Mary Lou Lord first gained notice playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston subway stations (particularly on the Red Line, as noted by the name she chose for her music and lyric publishing company, On the Red Line Music.)
She has claimed that she had a romantic relationship with Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain before the group's rise to mainstream fame. This claim was disputed by some, including Cobain himself, though it has been suggested that Cobain's wife Courtney Love made him publicly lie about his past relationships to prove his devotion to her. In 1994, Lord showed up uninvited at a party for Courtney Love's band Hole, which ended with Love chasing Lord down Sunset Strip.
Lord toured three separate times with Elliott Smith during the 1990s. He also wrote and helped Lord record a song called, "I Figured You Out", in 1997. Smith would later say that, "I gave that song away 'cause I thought it sounded like The Eagles and that it sucked."
Her recordings have been a mixture of covers (including songs by Elliott Smith and Richard Thompson) and original material, with a number of songs written by, or in collaboration with, Nick Saloman of the British band The Bevis Frond.
Her recording of Daniel Johnston's "Speeding Motorcycle" (which was originally featured on her self-titled 8-song Kill Rock Stars release) was featured in commercials for Target stores, after which her label reissued the song as the lead-off track of a CD single which also included two demo recordings from the sessions for Got No Shadow.
In 2001, Lord released Live City Sounds. This was a self-released disc of Mary Lou playing live in the Boston subway. The disc was later re-released after Mary Lou signed to Rubric Records.
She announced in 2005 that she suffered from a rare vocal chord affliction known as spasmodic dysphonia. She thereafter became more involved in A&R work and started Jittery Jack Management with her husband, Kevin Patey.
Because He's Leaving
Mary Lou Lord Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It crossed my mind
That this might be
The last time
At least it means I can stop pretending
That I care about our star signs
And pay no heed tonight
I have to read by candlelight
Because he's leaving
Because he's leaving
I guess that if I wanted
I could sort things out
And fall along behind him
He told me I was special, but
I really can't be bothered
To remind him
It's coming to a close
It's sad, but then, who knows?
I might find out it's better when he goes
Because he's leaving
Because he's leaving
I wonder what I'm playing at
I think I'll turn the car around
And forget it
Promised it won't get me down
And he said cannot hurt
If I don't let it
Everything's been said
His reasons filled my head
But now I leave with mine instead
Because he's leaving
Because he's leaving
Everything's been said
His reasons filled my head
But now I leave with mine instead
Because he's leaving
Because he's leaving
The lyrics to Mary Lou Lord's song, "Because He's Leaving," speak to a common human experience - the end of a romantic relationship. The song begins with the singer driving to her partner's loft, and an awareness that this may be the last time she makes the journey. She notes that this impending separation, while sad, brings the relief of no longer having to pretend to care about their astrological signs or what the mystics have to say. With a sense of resignation, she notes that she'll have to read by candlelight in his absence.
The singer acknowledges that if she wanted, she could try to reconcile with her partner, but she simply can't be bothered. Despite his past declarations that she is "special," she's reached a point where moving on feels like the best course of action. As the song continues, she considers turning her car around and reconciling but ultimately decides against it. She reminds herself that her reasons for leaving are just as valid as his reasons for wanting to end the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics to "Because He's Leaving" capture the complex mix of feelings that come with the end of a relationship - the sadness of loss and the relief of closure. The song's spare guitar and harmonica melody suit the emotional tone of the lyrics, emphasizing the singer's introspective mood.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving to his crosstown loft
We were driving to his apartment on the other side of town
It crossed my mind
I had a thought
That this might be
That this could possibly be
The last time
The final time we would see each other
At least it means I can stop pretending
It's a relief that I can stop pretending to be interested
That I care about our star signs
That I believe our zodiac signs influence our compatibility
And pay no heed tonight
I don't need to pay attention tonight
To what the mystics write
To what the mystics predict about our relationship
I have to read by candlelight
I have to read in the dark because the power is out
Because he's leaving
Because he's breaking up with me and leaving
I guess that if I wanted
I suppose if I really wanted to
I could sort things out
I could try to fix things between us
And fall along behind him
And go with him wherever he goes
He told me I was special, but
He said I was important, however
I really can't be bothered
I don't really care
To remind him
To bring up what he said before
It's coming to a close
Our relationship is ending
It's sad, but then, who knows?
