Mary (Supergrass song)
Encyclopedia
"Mary" was the third and final single from the Britpop
band Supergrass
' eponymous third album
. Released in November 1999, it reached a disappointing #36 on the UK Charts, their lowest charting single for 5 years. This was also the last Supergrass single to be released on cassette
.
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 The Police
's Invisible Sun
.
CD2 CDR6531
LTD. ED. Silver 7" R6531
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.
was banned from television due to being "too frightening". An edited version was released, replacing the aforementioned scary scenes with pictures of onions.
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
' eponymous third album
Supergrass (album)
Supergrass is the third album by the English rock group Supergrass. It was released in the UK on 20 September 1999 and reached #3. It is often referred to as both "the X-ray" album, due to the picture on the sleeve, and self-titled...
. Released in November 1999, it reached a disappointing #36 on the UK Charts, their lowest charting single for 5 years. This was also the last Supergrass single to be released on cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
.
Chord progression and lead guitar breaks
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 CoombesGaz Coombes
Gaz Coombes is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the English alternative rock band, Supergrass. He first entered the music scene aged sixteen as the lead singer of the band The Jennifers which featured Supergrass band mate Danny Goffey...
utilising single string lead breaks on the 5th (A) string with an E-bow
E-Bow
The EBow or ebow is a hand-held, battery-powered electronic device for playing the electric guitar, invented by Greg Heet in 1969...
. It is worth noting that the opening chord progression of the song bears some similarities to The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
's Invisible Sun
Invisible Sun
"Invisible Sun" is a hit single by rock group The Police, released in September 1981. The song's lyrics stem from songwriter Sting's pondering how people living in war-torn and/or impoverished countries find the will to go on living, and despite the dark music and often morbid lyrical statements,...
.
Track listing
CD1 CDRS6531 / TC TCR6531- "Mary" (4:02)
- "Pumping on Your StereoPumping on Your Stereo"Pumping on Your Stereo" is a song by Supergrass, released as their first single from their self-titled third album, Supergrass .The single reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart...
(Live at Peel Acres)" (3:12) - "Strange Ones (Live at Peel Acres)" (3:57)
CD2 CDR6531
- "Mary (Live at Lamacq)" (4:12)
- "Richard IIIRichard III (song)"Richard III" is a song by the band Supergrass. It was the second single to be released from In It for the Money, the band's second album. The single was preceded by "Going Out", which was released over a year before...
(Live at Peel Acres)" (3:29) - "Sun Hits the SkySun Hits the Sky"Sun Hits the Sky" is a song by the Britpop band Supergrass. It was the third single from the band's second album In It for the Money. It was released in June 1997, and reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart...
(Live at Peel Acres)" (4:44)
LTD. ED. Silver 7" R6531
- "Mary" (4:02)
- "Mary (Live at Lamacq)" (4:12)
Album Artwork
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
: 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
The accompanying music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was banned from television due to being "too frightening". An edited version was released, replacing the aforementioned scary scenes with pictures of onions.