Arms of Mary
Encyclopedia
"Arms of Mary" is a 1976 hit single by the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver
; group member Iain Sutherland wrote this mid-tempo ballad whose singer reminisces about the girl with whom he had his first intimate encounter.
The song was introduced on the September 1975 album release Reach for the Sky which marked the debut of the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver on CBS Records
. Iain Sutherland would comment: "The main reason we left [previous label] Island [Records
] was because they wouldn't distribute singles from our albums in the United States." (In fact the group had reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1973 with the Island release "(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway".)
Subsequent to the unsuccessful lead single release from Reach for the Sky: "Ain't Too Proud", "Arms of Mary" had a spring 1976 single release in both the UK and the US affording the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver their UK chart debut; a TOTP
performance broadcast 8 May 1976 helped boost the track ten notches to #6 on the UK chart dated 15 May 1976 with a #5 peak reached the next week. "Arms of Mary" was also an international success most notably in Ireland and the Netherlands - in which territories the track was #1 for respectively four and three weeks - with the track also reaching #1 on the Dutch charts for Belgium.
However "Arms of Mary" did not afford the Sutherland Brothers the American hit in hopes of which they'd moved to CBS Records: the track did debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1976 but failed to accrue enough interest to rise higher than #81.
In 1978 Canadian band Chilliwack
remade "Arms of Mary", the only instance of Chilliwack recording a non-original song. Released as the lead single from the album Lights from the Valley - whose title derives from the song's lyrics - "Arms of Mary" bested the original's Hot 100 peak but also failed to become a major hit rising no higher than #67. In Canada the track reached a chart peak of #49.
"Arms of Mary" has also been recorded by Lady Flash
(Beauties in the Night 1976), the Everly Brothers
(Born Yesterday
1985), Keith Urban
(Keith Urban 1991), Piet Veerman
(In Between 1992), Leo Kottke
(Peculiaroso
1994),1 Boyzone
(Said and Done
1995), Smokie
(Uncovered 2000), Dominic Kirwan (Under Your Spell 2002), Kevin Kennedy
(Present Kennedy 2002), Jan Keizer (Going Back in Time II 2004), Nicholis Louw (My Hart Is Aan Die Brand 2004), Janne Önnerud & Co (Kryddboden 1978) and Wisex (Miss Decibel 1978). The New Pornographers included "Arms of Mary" on their 2007 EP
Spirit of Giving placing the song in tandem with "Looking at a Baby" - recorded by Chilliwack in their earlier incarnation as the Collectors - and presenting the track as a Christmas song.
Translated versions of the song include "Ich seh' dich mit meine augen" a 1976 single by German singer Rebekka, "Marys arme"2 on the 1977 album Din Sang by Bamse, "Naisen verran"3 on the 1977 album Enkelit on harvinasta riistaa by Seppo Närhi and "Laat me in je armen rusten"4 on the 2007 album Hommage III by Mama's Jasje.
Sutherland Brothers
The Sutherland Brothers originally performed as a folk / rock duo in the field of British music in the early 1970s, and then from 1973 to 1978 joined with rock band Quiver to record and tour as Sutherland Brothers & Quiver...
; group member Iain Sutherland wrote this mid-tempo ballad whose singer reminisces about the girl with whom he had his first intimate encounter.
The song was introduced on the September 1975 album release Reach for the Sky which marked the debut of the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver on CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
. Iain Sutherland would comment: "The main reason we left [previous label] Island [Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
] was because they wouldn't distribute singles from our albums in the United States." (In fact the group had reached #48 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1973 with the Island release "(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway".)
Subsequent to the unsuccessful lead single release from Reach for the Sky: "Ain't Too Proud", "Arms of Mary" had a spring 1976 single release in both the UK and the US affording the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver their UK chart debut; a TOTP
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
performance broadcast 8 May 1976 helped boost the track ten notches to #6 on the UK chart dated 15 May 1976 with a #5 peak reached the next week. "Arms of Mary" was also an international success most notably in Ireland and the Netherlands - in which territories the track was #1 for respectively four and three weeks - with the track also reaching #1 on the Dutch charts for Belgium.
However "Arms of Mary" did not afford the Sutherland Brothers the American hit in hopes of which they'd moved to CBS Records: the track did debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1976 but failed to accrue enough interest to rise higher than #81.
In 1978 Canadian band Chilliwack
Chilliwack (band)
Chilliwack are a Canadian rock band that had their heyday during the 1970s and 1980s. Although they are a Canadian band, the members were all born in, as well as reside in, the United States of America. They are perhaps best remembered for their five biggest songs "My Girl ", "I Believe", "Whatcha...
remade "Arms of Mary", the only instance of Chilliwack recording a non-original song. Released as the lead single from the album Lights from the Valley - whose title derives from the song's lyrics - "Arms of Mary" bested the original's Hot 100 peak but also failed to become a major hit rising no higher than #67. In Canada the track reached a chart peak of #49.
