Mary's Prayer
| "Mary's Prayer" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Danny Wilson | |
| from the album Meet Danny Wilson | |
| B-side | "Monkey's Shiny Day" |
| Released | 1987 |
| Format | 7" |
| Genre | Sophisti-pop |
| Label | Virgin Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Gary Clark |
| Producer(s) | Dave Bascombe |
Mary's Prayer is a sophisti-pop song by the Scottish pop/rock group Danny Wilson: introduced on the group's 1987 debut album Meet Danny Wilson, "Mary's Prayer" would eventually become a Top Ten hit in the British Isles and also a Top 40 hit in the US.
The song's composer, Gary Clark, said of "Mary's Prayer": "I certainly don't think [it's] the best song on the album but it is probably the most accessible and therefore the best choice for a first single". Clark had written "Mary's Prayer" while Danny Wilson was the house band at Dundee nightclub the Swamp soon after the group (then known as Spencer Tracy) formed in 1984.
The song has been described as "an extended Catholic metaphor", although Clark has denied any intended religious significance in his composition: "There is a lot of religious imagery in the song but that is really just a device to relate past present and future"..."It is basically just a simple love song. In fact I like to think of it as being like a country and western song".
"Mary's Prayer" was released as a single three times between February 1987 and March 1988 in the UK, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart on its third release. The initial UK release in February 1987 peaked at only number 86, but was a hit in Ireland (number 5), Germany (number 35) and South Africa (number 10).
The June 1987 US release of "Mary's Prayer" afforded the single a peak of number 23 on the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine, while on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart "Mary's Prayer" rose as high as number 6. Virgin Records US' promotion for the single included a full-page advertisement run in the music industry trade journals with an endorsement from Mike Bone, head of promotion for rival label Elektra Records. The advertisement reproduced a cable Bone sent to Virgin Records that said "'Mary's Prayer' is my life" and prompted "Do Mike Bone a Favor. Add Danny Wilson's 'Mary's Prayer'". Bone had given permission for Virgin Records to use his endorsement to promote the single, but "thought they'd just have it buried [among] other testimonials."
...
Wikipedia