Cross-Eyed Mary

1971 song by Jethro Tull

"Cross-Eyed Mary"
Song by Jethro Tull
from the album Aqualung
Released	19 March 1971 (1971-03-19)
Recorded	December 1970 – February 1971
Studio	Island, London
Genre	Progressive rock hard rock^[1]
Length	4:06
Label	Island (UK) Reprise (US)
Songwriter(s)	Ian Anderson
Producer(s)	Ian Anderson Terry Ellis

"Cross-Eyed Mary" is a song by the British progressive rock band Jethro Tull from their album Aqualung (1971).^[2]

The song is about "Cross-Eyed Mary", a schoolgirl prostitute^[3] who prefers the company of "leching greys" over her schoolmates. It was intended as a companion piece to "Aqualung", the opening album track about a homeless man.^{[citation needed]} The Aqualung character is given a cameo in "Cross-Eyed Mary".^{[citation needed]}

"Cross-Eyed Mary" was ranked the 12th best Jethro Tull song in the book Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.^[4]

Recorded appearances

Aqualung (1971)^[2]
Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II (1977)^[5]
25th Anniversary Box Set (1993)^[6]
The Best of Jethro Tull – The Anniversary Collection (1993)^[7]

Personnel

Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson – vocals, acoustic guitar, flute
Martin Barre – electric guitar
John Evan – piano, organ, mellotron
Jeffrey Hammond – bass guitar
Clive Bunker – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

Terry Ellis - producer

Iron Maiden version

"Cross-Eyed Mary"
Song by Iron Maiden
A-side	"The Trooper"
Released	1983
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	3:52
Label	EMI Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Ian Anderson
Producer(s)	Martin Birch

Iron Maiden^[8] has covered the song, which has been released in different ways (see Piece of Mind, "The Trooper", The First Ten Years and Best of the 'B' Sides). In a 2022 interview with BraveWords, Anderson discussed his thoughts about Maiden's cover, stating, "A spirited rendition by a young Bruce testing out his vocal range in a key not really suited to him!”^[9]

In popular culture

Films and TV

The song made an appearance in the first season of the UK version of Life on Mars.^[10]
The song is featured in the soundtrack of the movie Breaking the Waves.^[11]

Music

The song has been covered by Elf (featuring Ronnie James Dio) in their 1972 live concert.
The band Clutch covered "Cross-Eyed Mary" for the Sucking the 70s compilation.

References

^ Schick, Elizabeth A. (1998). Current Biography Yearbook, 1998. H.W. Wilson. p. 26. ISBN 9780824209575. Two other songs on Aqualung, 'Cross-Eyed Mary' and 'Locomotive Breath,' have also become hard-rock classics.
^ ^a ^b "Aqualung - Jethro Tull | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "Ian Anderson interview, Disc and Music Echo, 20 March 1971". Archived from the original on 5 December 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
^ Rehe, Christoph (2013). Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check: alle Alben, alle Songs. Ein eclipsed-Buch (in German). Sysyphus Sysyphus Verlags GmbH. ISBN 978-3868526462.
^ "Repeat: The Best of Jethro Tull, Vol. 2 - Jethro Tull | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "The 25th Anniversary Boxed Set - Jethro Tull | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "The Best of Jethro Tull: The Anniversary Collection - Jethro Tull | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives". Metal-archives.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "BETWEEN A ROCK AND A PROG PLACE: IAN ANDERSON TALKS JETHRO TULL HISTORY – "I FIND THAT QUITE A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION TO SINGLE ONE ALBUM OUT"". BraveWords. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^ ""Life on Mars" Episode #1.4 (TV Episode 2006)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
^ "Breaking the Waves (1996)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.