| Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord | |
| Cover: | Boney M. - Mary's Boy Child (1978).jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Boney M. |
| B-Side: | "Dancing in the Streets" |
| Released: | November 1978 |
| Recorded: | October 1978 |
| Genre: | Christmas[1] |
| Length: | 5:43 (7" version) 5:40 (French 7" version) 5:22 (Spanish 7" version) 6:18 (12" version) |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Frank Farian |
| Prev Title: | Rasputin |
| Prev Year: | 1978 |
| Next Title: | Painter Man |
| Next Year: | 1979 |
"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" is a 1978 Christmas single by Boney M., a cover of Harry Belafonte's 1956 hit "Mary's Boy Child", put in medley with the new song "Oh My Lord".
The single had its premiere on 2 November 1978 on the German TV-show "Starparade" (Episode 44) which aired on ZDF. It topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks[3] and became Christmas number one in the UK, spending eight weeks in the charts. It has sold 1.89 million units as of November 2015.[4] It was the second single for the group in the UK's all-time best selling singles list. The song was later included in the group's Christmas Album, issued in 1981.
In the United States, the track reached number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100, Boney M's last of four singles to chart there. In 2017, it experienced somewhat of a resurgence and peaked at number 89 on the Holiday 100.[5] In certain areas of the U.S., the medley can sometimes be heard during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season on radio stations which change to temporary all-Christmas music formats.
A promotional gatefold single (Hansa, 15 816 AT, Germany) backed with "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (from Nightflight to Venus) was released shortly before the commercial single which had a new track on the B-side "Dancing in the Streets". Different edits were issued in various countries. In Spain and France, the third verse (Now Joseph and his wife Mary came to Bethlehem that night ...) was excised, while the French mix of "Oh My Lord" was a different mix. The full-length 6:18 mix appeared as the B-side of the 12" single "Dancing in the Streets".
Two music videos were produced to promote the single.[6] One featured the band in a white room wearing white furry coats, while the second, made to promote the 1988 remix featured the band once again dressed in white with a nativity scene.
After Christmas, Hansa Records flipped the single and released it with "Dancing in the Streets" on the A-side. The non-album track was sung solely by the group's producer Frank Farian, singing the chorus in multi-dubbed falsetto vocals and singing the verse in his deep voice. The mix that came out on the B-side of "Mary's Boy Child" in the UK and US was an early version with shriller falsetto vocals and no answer-back chorus vocals in the verses. Despite the lack of success, the track was chosen as the one to launch Boney M. in the USA which remained the only territory the group had yet to conquer. The group did a promotional tour in April 1979 and also lip-synced the track at important TV shows such as Soul Train but the single stalled at number 105 on the Pop chart and fared only slightly better on the R&B chart (number 75).
7" singles
12" single
| Chart (1978–1979) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| scope=row | Finland (Suomen Virallinen)[7] | 5 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[8] | 1 | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] | 1 | |
| Chart (2015) | Peak position | |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position | |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position | |
| US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[10] | 89 | |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 26 | |
| Chart (2019) | Peak position | |
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 56 | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 47 | |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 80 | |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position | |
| South Africa (RISA)[12] | 73 | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 60 | |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position | |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 52 |
| Rivers of Babylon (Remix)"/"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Remix) | |
| Cover: | Boney M. - Rivers Of Babylon - Remix '88 (1988 single).jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Boney M. |
| Album: | Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '88 |
| A-Side: |
|
| Released: | October 1988 |
| Genre: | R&B, disco |
| Label: | Hansa (FRG) |
| Producer: | Frank Farian |
| Prev Title: | Bang Bang Lulu |
| Prev Year: | 1986 |
| Rivers of Babylon (Remix) | |
| Title2: | Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Remix) |
| Next Title: | Megamix |
| Next Year: | 1988 |
"Rivers of Babylon/"Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" is a 1988 remix single by German band Boney M., issued to launch the group's reunion, having been split since their 10th anniversary, 1986. The double A-side single contained new mixes of the band's two very most successful single releases ever. Although their remix album sold well, the single failed to chart.
| Christmas Mega Mix | |
| Cover: | Boney M. - Christmas Megamix (1992 single).jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Boney M. |
| Album: | The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World |
| Released: | November 1992 |
| Genre: | R&B, disco |
| Label: | Hansa (FRG) |
| Producer: | Frank Farian |
| Prev Title: | Stories |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | Mega Mix |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
"Christmas Mega Mix" is a 1992 remix single by German band Boney M., issued to launch a new edition of their Christmas album, The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World. The Christmas Mega Mix was in fact just another name for a new remix of "Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord". In the UK, the new mix was put on the B-side of their "Mega Mix" single.
7" single
CD
(Hansa 74321 11933 2–211, Germany)
The song was covered by the Australian pop band The Eclectics featuring Jared Lerner. It was covered by Johnny Mathis in 1982.It was covered by Anne Murray in 1988. It was covered by Glee in the episode "Previously Unaired Christmas" from the fifth season.