Songs That Could Have Been a Hit for Mary

Can you think of any songs you think could have been a first hit for Mary? Laura Branigan's Gloria comes to mind. I could hear her on that.

Melissa Manchester "Fire In the Morning" or Rita Coolidge "We're All Alone"

“Slow Hand” [[Pointer Sisters) would have done nicely.

"Holiday" by Madonna?

LOL.

Good ideas. Others that come to mind are Oasis by Roberta Flack and The Tide is High by Debbie Harry.

Sylvia Robinson's Pillow Talk, perfect for Mary

Just pick any 'one-hit wonder' type song. Think 'Ring My Bell', 'Misty Blue', even something like Viola Wills' disco version of 'If You Could Read My Mind'.

It might have been funny if, after being pissed around by Diana, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards had written Mary a hit single.

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Originally Posted by Koach

Good ideas. Others that come to mind are Oasis by Roberta Flack and The Tide is High by Debbie Harry.

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Anything from Roberta’s “Set The Night To Music” album would have been a great fit for Mary. Especially “When Someone Tears Your Heart In Two” or the duet STNTM.

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Originally Posted by Levi Stubbs Tears

Just pick any 'one-hit wonder' type song. Think 'Ring My Bell', 'Misty Blue', even something like Viola Wills' disco version of 'If You Could Read My Mind'.

It might have been funny if, after being pissed around by Diana, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards had written Mary a hit single.

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Dorothy Moore who had the big hit with Misty Blue was not a one hit wonder. She enjoyed several albeit smaller hits. Obviously Misty Blue is her signature tune but there was much more to her than that wonderful song. Dorothy is a friend of mine and she would be a little aggrieved if she was not given credit for hits such as Funny how time slips away, i believe you and With pen in hand. A lovely lady with a lovely voice which puts me in mind of Gladys Knight. Yes, she really is that good.
I honestly cannot hear how Mary's voice would have been a comfortable fit for an Edwards and Rodgers production. In the very unlikely event of that happening i have little doubt it would have pissed Diana off big time, especially had it occurred around the time of Dreamgirls.

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

Dorothy Moore who had the big hit with Misty Blue was not a one hit wonder. She enjoyed several albeit smaller hits. Obviously Misty Blue is her signature tune but there was much more to her than that wonderful song. Dorothy is a friend of mine and she would be a little aggrieved if she was not given credit for hits such as Funny how time slips away, i believe you and With pen in hand. A lovely lady with a lovely voice which puts me in mind of Gladys Knight. Yes, she really is that good.
I honestly cannot hear how Mary's voice would have been a comfortable fit for an Edwards and Rodgers production. In the very unlikely event of that happening i have little doubt it would have pissed Diana off big time, especially had it occurred around the time of Dreamgirls.

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Agree that Dorothy Moore is a superb singer. As a kid, the first song I ever heard of hers was “ I Believe You” which of course was another sizeable hit for her.
I was kind of disappointed when she turned more to gospel and blues. As a soul singer she was as good as any.

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Originally Posted by Ollie9

Agree that Dorothy Moore is a superb singer. As a kid, the first song I ever heard of hers was “ I Believe You” which of course was another sizeable hit for her.
I was kind of disappointed when she turned more to gospel and blues. As a soul singer she was as good as any.

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Yes she was Ollie. She was wonderful live. She is a deeply religious lady and i guess it was somewhat inevitable she would go down the gospel route. However her output of secular recordings is quite extensive, and even as recently as the 90's she was still recording some secular music.
She is a truly lovely lady whom i keep in touch on a regular basis though i have not seen her in many years. Incidentally she is a big admirer of Diana whom she said helped pave the way for many other artists who would otherwise not have been given their opportunity.

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

Dorothy Moore who had the big hit with Misty Blue was not a one hit wonder.

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Sorry. She was a one hit wonder downunder anyway. I actually only just realised Misty Blue was a cover this morning when double-checking the number of hits Dorothy had.

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Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I honestly cannot hear how Mary's voice would have been a comfortable fit for an Edwards and Rodgers production. In the very unlikely event of that happening i have little doubt it would have pissed Diana off big time, especially had it occurred around the time of Dreamgirls.

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I guess I was thinking of something like 'Spacer' from the album they did with Sheila [[& B Devotion) or some of their ballads.

Ollie9, you're right; Slow Hand could have been a strong, excellent vehicle for Mary. It is too bad she didn't have the personal sensitivity, awareness and judgment -- or the helpful guidance of knowledgeable producers -- The Pointer Sisters drew on.

I often wondered why she didn't ask Rita Coolidge, who she said was a friend of hers, for some advice on picking songs. Much of Rita's material could have worked for Mary; it had a very relaxed, contemporary sound that was somewhat akin to Mary's work on I Keep It Hid or certain other ballads.

Importantly, Rita conveyed a certain energy that didn't sound forced or artificial. Mary sometimes seemed to try too hard to project excitement, although her repertoire was comprised, mostly, of less-than-compelling lyrics and melodies. No matter how much enthusiasm she tried to inject, the results were sad. She was like a sales clerk at Target pretending that a second-rate dress really was worth purchasing, trying to convince the customer even though she realized all along that the fabric was cheap, the dye was uneven and garish and the style would soon fade.

