Mary, Did You Know?
"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song with lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album in 1991 (English and Lowry were both members of the Gaither Vocal Band at the time). It reached No. 6 on CCM Magazine's AC Chart.[1] Lowry would record the song several times himself, most notably with the Gaither Vocal Band on their 1998 Christmas album Still the Greatest Story Ever Told.
The song has since gone on to become a modern Christmas classic, being recorded by many artists over the years across multiple genres.
Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd version
| "Mary, Did You Know?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd | ||||
| from the album The Gift | ||||
| Released | December 1996 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label | Magnatone | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Lowry, Buddy Greene | |||
| Producer(s) | Brent Maher, Jim McKell | |||
| Kenny Rogers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A duet version recorded by Wynonna Judd and Kenny Rogers on Rogers' holiday album The Gift peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1997.[2]
Chart positions
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 55 |
Clay Aiken version
| "Mary, Did You Know?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Clay Aiken | ||||
| from the album Merry Christmas with Love | ||||
| Released | 2005 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music | |||
| Length | 3:21 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Writer(s) | Lee Rufus Greenebill, Mark Alan Lowry | |||
| Producer(s) | Walter Afanasieff | |||
| Clay Aiken singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mary, Did You Know?" is Clay Aiken's fifth single for his Christmas album Merry Christmas with Love. Aiken performed the song on The Tyra Banks Show.[4]
Chart positions
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 35 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs | 32 |
Cee Lo Green version
| "Mary, Did You Know?" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Cee Lo Green from the album Cee Lo's Magic Moment | |
| Released | 2012 |
| Format | Digital download |
| Recorded | 2012 |
| Genre | R&B |
| Length | 3:54 |
| Label | RCA |
| Producer(s) | Adam Anders, Peer Åström |
"Mary, Did You Know?" is the eleventh track on Cee Lo's Christmas album Cee Lo's Magic Moment. On December 15, 2012 the song appeared on the US R&B Songs chart at number 22. It also served as the closing credits song to the 2014 20th Century Fox movie Son of God.
Chart positions
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard R&B Songs[5] | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[5] | 44 |
Pentatonix version
| "Mary, Did You Know?" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pentatonix from the album That's Christmas to Me | |
| Released | October 17, 2014 |
| Format | Digital download |
| Recorded | 2012 |
| Genre | Ambient, a cappella |
| Length | 3:23 |
| Label | RCA |
"Mary, Did You Know?" is the sixth track on Pentatonix's second Christmas album, That's Christmas to Me.[6] The song both debuted and peaked at No. 26 on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 6, 2014.
Chart positions
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 26 |
Other notable versions
- 1993: Kathy Mattea on her Christmas album Good News, which won a Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album
- 1995: Vickie Winans recorded the song for her self-titled album
- 1997: Gary Chapman on his Christmas album This Gift
- 1998: Donny Osmond on his album Christmas at Home
- 1999: Reba McEntire on her Christmas album The Secret of Giving
- 2001: Rescue on their album The First Christmas
- 2001: Hayley Westenra on her second album, My Gift to You, released in New Zealand and Australia, by Universal New Zealand label; also included as a bonus song on a special UK version of her first international album, Pure (2003); and performed it on her 2004 PBS Great Performances special, Live from New Zealand, which was released on DVD.
- 2004: Glen Campbell recorded the song on his album Love Is the Answer: 24 Songs of Faith, Hope and Love.
- 2004: The Katinas on their album Family Christmas
- 2005: Jeff Fenholt on his album "Down from His Glory" ... and more
- 2006: Stan Whitmire on his album Christmas Around the Piano
- 2007: Kimberley Locke on her album Christmas
- 2008: Kutless on BEC Recordings album X Christmas
- 2009: Jerry Douglas on his album Jerry Christmas
- 2010: Jessica Simpson on her album Happy Christmas
- 2011: Rascal Flatts released a version of the song as a single, which appears on the 2012 compilation A Very Special Christmas: 25 Years Bringing Joy to the World
- 2012: Don Moen on his album Christmas: A Season of Hope (a duet with its composer, Buddy Greene)
- 2012: Jeremy Camp on his album Christmas: God with Us
- 2012: Scotty McCreery on his album Christmas with Scotty McCreery
- 2013: Mary J. Blige on her album A Mary Christmas
- 2013: The Oak Ridge Boys on their album Christmas Time's A-Comin'
- 2015: India.Arie on Christmas with Friends; a duet with Gene Moore, Jr.
- 2015: Jordan Smith on The Voice's season nine finals. This version debuted and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 2 on the Billboard Holiday 100 chart on the week ending January 2, 2016.
- 2015: Peter Hollens published a six-voice a cappella version on Youtube[8]
- 2015: The Braxtons on their album Braxton Family Christmas
- 2015: Danny Gokey on his album Christmas Is Here
Musical
The song was also used as the basis for a stage musical, also titled Mary, Did You Know and written by Bruce Greer, that won the 1999 Dove Award for Musical of the Year.[9]
References
- ↑ Brothers, Jeffrey Lee (2003). Hot hits : adult contemporary charts, 1978-2001 (1st ed.). Bloomington, IN: 1stBooks Library. p. 86. ISBN 9781410732941.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p93355/charts-awards/billboard-singles
- ↑ "Kenny Rogers – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kenny Rogers.
- ↑ Clay Aiken - Mary Did You Know - The Tyra Banks Show on YouTube
- 1 2 http://www.billboard.com/artist/298842/cee+lo+green/chart?f=1230
- ↑ Official Video - Mary, Did You Know? - Pentatonix on YouTube
- ↑ "Pentatonix – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Pentatonix. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ↑ Mary, did you know - Peter Hollens (Youtube Video)
- ↑ Cusic, Don (2010). Encyclopedia of contemporary Christian music: pop, rock, and worship. ABC-CLIO. pp. 141–. ISBN 978-0-313-34425-1. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