"Arms of Mary" has also been recorded by Lady Flash
Lady Flash
Lady Flash was an American trio of singers whose members were Reparata Mazzola, Monica Pege and Debra Byrd. They were the featured backup group for Barry Manilow from 1974-1979 and released one hit of their own, 1976's "Street Singin'". The tune, which was written and arranged by Manilow, reached...
(Beauties in the Night 1976), the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
(Born Yesterday
Born Yesterday (album)
Born Yesterday is an album by The Everly Brothers, released in 1985. It peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard 200 and No. 22 on the Top Country Albums charts.-Track listing:#"Amanda Ruth"...
1985), Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
(Keith Urban 1991), Piet Veerman
The Cats
The Cats were a rock band from Volendam, The Netherlands. Together with BZN, they were key figures of what came to be called the Palingsound , an umbrella for artists residing in Volendam...
(In Between 1992), Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
(Peculiaroso
Peculiaroso
Peculiaroso is an album by American guitarist Leo Kottke, released in 1994.-History:Coming more than two years after the Great Big Boy album, where all tracks included vocal parts, Peculiaroso returned to Kottke's usual mix of vocal and instrumental selections...
1994),1 Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
(Said and Done
Said and Done
Said and Done is the debut album by Irish band Boyzone. The pop album was released on 21 November 1994 by Polygram International. It topped the UK charts at #1 for the week of September 2, 1995. Five singles were released from the album: "Love Me for a Reason", "Key to My Life", "So Good", "Father...
1995), Smokie
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
(Uncovered 2000), Dominic Kirwan (Under Your Spell 2002), Kevin Kennedy
Kevin Kennedy (actor)
Kevin Kennedy is an English actor, writer, producer, singer, and guitarist, best known for playing the bottle-lensed Curly Watts in ITV's long running soap opera Coronation Street between 1983 and 2003.-Early life:Kennedy was born in Manchester. He attended St Paul's RC Secondary High School...
(Present Kennedy 2002), Jan Keizer (Going Back in Time II 2004), Nicholis Louw (My Hart Is Aan Die Brand 2004), Janne Önnerud & Co (Kryddboden 1978) and Wisex (Miss Decibel 1978). The New Pornographers included "Arms of Mary" on their 2007 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Spirit of Giving placing the song in tandem with "Looking at a Baby" - recorded by Chilliwack in their earlier incarnation as the Collectors - and presenting the track as a Christmas song.
Translated versions of the song include "Ich seh' dich mit meine augen" a 1976 single by German singer Rebekka, "Marys arme"2 on the 1977 album Din Sang by Bamse, "Naisen verran"3 on the 1977 album Enkelit on harvinasta riistaa by Seppo Närhi and "Laat me in je armen rusten"4 on the 2007 album Hommage III by Mama's Jasje.
- 1instrumental version
- 2Danish lyrics by Bamse
- 3Finnish lyrics by Irina Milan
- 4Dutch lyrics by Peter Van Laet
| CHARTING SINGLE VERSIONS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | Year | Recording info | US chart position Billboard Hot 100 *** Cashbox Top 100 | International chart positions |
| Sutherland Brothers and Quiver Sutherland Brothers The Sutherland Brothers originally performed as a folk / rock duo in the field of British music in the early 1970s, and then from 1973 to 1978 joined with rock band Quiver to record and tour as Sutherland Brothers & Quiver... |
1976 | producer: Howard Albert, Ron Albert CBS 4001 B-side "We Get Along" (album Reach for the Sky) |
81 *** 71 |
#5  #28 Belgium Flemish Region#1  #17 4wks@#1  3wks@#1 #32  #3 |
| Chilliwack Chilliwack (band) Chilliwack are a Canadian rock band that had their heyday during the 1970s and 1980s. Although they are a Canadian band, the members were all born in, as well as reside in, the United States of America. They are perhaps best remembered for their five biggest songs "My Girl ", "I Believe", "Whatcha... |
1978 | producer: Bill Henderson, Ross Turney, Marc Gilutin Mushroom 7033 B-side "I Wanna Be the One" (album Lights from the Valley) |
#67 *** #92 |
 #49 |
| Piet Veerman The Cats The Cats were a rock band from Volendam, The Netherlands. Together with BZN, they were key figures of what came to be called the Palingsound , an umbrella for artists residing in Volendam... |
1992 | producer: Gerard Stellard, Piet Veerman Columbia Holland 6582801B-side "Together Again" (album In Between) |
- | #44 |