It's sad and uncertain what the future holds
I might find out it's better when he goes
I could possibly realize it's best for me when he leaves
Because he's leaving
Because he's ending our relationship and leaving
I wonder what I'm playing at
I question what I'm doing and why I'm doing it
I think I'll turn the car around
I'm considering turning the car around and going back home
And forget it
And forget about everything
Promised it won't get me down
I promised myself it won't make me sad
And he said cannot hurt
He said it won't hurt me
If I don't let it
If I don't allow it to
Everything's been said
We have said all we need to say
His reasons filled my head
I have heard and considered his reasons for ending our relationship
But now I leave with mine instead
But now I have made up my own mind about leaving him
Because he's leaving
Because he's ending our relationship and leaving
Because he's leaving
Because he's ending our relationship and leaving
Contributed by Tristan R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
CaroleAnn_21
Chances Are is lovely, Johnny is timeless...Glorious tone & Pitch of his voice! Swoon... Merry Christmas Harri.🎄🎅🥂🎶🎵🎶🥰
STEPHEN QUALTROUGH
There is a remake of this song Chances from the 90sI, think with Liza Minnelli duetting with Johnny Mathis. I think it was released as a single You may like it. It is on YouTube
HarriBest Music Reaction
Merry christmas 😁🤩🖤✌🏾
Daniel Volk
I believe he is classified under Easy Listening. Adult Contemporary is the new classification, same thing I guess, thanks Tom Boggs 👍 , With a little Jazz and Classic pop thrown in. Not sure he has done a lot of country. He had some gigantic selling Xmas albums. This song is about 60 years old and I loved it the first time I heard it. Harri, was not thinking of Mary Xmas but if you want it to. If I requested all my favorite Johnny Mathis Xmas favorites you would be blocking me for requesting too many songs. Thanks for doing both of these great tunes. 🌲⛄🎅
serenade4
Two other great Johnny Mathis songs are "Gina" & "Wonderful, Wonderful". The first was a tribute to the beautiful Italian actress, Gina Lollobrigida, and the second became a hit again when it was covered by The Tymes. The Tymes also had success with "So Much in Love". Johnny's niche was Easy Listening (later categorized as Adult Contemporary) and was packed with the male crooners (Sinatra, Andy Williams, Jack Jones, Perry Como, Steve Lawrence, etc.) in the '50s and early '60s. Even though I was a child at the time it came out, one of the most gorgeous & romantic records ever released is "Portrait of My Love" by Steve Lawrence - if you have the courage to play it.
Dagmar S.
Johnny Mathis is known for his beautiful romantic ballads. He has a very unique velvet voice. His music has spanned over 6 decades. He had so many great hits such as "Wonderful! Wonderful!", "It's Not For Me To Say", "The Twelfth Of Never", "Gina", "What Will Mary Say", "Misty" etc. He also did a couple of duets with Deniece Williams "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" & "You're All I Need to Get By".
D Rice
My father always had his radio on. It was on a station that played Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, ect.
I think that he and Nat King Cole have/had such clear diction. You can hear each word beautifully and distinctly. Wonderful analysis Harri.
I know you like Marty Robbins. He does a song in this same vein "Devil Woman"
Greybeard Music Man
Heck yeah Harri! This track is in my top 5 of Johnny Mathis tunes! Glad you're going down the Johnny Mathis road, plenty of great music to explore. Glad you're enjoying his legendary songs of old!
Tom Boggs
Genre used to be called Easy Listening-today it would be classified as adult contemporary- meaning the song appeals more to adults than the teen market.
Joe Siano
I’ve been listening to Johnny since I was a kid. I still listen to him all the time. He has one of the most beautiful voices ever.