"What Will Mary Say" is a song written by

Eddie Snyder Edward Abraham Snyder (February 22, 1919 – March 10, 2011) was an American composer and songwriter. Snyder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, "Strangers in the Night". Snyder was bor ...

and

Paul Vance Joseph Paul Florio (November 4, 1929 – May 30, 2022), known professionally as Paul Vance, was an American songwriter and record producer, primarily from the 1950s until the 1970s. His most successful song compositions, all written with Lee Po ...

. It was originally performed and issued as a single by

Mark Dinning Max Edward "Mark" Dinning (August 17, 1933 – March 22, 1986) was an American pop music singer. In February 1960, the song " Teen Angel", written by his sister Jean (Eugenia) and her husband Red Surrey, reached number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

in 1961, but did not chart. Two years later, the song was recorded and released by

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

, who made the song a popular hit. Mathis' version of "What Will Mary Say" (arranged by

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including '' Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way'' ...

and produced by Ernie Altschuler) reached #3 on the

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

, #9 on the U.S. pop chart, #21 on the U.S. R&B chart, and #49 on the UK Singles Chart in 1963. 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.

Other versions

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

released a version of the song on his 1963 album ''1963's Early Hits''. *

Joey Powers Joseph S. "Joe" Ruggiero (December 7, 1934 – January 20, 2017), who performed as Joey Powers, was an American pop singer and songwriter whose record "Midnight Mary" reached No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early January 1964. Powers ha ...

released a version of the song on his 1964 album with

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City", and " 500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Earl ...

and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

entitled ''Special Delivery from Bobby Bare...Joey Powers...Roy Orbison''. *

Jay Black Jay Black (born David Blatt; November 2, 1938 – October 22, 2021) was an American singer whose height of fame came in the 1960s when he was the lead singer of the band Jay and the Americans. The band had numerous hits including "Come a Little ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1967, but it did not chart. * Gene Thomas released a version of the song as a single in 1967, but it did not chart. * David Geddes released a version of the song on his 1975 album ''Run Joey Run''. *

Barry Biggs Barry Biggs (born 1946 St. Andrew, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer, best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song, "Sideshow", which got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977. Career Biggs worked as a recording engine ...

released a version of the song on his 1976 album ''Mr. Biggs''.

References

1961 songs 1963 singles 1967 singles Songs written by Eddie Snyder Songs written by Paul Vance Songs about infidelity Johnny Mathis songs Columbia Records singles United Artists Records singles {{1960s-single-stub