What Will Mary Say

"What Will Mary Say"
Single by Johnny Mathis
B-side"Quiet Girl"
ReleasedJanuary 4, 1963 (1963-01-04)
GenreEasy Listening[1]
Length3:10
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Eddie Snyder, Paul Vance
Producer(s)Ernie Altschuler
Johnny Mathis singles chronology
"Gina"
(1962) 		"What Will Mary Say"
(1963) 		"Every Step of the Way"
(1963)

"What Will Mary Say" is a song written by Eddie Snyder and Paul Vance. It was originally performed and issued as a single by Mark Dinning in 1961,[2] but did not chart. Two years later, the song was recorded and released by Johnny Mathis,[3] who made the song a popular hit. Mathis' version of "What Will Mary Say" (arranged by Don Costa and produced by Ernie Altschuler[4]) reached #3 on the adult contemporary chart, #9 on the U.S. pop chart, #21 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #49 on the UK Singles Chart in 1963.[5]

The song is about an affair, in which the singer wants to end it, fearing that his original lover would be angry and walk out on him. This song features the sounds of a spoken woman, repeatedly pleading: "Don't Go".

The song ranked #65 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1963.[6][7]

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (December 4, 2019). "The Number Ones: Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams' "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 5, 2023. After his vaguely countryish 1963 lament "What Will Mary Say" peaked at #9, Mathis didn't score a top-10 hit for another 15 years.
  2. ^ "Mark Dinning, "In a Matter of Moments" Single Release". Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  3. ^ "Johnny Mathis, "What Will Mary Say" Single Release". Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "Johnny Mathis, "What Will Mary Say" Single Release". Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  5. ^ "Johnny Mathis, "What Will Mary Say" Chart Positions". Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Top Records of 1963", Billboard, Section II, December 28, 1963. p. 30. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  7. ^ Kowal, Barry. Billboard Magazine's (USA) Top 100 Single Recordings of 1963, Hits of All Decades. August 27, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2019.