Marianne (Terry Gilkyson song)
| "Marianne" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Genre | Calypso |
| Songwriter(s) | Roaring Lion |
"Mary Ann," composed by calypsonian Roaring Lion (born name: Rafael de Leon), was popular with steelbands and revelers during a spontaneous Carnival celebration on V-J Day in Trinidad in 1945, at the end of World War II. The song's lyrics alluded to Mary Ann's occupation:
Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat recorded a version of "Mary Ann" in the late 1940s. During the 1956-57 American calypso craze, the Easy Riders, Burl Ives and other interpreters of folk music further popularized the calypso, generally under the title of "Marianne".Harry Belafonte recorded the song on at least three albums. The song continued to be a favorite with steel bands and calypso entertainers at Caribbean tourist hotels for many years.
The most popular version was recorded by Terry Gilkyson and The Easy Riders (#4 on the Billboard Top 100); another version was recorded by The Hilltoppers in 1957 (#3 on the Billboard Top 100).
Trini Lopez included "Marianne" on his album Trini Lopez at PJ's on Reprise Records RS-6093.
Allan Sherman sang about Cary Grant based on this song which went as follows (from Shticks of one Kind and Half Dozen of Another):
In the nudie-cartoon anthology Sex to Sexty, which included "Balled-Up Ballads"—popular tunes with racy lyrics—the following lines were written for "Marianne":
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