Born in Pontarda… Read Full Bio ↴Mary Hopkin (born May 3, 1950) is a British singer.
Born in Pontardawe, Wales, she grew up Welsh-speaking and began her musical career as a folk singer. She was discovered after appearing and winning ''Opportunity Knocks' hosted by the much imitated and more recently chronicled Hughie Green. She was one of the first artists to record on The Beatles' Apple record label.
Her single "Those Were the Days", produced by Paul McCartney, was released in the UK on August 30, 1968 (catalogue number APPLE 2). Despite competition from a well-established star, Sandie Shaw, who released her version of the same song as a single, Hopkin's version became a #1 hit in the UK singles chart, and reached #2 in the US.
On February 21, 1969 her debut album Postcard, also produced by McCartney, was released. It includes covers of three songs from Donovan, who also played on the album, and one song each from George Martin and Harry Nillson.
The next single was "Goodbye", written by Paul McCartney (but credited to Lennon-McCartney), released on March 28, 1969 (APPLE 10); it reached #2 in the UK singles chart. It was kept off the top of the charts by the Beatles' single "Get Back". "Goodbye" has never been officially released by the Beatles, although a demo version can be found on some of the Beatles' bootlegs.
Her song, "Rachel's Song", was featured on the Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis.
She represented the UK in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest singing "Knock Knock Who's There", which came second in the contest, narrowly beaten by "All Kinds of Everything" performed by Irish singer Dana. "Knock Knock Who's There" was released as a single (APPLE 26) on March 23, 1970, reaching #2 again in the UK singles chart.
After marrying record producer Tony Visconti in 1971, she mainly withdrew from the pop music scene to have a family, although she sang backing vocals for "Sound and Vision" on the 1977 David Bowie album Low as well as appearing on the 1977 Thin Lizzy album Bad Reputation (produced by Visconti). Hopkin and Visconti divorced in 1981.
In 2005, Hopkin appeared on Dolly Parton's [abum artist=Dolly Parton]Those Were the Days album, singing on Parton's remake of the title cut. Also in 2005 the first CD on Mary Hopkin Music Live at the Royal Festival Hall was released. In 2007 Valentine was released.
The Early Recordings is a compendium of Hopkin's pre-Beatles Welsh-language recordings made on the Welsh Cambrian label which were re-released on the Decca in the late 1970s as The Welsh World Of Mary Hopkin and re-released in the late 1990s as The Early Recordings.
Mary is now making her back catalogue of music available visit Mary Hopkin Music at www.maryhopkin.com
Martha
Mary Hopkin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoping someone will call.
She's on her own again.
She has so much she can talk about
And there'll be gossip she can hark about again.
If you stumble home drunk and loud
To an empty room with no one waiting there,
Then Martha will feed upon your despair.
See the curtain move, she watches you
Listening through the broken walls and rotting floors.
Don't make a slip, Martha catches you
Hiding on landings and peering ‘round the doors.
If you'd enjoy yourself and laugh and sing
Then Martha will disapprove and shake her head.
No matter what the day ahead will bring
Martha will circulate each word you said.
Like the vulture Martha hovers high
Waiting to pounce upon your shattered dreams.
Her twisted smile and her nodding head
Disguise her haggard world of lies and schemes.
Who was it took and broke her young girl's heart
And branded it and burned her mind?
Who was it tore her life apart
And left it for the rats to find?
Martha sits by the telephone
Hoping someone will call.
She's on her own again.
She has so much that she can talk about
And there'll be gossip she can harp about again.
The song "Martha" is an exploration of loneliness and the lengths to which some people will go to alleviate that feeling. The titular character, Martha, is depicted as a desperate figure, sitting by the phone and hoping for anything that will distract her from her isolation. She is eager to talk and to hear gossip, and seems to derive some satisfaction from the misery and unhappiness of others.
The darker side of Martha's character is revealed in the chorus, where it becomes clear that she is not simply a lonely woman, but something more sinister. She feeds off the despair of others, waiting like a vulture to pounce upon their shattered dreams. She is depicted as a kind of voyeur, listening in on conversations through "broken walls and rotting floors." The song seems to suggest that Martha's loneliness has turned her into a kind of monster, someone who takes pleasure in the suffering of others.
The final verse of the song is perhaps the most haunting, as it raises the question of what could have led Martha to become this way. Who was it who "broke her young girl's heart" and "tore her life apart"? The song leaves this question unanswered, but in doing so it suggests that the roots of Martha's loneliness and bitterness lie in some unresolved trauma from her past.
Line by Line Meaning
Martha sits by the telephone
Martha is lonely and waiting for someone to call her.
Hoping someone will call.
Martha hopes someone will talk to her to relieve her loneliness.
She's on her own again.
Martha is by herself once more.
She has so much she can talk about
Martha has a lot she wants to share with someone.
And there'll be gossip she can hark about again.
Martha is excited for the opportunity to hear and share some juicy gossip.
If you stumble home drunk and loud
If you come home drunk and making noise
To an empty room with no one waiting there,
If you find yourself alone with no one to greet you at home,
Is your life a black and broken cloud?
Do you feel like your life is miserable and hopeless?
Then Martha will feed upon your despair.
Martha will take advantage of your misery.
See the curtain move, she watches you
Martha is spying on you through a window or door.
Listening through the broken walls and rotting floors.
Martha can hear your conversations through the walls and floors of your home.
Don't make a slip, Martha catches you
Be careful not to make any mistakes or Martha will find out.
Hiding on landings and peering 'round the doors.
Martha hides and watches people by doorways and staircases.
If you'd enjoy yourself and laugh and sing
If you want to have fun and enjoy yourself,
Then Martha will disapprove and shake her head.
Martha will not approve and may even judge you harshly.
No matter what the day ahead will bring
Regardless of what the day has in store,
Martha will circulate each word you said.
Martha will spread rumors about you to others.
Like the vulture Martha hovers high
Martha is like a bird of prey, watching from above.
Waiting to pounce upon your shattered dreams.
Martha is waiting to take advantage of your failures and disappointments.
Her twisted smile and her nodding head
Martha's facial expressions may seem friendly, but they actually conceal her deceit.
Disguise her haggard world of lies and schemes.
Martha's appearance hides the fact that she is untrustworthy and has ulterior motives.
Who was it took and broke her young girl's heart
Someone hurt Martha deeply in the past.
And branded it and burned her mind?
The experience left a lasting impact on Martha's mental state.
Who was it tore her life apart
Someone caused Martha's life to fall apart.
And left it for the rats to find?
Martha feels like her life is in ruins and that she is like garbage to be picked over by others.
Writer(s): Harvey Andrews
Contributed by James W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.