"Someone's Taken Maria Away" is a song written by Chris Andrews, initially recorded by British singer Adam Faith and his backing group the Roulettes.
However, today it is most commonly known for the version recorded by Swedish band Tom & Mick & Maniacs under the title "Somebody's Taken Maria Away" in 1967; it reached number one on both Tio i Topp and Kvällstoppen during that autumn.
[3] The song was intentionally written as a "pastische" of Burt Bacharach and Hal David while also being inspired by Unit 4 + 2's recent hit "Concrete and Clay".
[9] During april of 1967, Swedish group Maniacs, featuring vocalist Tommy Körberg, enjoyed success with their cover of James Brown's "Please, Please, Please", which reached number five on national charts Tio i Topp.
[12] Englund, who had ambitions on creating a Swedish equaivalent of Sam & Dave,[13][14] hired Michael Johansson as a second vocalist, while also changing their name to Tom & Mick & Maniacs.
[18] On Tio i Topp, "Somebody's Taken Maria Away" debuted at number-one on 9 September 1967, replacing Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)".
[25] Due to the success of the single, Körberg reportedly stated that it made him "cocky" because of how it spiralled him to stardom and opened doors to "drugs, sex and alcohol".
[26] It became the breakthrough of Körberg's career, which has spanned several decades,[27] However, it began the break-up of the Maniacs, who were largely relegated to becoming a backing group for Tom & Mick.