hilarious movie – just not when it intended to be. This is the musical that features tough guys Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin – singing. Or allegedly singing. I think they were supposed to be singing. Is anyone familiar with the stage version? If so, did the character played by Lee Marvin sing “Maria”? Watching the movie version, I noted when they were introducing the song that it would have been logical for Marvin’s character to sing it, the way it was being set up. Instead, the scene switches to a different locale and has a different character sing it – someone with a darn good voice. To Marvin’s credit, he was very funny in many of the comedy scenes. It’s been said that comics can do serious drama but dramatic actors can’t do comedy. But Marvin was very good with some of the funny stuff. I suppose he was cast in this role because of his Oscar-winning performance in “Cat Ballou.” ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/2 "2003-07-09T05:31:30Z")
Better than calling it Stacey, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/3 "2003-07-09T05:46:43Z")
Yes, but the rain is Tess, the fire’s Joe … ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/4 "2003-07-09T05:58:12Z")
I thought the mines were Moria? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/5 "2003-07-09T06:10:27Z")
The play _Paint Your Wagon_ bears little resemblence to the weird movie they made with the same name. In the play, _They call the wind Maria_ is also sung by a different character. It is sometimes hard to tell exactly who “should” sing what, since the movie mixes up several characters and destroys the plot, but Marvin sang _I was born under a wanderin’ star_ that, in the play, is sung by the character Ben Rumson. (The original play had a central plot of Ben’s daughter, Jennie, falling for a Mexican and both Jennie and Julio disappeared from the movie.) Maria was picked simply because that was the name (with that odd pronunciation) that Lerner and Lowe chose. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/6 "2003-07-09T06:13:44Z")
Actually, it is correctly spelled as _Mariah_. (The Kingston Trio site has it misspelled. Just a guess, but I suspect the name was chosen by Lerner (wasn’t he the lyricist?) because its vowel sounds are kind of haunting – just as the wind is. _Tess_ and _Jo_, on the other hand, are easy and comfortable names for rain and fire. I think of rain needed for crops and the cosiness of campfires. But there is something about the wind that is lonesome and wistful. I loved _Paint Your Wagon_ – even when Clint Eastwood talked to the trees. Really! And Lee Marvin’s voice on “Wanderin’ Star” would have been hokey if he could actually have sung. One of my favorite songs from the film begins: “God made the mountain. God made the sky. God made the people. God knows why…” Jean Seberg was a fascinating person. Very attached to the Black Panthers in the 1960’s. She committed suicide and is buried in Paris. Sorry for the hijack. I just got carried away… ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/7 "2003-07-09T06:23:57Z")
_Storm_ by George Rippey Stewart in 1941 was responsible for the naming of Pacific storms after women. In the novel the storm is “Maria”. This was the inspiration for Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s “They Call The Wind Maria.” ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/8 "2003-07-09T07:24:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > **Actually, it is correctly spelled as _Mariah_. (The Kingston Trio site has it misspelled.** Here is the listing to renew the song’s copyright in the U.S. Copyright Catalog: > [@](#): > > **Registration Number:** RE-12-021 > **Title:** They call the wind Maria. From Paint your wagon. Words: (author & claimant) Alan J. Lerner, music: (author & claimant) Frederick Loewe. > **Claimant:** Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe (authors) > **Effective Registration Date:** 3Jan79 > **Original Registration Date:** 6Sep51; > **Original Registration Number:** EP57607. > **Original Class:** E ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/9 "2003-07-09T07:30:51Z")
The matter of spelling vs pronunciation was dealt with in _Storm_ > [@](#): > > Stewart notes in the book’s introduction that he originally intended the name to be pronounced in the soft Spanish way with the second syllable being ree: Ma-ree-a. But he later realized that the storm Maria was “too big for any man to embrace and much too boisterous.” He advises, “So put the accent on the second syllable, and pronounce it ‘rye’” ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/10 "2003-07-09T07:52:06Z")
If the wind’s name is Maria, why does it cry “Mary”? ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/11 "2003-07-09T09:45:51Z")
Because that’s what it wants to be called. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/12 "2003-07-09T10:47:00Z")
Thanks, **Zoe** – I love this movie too. I was raised on it, as it is my dad’s favorite. Back in the day before VCRs, it came on TV once in while and it was an _event_ in my house. We owned the soundtrack, too. Then, after my folks got their first VCR, I bought him a VHS of the movie for Father’s Day – he was a happy, happy man. I don’t care what anyone says – this is a movie (I admit it is a weird movie) with a lot of great lines. I paraphrase one whenever the missionaries come to call – I throw open the doors and shout, “Holy Moses! [The] Mormons!” Beautiful scenary, too and it reminds me of home – I’m from northern California not far from where it was filmed. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/13 "2003-07-09T11:05:12Z")
Maria … I just met a girly wind named Maria … ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/14 "2003-07-09T11:38:31Z")
Y’all are absolutely right about it’s being spelled “Maria.” Sorry! You have fought my ignorance and won! **Jess** , now you have me wanting to see it again… **Snoooooopy** , you are so funny! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/15 "2003-07-09T11:53:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > …but Marvin sang _I was born under a wanderin’ star_ that, in the play, is sung by the character Ben Rumson. In the movie, Marvin was Ben Rumson. I’ve always considered this movie to be an effective argument that Jean Seberg was the worst singer in Hollywood. For the musical numbers, her voice was dubbed. How’d you like to be told you couldn’t hold your own against Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/16 "2003-07-09T13:23:58Z")
The song was sung by Harve Presnell, who had a long career on Broadway. He also played the evil Mr. Parker on the TV show **The Pretender**. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/17 "2003-07-09T13:27:39Z")
_Folks out here, they have a name For wind, and rain, and fire— The wind’s called “wind,” the rain’s called “rain,” And they call the fire"fire."_ ---
**Author:** ![Theobroma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Theobroma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theobroma)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/18 "2003-07-09T13:35:56Z")
“Dammit, it’s starting to Tess, and it’ll put the Jo out!” ---
**Author:** ![the\_O-man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@the\_O-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_O-man)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/19 "2003-07-09T13:58:56Z")
Not for nothing, but the fire’s name is Joe, as in the man’s name. ---
**Author:** ![International\_Playboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/48db29/32.png) [@International\_Playboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/International_Playboy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168/20 "2003-07-09T14:56:10Z")
Now I’m going to have that song stuck in my head all day. And images of standing under a tent in the rain. Don’t forget my favorite Martian, Ray Walston was also a grizzled miner in that movie. Hmmm… the song in my head has turned into a medley of tunes from the movie. “What can stop that itchin’, ain’t around the kitchen.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-come-they-call-the-wind-maria/187168.md?page=2)