Mary Lou

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Mary Lou

Teach Tracks

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Sheet Music

Performance Notes

Mary Lou is a happy song and we should show that to the audience in our posture and faces.

# It needs to be brisk but not too fast.

# There is little change of dynamics throughout the song, but the verses can be sung in a more narrative way as a story is being told and each chorus should come in with a little more energy; giving a lift as we sing directly about Mary Lou.

# There are many pickups and echos especially for the basses but these are so squarely on the rhythm that they pose little difficulty.

# Be sure to keep notes held until the end of the phrases, do not clip notes to grab a breath.

2nd. verse.

# Three parts provide backing to lead solo. Keep this backing bright and lively, Don’t let ‘doom’ become gloom.

 # All parts, but perhaps especially leads with their solo, keep the energy up and make sure pitch does not fall. Pay particular attention as we go into the tag, that the notes on ‘Hello Mary Lou’ Bars 68/69 are higher than they have been. We can’t afford to be below pitch.

There are three moves.

Bars 3 & 4:    On ‘flashed’ raise open hands to either side of the face. On ‘eyes’ bring both hands smartly back down to the side. Both gestures are very swift and completed in one beat of music.

Bars 67 & 68: On ‘I’m in love with you’  make an open handed forward gesture toward the audience. Do not point or direct to an individual but embrace the audience as a whole. Don’t synchronise the gesture, keep it as an individual expression, but resume chorus position before ‘hello mary lou’.

Bars 70/71:On basses pick up ‘goodbye heart’ the basses (only) touch both hands to the heart and reach forwards with both open hands in a gesture of offering to the audience. This is held to the end of the song.

The other three parts copy this gesture, but not until Bars 74/75 which is the last ‘goodbye heart’