Mary Jane (Rick James song)
"Mary Jane" is a song by American musician Rick James. It was released on September 9, 1978 as the second single from his debut album Come Get It!. The song peaked in the top five on the R&B charts in the United States in 1978,[1] and crossed over to the US Hot 100.
| "Mary Jane" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rick James | ||||
| from the album Come Get It! | ||||
| B-side | "Dream Maker" | |||
| Released | September 9, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | Funk, soul | |||
| Length | 4:57 | |||
| Label | Gordy / Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rick James | |||
| Producer(s) | Rick James, Art Stewart | |||
| Rick James singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
As one of his earliest hits as a solo artist, it is one of his most notable songs. It was composed by James, along with keyboardist Billy Nunn, who was credited for the keyboards, strings, background vocals, helping to compose the song, arranging flute parts, and other instrumentation work. The lyrics of the song are a thinly-veiled ode to James' love of marijuana aka "Mary Jane". During live performances of the song, James frequently had stage props that looked like giant joints and then would light up an actual joint.[2]
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 41 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[4] | 3 |
References
- "Come Get It! Rick James". December 4, 2007.
- Bienstock, Richard; Reeves, Mosi; Garber-Paul, Elizabeth; Epstein, Dan (April 20, 2021). "Pot Sounds: The 20 Greatest Weed-Themed Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
"Mary Jane" is sensimilla-infused soul of the highest order. James would often perform the song onstage flanked by two gigantic fake joints, and punctuate the lyrics by taking exaggerated hits off a real one.
- Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 422.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 291.