| Mary Jane | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Rick James |
| Album: | Come Get It! |
| B-Side: | "Dream Maker" |
| Recorded: | 1978 |
| Genre: | Funk, R&B |
| Label: | Gordy / Motown |
| Producer: | Rick James, Art Stewart |
| Prev Title: | You and I |
| Prev Year: | 1978 |
| Next Title: | High on You Love Suite |
| Next Year: | 1979 |
"Mary Jane" is a song by American musician Rick James. It was released on September 9, 1978 as the second single from his debut album Come Get It!. The song peaked in the top five on the R&B charts in the United States in 1978,[1] and crossed over to the US Hot 100.
As one of his earliest hits as a solo artist, it is one of his most notable songs. It was composed by James, along with keyboardist Billy Nunn, who was credited for the keyboards, strings, background vocals, helping to compose the song, arranging flute parts, and other instrumentation work. The lyrics of the song are a thinly-veiled ode to James' love of marijuana aka "Mary Jane". During live performances of the song, James frequently had stage props that looked like giant joints and then would light up an actual joint.[2]
| Chart (1978) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 41 | |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[4] | 3 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 422.
. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 291.