Mary (Supergrass song)
| "Mary" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Supergrass | ||||
| from the album Supergrass | ||||
| B-side | "Mary (Live at Lamacq)" | |||
| Released | 22 November 1999[1] | |||
| Studio | Sawmills, Ridge Farm | |||
| Genre | Britpop, rock, pop | |||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Supergrass, Rob Coombes | |||
| Producer(s) | Supergrass, John Cornfield | |||
| Supergrass singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative Cover | ||||
 CD 2 single cover | ||||
"Mary" was the third and final single from the Britpop band Supergrass' eponymous third album. Released in November 1999, it reached number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.[2][3] This was the last Supergrass single to be released on cassette.
Chord progression and lead guitar breaks[edit]
Mary is written in the key of Cm. The verses and chorus both employ the same chord progression of G♯-F-Cm, with guitarist Gaz Coombes utilising single string lead breaks on the 5th (A) string with an E-bow. It is worth noting that the opening chord progression of the song bears some similarities to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.
Track listing[edit]
CD1 CDRS6531 / TC TCR6531
- "Mary" (4:02)
- "Pumping on Your Stereo (Live at Peel Acres)" (3:12)
- "Strange Ones (Live at Peel Acres)" (3:57)
CD2 CDR6531
- "Mary (Live at Lamacq)" (4:12)
- "Richard III (Live at Peel Acres)" (3:29)
- "Sun Hits the Sky (Live at Peel Acres)" (4:44)
LTD. ED. Silver 7" R6531
- "Mary" (4:02)
- "Mary (Live at Lamacq)" (4:12)
Album Artwork[edit]
- Photography: Nick Veasey
The single features a photo of a stone angel statue at night, whilst the 2nd CD of the CD release shows a similarly crafted stone statue of a man in daylight.
Music video[edit]
Conceived as an homage to the Hammer Horror films from the 1950s, the accompanying music video features three moderately scary scenes, always corresponding to the song's "falsetto screaming" chorus: a room with books flying off the shelves and objects exploding because of poltergeist, a housewife vomiting blood in front of her family (including two children) and a girl drowning in a bathtub while blood spouts from the sink. The video was banned from television due to being "too frightening".[4][5] An edited version was released, replacing the aforementioned scary scenes with pictures of onions.
References[edit]
- ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 22 November, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 20 November 1999. p. 29. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ The Strange Ones Supergrass Site
- ^ Supergrass biography : beginnings, career, success Archived 24 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Supergrass' Video Nasty". Melody Maker 9 November 1999. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
- ^ "The Gaz Coombes Project". NME 6 November 1999. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
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