Robert Palmer succeeded at many different musical genres during his amazing career. He seemed to inherently understand what kind of song would work best in each of the musical settings that he inhabited.
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On his 1980 song “Johnny And Mary”, Palmer took on the twitchy, synthesizer-driven New Wave that was all the rage at the time. And he used the sounds as a backdrop for a song about the age-old problem of relationship ennui.
New Wave, Same Talent
We tend to think first and foremost as an expert interpreter of the songs of others. His biggest hits were generally covers, which allowed Palmer to unleash his malleable vocals. He could go big and blustery or smooth and soulful, depending on what was required.
But Palmer also thrived as a songwriter in his career. Of his original songs, “Johnny And Mary” stands tall. Palmer released the song as a single from his album Clues, which found him effectively getting into electronic sounds and sequenced rhythms, a la acts like Devo and Gary Numan.
When writing “Johnny And Mary”, Palmer was living in the Bahamas. Surrounding him were many couples who had relocated to the islands. Instead of embracing their lives, they seemed to be enduring them with a kind of cold formality.
Palmer sets his tale against perky synthesized beats. But the genius of his vocal performance is how he keeps his powerful pipes in check. By keeping to his lower register, almost in a monotone, he comes off as a clinician, coldly observing the couple at the heart of the song and their foibles.
Examining the Lyrics of “Johnny And Mary”
Note how the two principals of “Johnny And Mary” never seem to be talking directly to each other. Instead, they’re talking about each other, complaining about their respective weaknesses. Maybe if they’d confront each other just once, they’d be able to break out of the devastating rut enveloping them.
Johnny is constantly scrambling for the approval of the world, much to Mary’s perpetual chagrin. “Johnny’s always runnin’ around tryin’ to find certainty,” Palmer notes. “He needs all the world to confirm that he ain’t lonely.” You’d think that Mary’s confirmation would be enough.
Mary’s fault lies in her willingness to let Johnny punch himself out instead of trying to help him fill the emptiness inside. “Mary says she changes his mind more than a woman,” Palmer notes. Her regret is building. “But she made her bed even when the chance was slim,” the narrator explains about her decision to couple with him.
With love and passion missing, Mary contents herself with menial tasks and quiet recrimination, chiding him for “lackin’ a real sense of proportion.” Meanwhile, Johnny struggles in vain to get through to her. “Johnny feels he’s wasting his breath tryin’ to talk sense to her.” Palmer makes the clever move of repeating the first verse at the song’s end, solidifying the notion that these two lost souls are running in circles.
If you think you have a solid hold of who Robert Palmer was as an artist, you might be stunned by “Johnny And Mary” if you haven’t heard it. He distinguishes himself with the astuteness of his writing as much as with the restraint of his singing on his marvelous New Wave gem.
Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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