Hello Mary Lou
"Hello Mary Lou" is a song written by American singer Gene Pitney first recorded by Johnny Duncan in 1960 and by Ricky Nelson at United Western Recorders Studios on March 22, 1961.
| "Hello Mary Lou" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ricky Nelson | ||||
| from the album Rick Is 21 | ||||
| A-side | "Travelin' Man" | |||
| Released | May 1961 | |||
| Recorded | 1960−61 | |||
| Genre | Rockabilly | |||
| Length | 2:17 | |||
| Label | Imperial Records #5741 | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Ricky Nelson singles chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "Hello Mary Lou" (Remastered) on YouTube | ||||
Nelson's version, issued as a double A-side with his No. 1 hit "Travelin' Man", (Imperial 5741), reached No. 9 on the Billboard music charts on May 28, 1961. In the United Kingdom it reached No. 2. It was also a hit in much of Europe, particularly Norway, where it spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and in Sweden, where it spent five months in the best selling chart (July-December) and peaked at No. 2 during eight weeks. In New Zealand, the song reached No. 4.
A 1991 reissue following the song's use in a TV advertisement gave the song a second chart run, peaking at No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart.
The song features an influential guitar solo by James Burton, often cited by later guitarists such as Brian May. Piano is by Ray Johnson, who had succeeded Gene Garf as Nelson's regular session pianist in November 1959. Other musicians on the record include Joe Osborn on bass and Ritchie Frost on drums.
The song appears on Nelson's sixth album Rick Is 21 (1961).