Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord

"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" ^{[nb 1]} is a 1978 Christmas single for Boney M., a cover of Harry Belafonte's 1956 hit, put in medley with the new song "Oh My Lord" (Farian / Jay).

The single was recorded in a hurry early November, included in the group's live set and rushed out at the end of the month, topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks^[1] and became Christmas number one, spending eight weeks in the charts. It was the second single for the group in the UK's all-time best selling singles list. The song was later included in the group's Christmas Album, 1981.

In the United States, the track reached number 85 in the Billboard Hot 100, Boney M's last of four singles to chart; despite its chart position, the medley is an airplay favorite in the United States during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season on radio stations which change to temporary all-Christmas music formats. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and has sold 1.89 million as of November 2015.^[2]

Single

A promotional gatefold single (15 816 AT) backed with "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (from Nightflight to Venus) was released shortly before the commercial single which had a new track on the B-side "Dancing in the Streets". Different edits were issued in various countries. In Spain and France, the third verse (Now Joseph and his wife Mary came to Bethlehem that night ...) was excised, while the French mix of "Oh My Lord" was a different mix. A 4:29 edit surfaced on the 1980 compilation The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits, possibly the originally intended single edit. The full-length 6:18 mix appeared as the B-side of the 12" single "Dancing in the Streets".

Music video

Two music videos were produced to promote the single.^[3] One featured the band in a white room wearing white furry coats, while the second featured the band once again dressed in white with a nativity scene.

"Dancing in the Streets"

After Christmas, Hansa Records flipped the single and released it with "Dancing in the Streets" on the A-side. The non-album track was sung solely by the group's producer Frank Farian, singing the chorus in multi-dubbed falsetto vocals and singing the verse in his deep voice. The mix that came out on the B-side of "Mary's Boy Child" in the UK and US was an early version with shriller falsetto vocals and no answer-back chorus vocals in the verses. Despite the lack of success, the track was chosen as the one to launch Boney M. in the USA which remained the only territory the group had yet to conquer. The group did a promotional tour in April 1979 and also lip-synced the track at important TV shows such as Soul Train but the single stalled at number 105 on the Pop chart and fared only slightly better on the R&B chart (number 75).

Releases

7" singles

"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" – 5:29 / "Dancing in the Streets" (Farian) – 3:57 (Hansa Int. 100 075-100, Germany)
"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" – 5:29 / "Dancing in the Streets" – 3:43 (Atlantic K 11221, UK) (Sire 1036, USA)
"Dancing in the Streets" – 3:57 / "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" – 5:29 (Hansa Int. 100 075-100, Germany)
"Dancing in the Streets" – 3:57 / "Motherless Child" (Farian / Mitchell) – 4:33 (Durium DE 3047, Italy)
"Dancing in the Streets" – 3:55 / "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" – 5:01 (Sire 1038, USA)

12" single

"Dancing in the Streets" – 6:18 / "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" – 6:18 (Hansa Int. 600 009-212, Germany)
"Dancing in the Streets" – 6:18 / "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" – 5:01 (Sire SRD 1040, USA)

1988 remix

"Rivers of Babylon" / "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" is a 1988 remix single by German band Boney M., issued to launch the group's reunion, having been split since their 10th anniversary, 1986. The double A-side single contained new mixes of the band's two very most successful single releases ever. Although their remix album sold well, the single failed to chart.

"Christmas Mega Mix"

"Christmas Mega Mix" is a 1992 remix single by German band Boney M., issued to launch a new edition of their Christmas album, The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World. The Christmas Mega Mix was in fact just another name for a new remix of "Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord". In the UK, the new mix was put on the B-side of their "Megamix" single.

