Johnny and Mary

"Johnny and Mary"
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Clues
Released	1980
Format	7" vinyl 12" vinyl
Recorded	Compass Point Studios
Genre	Synthpop[1] new wave[2]
Length	3:59
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Robert Palmer
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Can We Still Be Friends" (1979) "Johnny and Mary" (1980) "Looking for Clues" (1980)

"Johnny and Mary" is a song written and originally performed by Robert Palmer. Palmer's version was recorded in 1980 at Compass Point Studios, New Providence, in the Bahamas. The song was featured on Palmer's album Clues (1980).

"Johnny and Mary" went to no. 44 on the UK Singles Chart,^[3] and was a top 40 hit in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and several European countries. In Germany, it peaked at no. 7 on the singles chart and spent a total of 23 weeks in the Top 20.^[4][5] In France, it reached no. 2 while in Spain, it peaked at no. 1 on the Spanish singles chart (AFYVE).^[6]

Though the single did not chart in the US Hot 100, it did reach no. 18 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart.^[7]

"Johnny and Mary" was used as the signature tune in advertisements promoting Renault cars throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Early adverts used Palmer's original version, while a range of special recordings in different styles were produced during the 1990s, most famously an acoustic interpretation by Martin Taylor, which he released on his album Spirit of Django. Taylor recorded alternate versions for Renault; the last being in 1998 for the launch of the all-new Renault Clio.

AllMusic suggests that "Johnny and Mary" was the inspiration for Rod Stewart's later hit "Young Turks".

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1980–81) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 20 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 8 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[11] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] 32 France (IFOP)[13] 2 Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 7 Italy (FIMI)[15] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 21 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 27 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 12 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] 5 Spain (AFYVE)[6] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 5 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[3] 44 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[7] 18 Year-end charts Chart (1980) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 80 France (IFOP)[23] 24 Chart (1981) Position Italy (FIMI)[15] 15

Todd Terje and Bryan Ferry version

"Johnny and Mary"
Single by Todd Terje featuring Bryan Ferry
from the album It's Album Time and Avonmore
Released	7 April 2014
Format	CD digital download
Length	6:32 (album version) 5:10 (radio edit)
Label	Olsen
Producer(s)	Todd Terje
Todd Terje singles chronology "Leisure Suit Preben" (2013) "Johnny and Mary" (2014) "Alfonso Muskedunder" (2015) Bryan Ferry singles chronology "Alphaville" (2011) "Johnny and Mary" (2014) "Loop De Li" (2014)

Norwegian DJ Todd Terje covered "Johnny and Mary" for his debut studio album It's Album Time. His version features vocals from English musician Bryan Ferry. Terje's version was released as a single on 7 April 2014 as a digital download^[24] and peaked at number 185 on the French Singles Chart.^[25] It also appears on Ferry's fourteenth studio album, Avonmore.

Track listing

CD single[25]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Johnny and Mary"	6:32
2.	"Johnny and Mary" (Radio edit)	5:10

Digital download[24]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Johnny and Mary" (Radio edit)	5:10

Chart performance

Chart (2014)	Peak position
France (SNEP)[25]	185

Other cover versions

• Tina Turner included her own version of the song in the album The Collected Recordings – Sixties to Nineties.
• Hungarian singer Kati Kovács wrote Hungarian lyrics to this song and recorded her version in 1985. This cover was published on the Favorit label as 7" single (B-side of SPS 70689).
• German band The Notwist covered the song on their 1993 EP Johnny and Mary.
• A Finnish-language version "Jari ja Mari" was released in 1993 by Muska.^[26]
• Status Quo covered the song for their 1996 album Don't Stop.
• The track was also covered by British rock band Placebo as a B-side to their 2000 single "Taste in Men" and on their 2003 album Covers.
• A cover in Swiss German is on the Züri West 2008 album Haubi Songs.
• French band Nouvelle Vague recorded their version with a Polish singer Ania on the Polish edition of their 2009 album 3. The song was also included on the deluxe edition of Ania's 2010 album Ania Movie.
• German band Wir sind Helden recorded a cover in 2011^[27]
• American Avant-Rock group Crane Eater (featuring Dan Sheffield) covers the song on their debut record Eatin' Cranes.
• German Band Knabenkraut (featuring singer and wildlife filmmaker Oliver Goetzl) covered the song on their album "Someone still loves you, Knabenkraut" (Marsh–Marigold Records, 2014).
• Other artists who have covered the song include Ellen Foley, Melissa Manchester and folk duo John & Mary on their 2007 album Peace Bridge.

References

1. Drever, Andrew (4 April 2014). "Timely debut takes Ferry 'cross the Terje". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). Retrieved 13 July 2014.
2. Sherburne, Philip (9 April 2014). "The Hitman and the Trickster: Todd Terje's Improbable Disco". Spin. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
3. "Robert Palmer: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
4. "German Top 20 – The Chart of 1980". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
5. "German Top 20 – The Chart of 1981". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
6. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
7. "Robert Palmer – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
8. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989, part 2". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
9. "Austriancharts.at – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
10. "Ultratop.be – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
11. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 11 oktober 1980" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0274." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
13. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Robert Palmer" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
15. "I singoli più venduti del 1981" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Robert Palmer - Johnny And Mary search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
18. "Charts.org.nz – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
19. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (P)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Robert Palmer – Johnny And Mary". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
22. "Jaaroverzichten 1980" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
23. "TOP – 1980" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
24. "Johnny and Mary (Radio Edit) [feat. Bryan Ferry]". iTunes Norway. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
25. "Lescharts.com – Todd Terje feat. Bryan Ferry – Johnny and Mary" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
26. "Hakutulos levymerkille Emi 72438670012 ( cds )" (in Finnish). Aanitearkisto.fi. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
27. "Johnny & Mary by Wir sind Helden on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. Retrieved 25 July 2013.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics