Mary Ann (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mary Ann" was the British
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979
, performed in English
by Black Lace
.
The song is about a man who loves a woman called Mary Ann, but can't express his sentiment to her.
The song was performed 17th on the night (following Norway
's Anita Skorgan
with "Oliver
" and preceding Austria
's Christina Simon
with "Heute in Jerusalem
". Despite taking the lead after Denmark had awarded the song 10 points, at the close of voting, it had received 73 points, placing it seventh in a field of 19. Norway also awarded the song 10 points, the highest marks received.
The single reached No.42 in the UK charts, the lowest placing for a Eurovision entrant in many years, although Black Lace went on to greater chart success in the 1980s.
It was succeeded as British representative at the 1980 Contest
by Prima Donna
with "Love Enough for Two
".
approached Black Lace with a view to recording his song Mary Ann. He wanted the group to sound like chart-topping band Smokie
.
As the song required a ‘throaty’ vocal line, it was decided that Alan would take the lead vocal. This was a controversial decision at the time: Alan had not sung lead before and Steve, the band's lead singer, felt that his position within the band was being threatened.
The band travelled to London to record a demo of the song which was sent to EMI Records. The record company liked it, and within a few weeks the band returned to London and signed a recording contract. It took just two days at the Berwick Street studios in Soho to record their first official single Mary Ann.
However, there was a problem: Smokie’s publishers, RAK Music, insisted that Mary Ann was a rip-off of Smokie’s song Oh Carol and threatened to take legal action. The song's publishing company, ATV Music, insisted that any similarity was purely coincidental, and since they showed that the notation of the two songs were different the case was dropped.
However, it was no secret in the Black Lace camp that everything possible was done to sound like Smokie, from the lead vocal to the harmonies, the guitars and even the bass line. "It was an intentional rip-off," said the band's Colin Routh.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...
, performed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Black Lace
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
.
The song is about a man who loves a woman called Mary Ann, but can't express his sentiment to her.
The song was performed 17th on the night (following Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She was once married to Jahn Teigen, another successful Norwegian singer-songwriter...
with "Oliver
Oliver (song)
"Oliver" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Norwegian by Anita Skorgan. This was Skorgan's second participation in the Contest; in 1977 she had placed 14th out of 18 entries with "Casanova"....
" and preceding Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's Christina Simon
Christina Simon
Christina Simon is an Austrian singer and composer.Simon was selected to represent Austria in Eurovision Song Contest 1979. She has performed in that contest the entry "Heute in Jerusalem ". This song had lyrics by André Heller and music by Peter Wolf...
with "Heute in Jerusalem
Heute In Jerusalem
"Heute in Jerusalem" was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in German by jazz singer Christina Simon....
". Despite taking the lead after Denmark had awarded the song 10 points, at the close of voting, it had received 73 points, placing it seventh in a field of 19. Norway also awarded the song 10 points, the highest marks received.
The single reached No.42 in the UK charts, the lowest placing for a Eurovision entrant in many years, although Black Lace went on to greater chart success in the 1980s.
It was succeeded as British representative at the 1980 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
by Prima Donna
Prima Donna (band)
Prima Donna were the United Kingdom representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. The group comprised sisters Kate Robbins and Jane Robbins, Sally Ann Triplett, Danny Finn, Alan Coates and Lance Aston...
with "Love Enough for Two
Love Enough for Two
"Love Enough for Two" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in English by Prima Donna.The song is uptempo and about the love between two people....
".
How it happened
After seeing a promotional video the band had made for agents in a bid to get more work around the country, songwriter Peter MorrisPeter Morris
Peter Morris may refer to:*Peter Morris , English football player and manager*Peter Morris , author of Guardians *Peter Morris , Australian politician...
approached Black Lace with a view to recording his song Mary Ann. He wanted the group to sound like chart-topping band Smokie
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
.
As the song required a ‘throaty’ vocal line, it was decided that Alan would take the lead vocal. This was a controversial decision at the time: Alan had not sung lead before and Steve, the band's lead singer, felt that his position within the band was being threatened.
The band travelled to London to record a demo of the song which was sent to EMI Records. The record company liked it, and within a few weeks the band returned to London and signed a recording contract. It took just two days at the Berwick Street studios in Soho to record their first official single Mary Ann.
However, there was a problem: Smokie’s publishers, RAK Music, insisted that Mary Ann was a rip-off of Smokie’s song Oh Carol and threatened to take legal action. The song's publishing company, ATV Music, insisted that any similarity was purely coincidental, and since they showed that the notation of the two songs were different the case was dropped.
However, it was no secret in the Black Lace camp that everything possible was done to sound like Smokie, from the lead vocal to the harmonies, the guitars and even the bass line. "It was an intentional rip-off," said the band's Colin Routh.