Who Is Blondie’s Maria?

Blondie, the 1970s American rock band has been around for a while, although with gaps in activity. The band was initially formed in 1974, bringing us hits like “The Tide Is High” and “One Way or Another,” and then disbanded in 1982 only to come back in the late 199os. And boy did they come back with a bang. Headed by lead vocalist Debbie Harry, Blondie burst back into our lives with their 1999 hit single “Maria.” Topping charts all over the world, the single was a smashing success, but have you ever wondered who the titular Maria actually is?

There are two answers to that question. The first one is that Maria can be anyone. You see, the song, as written by then-keyboardist Jimmy Destri (leather jacket, in the middle) talks about the general idea of wanting someone to the point of putting them on a pedestal as some sort of magnificent, unattainable being. While the Maria in the song is more of an idea, a concept of something almost magical, awe-inspiring, and unreachable, there was a real-life person who sparked the idea in the head of Destri’s brain — his teenage daughter, which brings us to the second answer.

While Destri is known for his work with Blondie and being a big-shot rocker with a proven record, things didn’t really work out for him romantically when he was a teen. Awkward and insecure, he couldn’t muster the courage to approach girls he liked, but instead went home and wrote poems about them. While adorable, it didn’t get him much attention. As his daughter was turning into a beautiful young woman, the attention she got from her peers seemed familiar to her father and it made him reflect on this experience in his life as a young lad who was too shy to do anything about his romantic interests.

So why did Destri go with the name Maria? The musician is not a religious person but he figured that the Ave Maria motif would be the best way to encapsulate the essence of someone put on a pedestal so high they’re almost saintlike.

Now, go give the song a listen and experience it on a whole new level.