For the most part, Rita, like Diana Ross and other successful interpreters, seemed to offer something genuine when relating an experience, feelings and reactions; these singers came across as sincere. Diana could take a dubious narrative, such as the one in Slow Down, and make it seem at least half-way credible [[although I suspect that even she would have had difficulty in presenting the occasional junk tune, like The Sha-La Bandit or Mr. Boogie, that The '70s Supremes should have rejected). Mary too often came across as dishonest and untrustworthy because of such choices. With stronger material and a less pushy approach, she would have done better.

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Originally Posted by benross

Ollie9, you're right; Slow Hand could have been a strong, excellent vehicle for Mary. It is too bad she didn't have the personal sensitivity, awareness and judgment -- or the helpful guidance of knowledgeable producers -- The Pointer Sisters drew on.

I often wondered why she didn't ask Rita Coolidge, who she said was a friend of hers, for some advice on picking songs. Much of Rita's material could have worked for Mary; it had a very relaxed, contemporary sound that was somewhat akin to Mary's work on I Keep It Hid or certain other ballads.

Importantly, Rita conveyed a certain energy that didn't sound forced or artificial. Mary sometimes seemed to try too hard to project excitement, although her repertoire was comprised, mostly, of less-than-compelling lyrics and melodies. No matter how much enthusiasm she tried to inject, the results were sad. She was like a sales clerk at Target pretending that a second-rate dress really was worth purchasing, trying to convince the customer even though she realized all along that the fabric was cheap, the dye was uneven and garish and the style would soon fade.

For the most part, Rita, like Diana Ross and other successful interpreters, seemed to offer something genuine when relating an experience, feelings and reactions; these singers came across as sincere. Diana could take a dubious narrative, such as the one in Slow Down, and make it seem at least half-way credible [[although I suspect that even she would have had difficulty in presenting the occasional junk tune, like The Sha-La Bandit or Mr. Boogie, that The '70s Supremes should have rejected). Mary too often came across as dishonest and untrustworthy because of such choices. With stronger material and a less pushy approach, she would have done better.

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Some really good points ben. I think the reason Mary sometimes came across as forced and artificial was that the material she was performing simply didn’t suit her style of voice or even persona for that matter. It was a case of square peg round hole.
Rita and/or the Pointer sisters would have been a good template in helping her to develop a musical style and presentation that was better suited to her smokey vocals. She got there in the end, but it was a long journey.

Good points but you have to remember she had to work with what she had in front of her. If she had a producer who saw the potential things would have been different. Also Mary didn’t meet Rita til a little later on so it would have made a different impact

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Originally Posted by benross

Ollie9, you're right; Slow Hand could have been a strong, excellent vehicle for Mary. It is too bad she didn't have the personal sensitivity, awareness and judgment -- or the helpful guidance of knowledgeable producers -- The Pointer Sisters drew on.

I often wondered why she didn't ask Rita Coolidge, who she said was a friend of hers, for some advice on picking songs. Much of Rita's material could have worked for Mary; it had a very relaxed, contemporary sound that was somewhat akin to Mary's work on I Keep It Hid or certain other ballads.

Importantly, Rita conveyed a certain energy that didn't sound forced or artificial. Mary sometimes seemed to try too hard to project excitement, although her repertoire was comprised, mostly, of less-than-compelling lyrics and melodies. No matter how much enthusiasm she tried to inject, the results were sad. She was like a sales clerk at Target pretending that a second-rate dress really was worth purchasing, trying to convince the customer even though she realized all along that the fabric was cheap, the dye was uneven and garish and the style would soon fade.

For the most part, Rita, like Diana Ross and other successful interpreters, seemed to offer something genuine when relating an experience, feelings and reactions; these singers came across as sincere. Diana could take a dubious narrative, such as the one in Slow Down, and make it seem at least half-way credible [[although I suspect that even she would have had difficulty in presenting the occasional junk tune, like The Sha-La Bandit or Mr. Boogie, that The '70s Supremes should have rejected). Mary too often came across as dishonest and untrustworthy because of such choices. With stronger material and a less pushy approach, she would have done better.

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Piano in the dark
Get here

I Think About Loving You - [[early) Earth, Wind & Fire

i wonder how she could have developed into more of a jazz and cabaret singer. i have a couple stunning Nina Simone albums like Bad Habits and A Single Woman. the songs are arranged for her deeper voice and darker tone. Mary's voice is similar in some regards. obviously not everything Nina did would be a good fit but i think there are some similarities and sound.

I like David's ideas of "Piano" and "Get Here". I think there are a number of songs that Mary could have had hits with in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. If only she had someone in her corner to guide her, because clearly, in many ways like Diana, leaving Mary to her own devices regarding career choices just wasn't a good move.

i also wonder if a few of the tunes on Martha's MCA album would have worked.

Wild Night [[maybe)
You've got me for company
Dixie Highway
aint that peculiar [[maybe)
power of love
i've got to use my imagination
stand by me