"Ann-Maria" is the tenth single by Dutch girl group Luv'

Luv'

Luv is a Dutch pop girl group that scored a string of hit records in Continental Europe as well as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1979, Luv' was "Holland's best export act" and thus received the "Conamus Export Prize"...

, released in early 1980 by Carrere Records. This song appears on the formation's third studio album True Luv'

True Luv'

True Luv' is the third album by Dutch girl group Luv', released in December 1979 by CNR/Carrere Records. It includes the hit singles Ooh, Yes I Do and Ann-Maria scored in the charts of European countries and also in a new territory: Mexico. In 1980, Luv's record company decided to re-issue the...

. This down tempo composition was a top three hit in Mexico and also entered the record charts in Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

Background

When Luv' left Philips

Philips Records

Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...

/Phonogram Records

Phonogram Records

Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram....

 for CNR/Carrere Records in 1979, the trio hoped that its success story would go on. The single Ooh, Yes I Do

Ooh, Yes I Do

Ooh, Yes I Do is the ninth single by Dutch girl group Luv', released in the autumn of 1979 by CNR/Carrere Records. This song appears on the formation's third studio album True Luv'. It was a successful hit record in Benelux and Denmark and reached the Top 50 in Germany and France...

 became successful (even if it didn't reached the results of million sellers like You're the Greatest Lover

You're the Greatest Lover

"You're the Greatest Lover" is a single by Dutch girl group Luv'. It was first released in July 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. It appears on the 1978 debut album With Luv and on compilations . It is the group's international breakthrough as it was successful in a large part of Continental...

 or Trojan Horse

Trojan Horse (Luv' song)

"Trojan Horse" is the fifth single by Dutch girl group Luv', released in the autumn of 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. This million seller appears on the German version of the 1978 debut album, With Luv' and was a successful hit record in a large part of Continental Europe, South Africa and New...

). The ballad Ann Maria was chosen as a follow-up single and used a Latin American orchestration inspired by ABBA

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

's Chiquitita

Chiquitita

"Chiquitita" was the first single release from Swedish pop group ABBA's Voulez-Vous album, their sixth for Polar, and their fifth for Epic and Atlantic...

 and Fernando

Fernando (song)

"Fernando" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group's first non-album single and was released in November 1975 through Polar Music. Lead vocals were sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad...

 as well as Boney M.'s El Lute

El Lute / Gotta Go Home

"El Lute" / "Gotta Go Home" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M. It was the lead single off their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy and was the group's eighth and final number 1 single in the German charts...

. A children's choir was integrated into this song (like ABBA

ABBA

ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...

's classic hit "I Have a Dream").

Chart performance

Ann-Maria was a top ten hit in Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

, a top 20 hit in the Netherlands and Denmark and a top 40 hit in Germany. The Spanish version of this single reached the third position on the Mexican charts.

Chart (1980)	Peak position
Mexico	3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... )	11
Netherlands (Nationale Hitparade (currently Single Top 100 Mega Single Top 100 The Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales and legal downloads and composed by MegaCharts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 50. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data.The list is... )	4
Belgium/Flanders (BRT Top 30/Radio 2 Top 30)	10
Denmark (BT Hitlisten)	13
Germany (Musikmarkt/Media Control)	37