Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (song)

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“Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord”

Single by Boney M

Released

27. November 1978

Format

7" single, 12" single

Recorded

November 1978

Genre

Pop, Disco

Length

5:29 (7" version)

5:40 (French 7" version)
5:22 (Spanish 7" version)
6:18 (12" version)

Label

Hansa Records (FRG)

Sire Records (USA)
Atlantic Records (AUS)

Writer(s)

Jester Hairston, Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Lorin

Producer

Frank Farian

Boney M singles chronology

"Rasputin"
(1978)

"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord"
(1978)

"Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday"
(1979)

"Mary's Boy Child" 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 charts for four weeks during its eight week stay in the charts, and becoming the second single for the group in the all-time best selling singles charts. The song was later included in the group's Christmas Album, 1981.

1 The Single
2 Dancing in the Streets
3 Releases
4 1988 Remix
5 Sources

[edit] The 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 3rd verse (Now Joseph and his wife Mary came to Bethlehem that night ...) had been cut out, 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.

[edit] 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 Soul Train but the single stalled at #105 in the Pop charts and fared only slightly better in the R&B charts (#75).

[edit] 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)

“Rivers of Babylon" (Remix) /
"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" (Remix)”

Single by Boney M.
from the album
Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88

Released

October, 1988

Format

7" single, 12" single, CD-single

Hansa Records (FRG)

Boney M. singles chronology

"Bang Bang Lulu"
(1986)

"Rivers of Babylon (Remix) /
Mary's Boy Child /
Oh My Lord (Remix)"
(1988)

"Megamix"
(1988)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Sources

v • d • e Boney M.

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 – 2008)	The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986) · The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986) – Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988) · 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)

Main single discography (1975-1990)	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) · Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday (1979) · El Lute / Gotta Go Home (1979) · I'm Born Again / Bahama Mama (song) (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)) · 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)