Mary Jane (Megadeth song)
Encyclopedia
"Mary Jane" is the fourth song from Megadeth
's album So Far, So Good… So What!, written by Dave Mustaine
and David Ellefson
.
, as is commonly thought; it is actually about a girl who takes up witchcraft
, and seeks forgiveness from her father only to be buried alive as punishment.
Most of the lyrics refer to a man being haunted by the girl. Ironically, or perhaps intentionally, the song's last beat is on 4:20
, a reference to marijuana. Mustaine and Ellefson confirmed in 1994 at a show close to where Ellefson grew up that the song was about the "witch's grave", a local Iowa/Minnesota legend about a grave in the Loon Lake Cemetery, Near Jackson, Minnesota
, that belongs to a young woman by the name of Mary Jane Twilegar, who was supposedly beheaded by the citizens of Petersburg, Minnesota (near Jackson), in 1881 for being a witch. Rumor has it she was buried axe and all, and that whoever dares jump her grave three times, will suffer an untimely death. An obituary found years later supposedly belonging to "Mary Jane" claimed that she died of diphtheria, and there were no records of witchcraft & beheadings in the area at that time. Despite this, Mary Jane's tombstone was removed from the cemetery by the Jackson County Historical Society and taken to the Jackson County Police Department for safe keeping due to years of vandalism. The song is also claimed to be about taboos in culture; at a live performance, Dave Mustaine claimed that the song is about a girl who is caught masturbating by her father, who then kills her.
, describes the song as "darkly melodic". The song is also unique in that it begins with a descending whole tone scale
in the lead guitar part.
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
's album So Far, So Good… So What!, written by Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
and David Ellefson
David Ellefson
David Warren "Dave" Ellefson is a bassist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He also goes by "Junior." He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona...
.
Lyrical meaning
"Mary Jane" is not about marijuanaCannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, as is commonly thought; it is actually about a girl who takes up witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, and seeks forgiveness from her father only to be buried alive as punishment.
Most of the lyrics refer to a man being haunted by the girl. Ironically, or perhaps intentionally, the song's last beat is on 4:20
420 (cannabis culture)
420, 4:20 or 4/20 refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. The notable day for these is April 20.- Origins of terms :...
, a reference to marijuana. Mustaine and Ellefson confirmed in 1994 at a show close to where Ellefson grew up that the song was about the "witch's grave", a local Iowa/Minnesota legend about a grave in the Loon Lake Cemetery, Near Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson is a city in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,299 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.-Geography:...
, that belongs to a young woman by the name of Mary Jane Twilegar, who was supposedly beheaded by the citizens of Petersburg, Minnesota (near Jackson), in 1881 for being a witch. Rumor has it she was buried axe and all, and that whoever dares jump her grave three times, will suffer an untimely death. An obituary found years later supposedly belonging to "Mary Jane" claimed that she died of diphtheria, and there were no records of witchcraft & beheadings in the area at that time. Despite this, Mary Jane's tombstone was removed from the cemetery by the Jackson County Historical Society and taken to the Jackson County Police Department for safe keeping due to years of vandalism. The song is also claimed to be about taboos in culture; at a live performance, Dave Mustaine claimed that the song is about a girl who is caught masturbating by her father, who then kills her.
Musical style
Janiss Garza, writing for the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, describes the song as "darkly melodic". The song is also unique in that it begins with a descending whole tone scale
Whole tone scale
In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole step. There are only two complementary whole tone scales, both six-note or hexatonic scales:...
in the lead guitar part.
Personnel
- Dave MustaineDave MustaineDavid Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, lead vocals - Jeff YoungJeff YoungJeff Young is an American guitarist. He graduated from Musicians Institute in 1985, and is best known for his time with the thrash metal band Megadeth, appearing on the 1988 album So Far, So Good... So What!...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - David EllefsonDavid EllefsonDavid Warren "Dave" Ellefson is a bassist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He also goes by "Junior." He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Chuck BehlerChuck BehlerChuck Behler is an American drummer. Behler played drums for the heavy metal band Megadeth from 1987 through 1989, recording the album So Far, So Good… So What! with the group in 1988...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart
| Year | Track name | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Mary Jane" | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
46 |