"Along Comes Mary" is a song composed by
Tandyn Almer, originally recorded by American
sunshine pop band
the Association
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and " Along Comes Mary") a ...
.
It was the group's first hit, released on their debut album, ''
And Then... Along Comes the Association'' (1966).
Background
"Along Comes Mary" is sung from the point of view of a once-disillusioned young man talking about the "tribulations no one ever sees" and who "curse
those faults in me." The singer believes Mary gives him comfort and improves his life. An acquaintance of Almer claimed in an interview that "Mary" refers to marijuana, though it is unclear if Almer ever confirmed this. In the
Young People's Concert
The Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic are the longest-running series of family concerts of classical music in the world.
Genesis
They began in 1924 under the direction of "Uncle" Ernest Schelling. Earlier Family Matinees had ...
titled ''What Is a Mode?''
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
explained that the song was composed in the Dorian
mode
Mode ( la, modus meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' MO''D''E (magazine)'', a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine
* ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is ...
.
Charts
Bloodhound Gang version
American rock band
Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career prog ...
recorded a version of "Along Comes Mary" with new punk music to accompany the lyrics. It first appeared on the 1998 soundtrack to the film''
Half Baked
''Half Baked'' is a 1998 American stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. ...
'' before appearing on Bloodhound Gang's third studio album, ''
Hooray for Boobies'', the following year. "Along Comes Mary" was released as the album's first single in May 1999 and reached 5 in Austria, No. 6 in Germany, and No. 13 in Switzerland. The song was certified gold in both Austria and Germany.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Other covers
In 1966,
Hugh Masekela
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...
included the song on his album ''
Hugh Masekela's Next Album
''Hugh Masekela's Next Album'' is the fourth studio album by South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela. It was recorded in New York City and released in December 1966 via MGM Records label. The album consists mainly of covers of pop songs.
Trac ...
'', and in 1967,
Cal Tjader covered it for his album ''Along Comes Cal''. That same year,
Baja Marimba Band's had a minor hit with their cover of the song. In 1968,
George Benson
George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.
A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...
included a version on his album ''
Giblet Gravy
''Giblet Gravy'' is the fourth album by jazz/ soul guitarist George Benson.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
*George Benson – guitar
*Albertine Robinson, Eileen Gilbert, Lois Winter – vocals
* Eric Gale – guitar, tracks 2, 4, 5, ...
'', and in 1986 a cover appeared on
R. Stevie Moore
Robert Steven Moore (born January 18, 1952) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who pioneered lo-fi (or "DIY") music. Often called the "godfather of home recording", he is one of the most recognized artists of the cas ...
's album ''
Glad Music
''Glad Music'' is the sixth vinyl record album by American multi-instrumentalist R. Stevie Moore (RSM). It was the second of four RSM albums released by New Rose Records in Paris. ''Glad Music'' differed from most Moore record albums by being a ...
''. In 1995,
the Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music.
There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...
covered the song for their album ''
Tonin'
''Tonin is the sixteenth studio album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1995 on Atlantic Records. The expression "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960s. The songs on this album are favorites of the band's ...
'', and the following year,
24-7 Spyz
24-7 Spyz (pronounced "twenty-four-seven spies") are an American rock band from the South Bronx, New York, formed in 1986, originally consisting of Jimi Hazel (born Wayne K. Richardson) (guitars), Rick Skatore (born Kenneth D. Lucas) (bass), Ki ...
covered it for their album ''
6''. In 2005, a cover of the song appeared on
the Guess Who's compilation album ''Let's Go'', and
Plainsong also released a cover on their self-titled album.
Plain Song – allmusic
/ref>
See also
* List of recordings of songs Hal Blaine has played on
References
{{Authority control
1966 singles
1966 songs
1997 singles
The Association songs
Bloodhound Gang songs
Geffen Records singles
Songs about cannabis
Songs written by Tandyn Almer
Valiant Records singles