Mary Anne (song)
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| "Mary Anne" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Marshall Crenshaw | |
| from the album Marshall Crenshaw | |
| Released | April 28, 1982 |
| Recorded | January 1982 |
| Genre | New wave |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Producers |
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"Mary Anne" is a 1982 song by American rock musician Marshall Crenshaw. The song was released on his 1982 debut album, Marshall Crenshaw. Written from the perspective of trying to console someone, the song's title was not based on a specific girl. The song's hook was described by Crenshaw as going for a "hypnotic" effect and the song features layered 12-string guitar parts.
"Mary Anne" was not released as a single. Despite this, it has since become one of Crenshaw's most famous songs, seeing positive critical reception and becoming a live favorite.
"Mary Anne" originated from the titular name; Crenshaw explained, "I had the idea to write a song called 'Mary Anne,' that was the first thing. Just kinda the way the word rolls out of my mouth was a good thing."[1] The song was not written with anyone in mind—Crenshaw recalled, "I didn’t really know anybody named Mary Anne. It's just got kind of a musical sound to it. I think a couple of years earlier than that, I tried to write a song around the name Mary Anne, just because, again, it's kind of a musical-sounding name, or I thought so, anyway."[2] Crenshaw has described the song as being about "consoling somebody" and "try[ing] not to let your anxieties overwhelm you."[2][3] He elaborated,
At the time I had a friend who's [sic] girlfriend married another friend of mine. This was like 1979, 1980. In my head I was consoling that person. But the lyrics aren't specific, they're just kind of general. Sometimes you just have to laugh at life, laugh at your misery to keep yourself sane, etc. That’s the only way you can go forward sometimes. I remember at the time I was trying to be very minimalistic with lyrics.[1]