Crickets Sing for Anamaria

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Crickets Sing for Anamaria

Crickets Sing for Anamaria is the English version of Os Grilos (“The Crickets”), a song written by Brazilian musicians Marcos Valle and his brother Paulo Sérgio Valle. The original instrumental appeared on Valle’s 1967 album Brazilliance! and became a breakout hit. The English lyrics were added by Ray Gilbert, and the track appeared on Valle’s 1968 album Samba ’68. The title references Ana Maria Carvalho, Valle’s wife at the time, who also sang on the album.

Emma Bunton, best known from the Spice Girls, covered the song for her 2004 solo album Free Me. Her version was released as the fourth and final single on 31 May 2004. The music video was directed by Harvey & Carolyn and features Bunton with Jake Canuso as her love interest. For the B-sides, Bunton covered Paul Anka’s “Eso Beso” and Valle’s “So Nice (Summer Samba)”; the Latino version of “Maybe” was also included. “Crickets Sing for Anamaria” was the only cover on Free Me.

Critics gave mixed-to-positive notes, with Slant Magazine calling the track frothy pop, and Entertainment Focus listing it among Bunton’s top solo singles. The single reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, her second UK single to miss the top ten, and it helped her return to the UK top forty and to the Irish charts, where it also charted. In Scotland it peaked at number 18. It remains one of Bunton’s better-selling UK singles and is noted in lists of Spice Girls solo releases.