7" single

"Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" (radio version) – 3:58 / "Zion's Daughter" – 3:50 (Hansa 74321 11933 7-100, Germany)

1. "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" (radio version) – 3:58 / 2. "Zion's Daughter" – 3:50 / 3. "When a Child Is Born" – 3:19 / 4. "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" (long version) – 5:09

(Hansa 74321 11933 2-211, Germany)

Covers

The song was covered by Glee in the episode "Previously Unaired Christmas" from the fifth season. It was covered by the Australian pop band The Eclectics featuring Jared Lerner.

Footnotes

↑ The two-part title separated by an oblique denotes the song on one side of the single, not (as it is often used) to indicate a double A-side.

References

↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 360. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
↑ Myers, Justin (November 29, 2015). "Official Top 20 biggest selling Christmas songs revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
↑ "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord - Boney M". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-03-28.

External links

Preceded by "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart	UK number-one single 9 December 1978 (for four weeks)	Succeeded by "Y.M.C.A." by Village People

Boney M.

Liz Mitchell Marcia Barrett Maizie Williams Bobby Farrell Reggie Tsiboe

Studio albums and main compilations (1976–1985)	Take the Heat off Me (1976) Love for Sale (1977) Nightflight to Venus (1978) Oceans of Fantasy (1979) The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980) Children of Paradise - The Greatest Hits of Boney M. - Vol. 2 (1981) Boonoonoonoos (1981) Christmas Album (1981) Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984) Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) Fantastic Boney M. (1984) Christmas with Boney M. (1984) Eye Dance (1985)

Main compilations and remix albums (1986–present)	The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986) The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988) Ma Baker (1989) Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989) The Collection (1991) Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991) The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992) Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992) The Greatest Hits (1993) More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993) Hit Collection (1996) Best in Spain (1996) The Best of Boney M. (1997) Norske Hits (1998) Ultimate (1999) 20th Century Hits (1999) 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000) The Complete Collection (2000) Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000) The Greatest Hits (2001) The Magic of Boney M. (2006) Hit Collection (2007) Christmas With Boney M. (2007) The Collection (2008) Rivers of Babylon (A Best of Collection) (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 1 (2008) Christmas Time (2008) The Complete Boney M. (2008) In the Mix (2008) The Magic of Boney M. - The Danish Collection (2008) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 2 (2009) Let It All Be Music - The Party Album (2009) Ultimate Boney M. - Long Versions & Rarities, Volume 3 (2009)

Main single discography	"Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975) "Daddy Cool" (1976) "Sunny" (1976) "Ma Baker" (1977) "Belfast" (1977) "Rivers of Babylon"/"Brown Girl in the Ring" (1978) "Rasputin" (1978) "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" (1978) "Painter Man" (1979) "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979) "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" (1979) "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama" (1979) "I See a Boat on the River"/"My Friend Jack" (1980) "Children of Paradise"/"Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980) "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980) "Malaika"/"Consuela Biaz" (1981) "We Kill the World"/"Boonoonoonoos" (1981) "The Little Drummer Boy"/"6 Years of Boney M. Hits" (1981) "The Carnival Is Over"/"Going Back West" (1982) "Zion's Daughter" (1982) "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983) "Somewhere in the World" (1984) "Kalimba de Luna" (1984) "Happy Song" (1984) "My Cherie Amour" (1985) "Young, Free and Single" (1985) "Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86)" (1986) "Bang Bang Lulu" (1986) "Rivers of Babylon (Remix)"/"Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord (Remix)" (1988) "Megamix" (1988) "The Summer Mega Mix" (1989) "Malaika (Lambada Remix)" (1989) "Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker" (1989) "Stories" (1990) "Christmas Mega Mix" (1992) "Megamix" (1992) "Brown Girl in the Ring (Remix)" (1993) "Ma Baker (Remix)" (1993) "Papa Chico" (1994) "Somebody Scream - Ma Baker" (1998) "Daddy Cool '99" (1999) "Hooray! Hooray! (Caribbean Night Fever)" (1999) "Sunny (Remix)" (2000) "Daddy Cool 2001" (2001) "Sunny (Mousse T. Remix)" (2006) "Felicidad America (Obama-Obama)" (2009)

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