Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell were born in Inglewood,
California. The Campbell (formerly Atkins) sisters grew up as part of a large family of nine children in Inglewood, California. Their parents are Thomasina (An evangelist and choir director at the Evangelistic Church of God in Christ) and Eddie (a youth minister). Because of their proximity in age, the two singers grew up closer to one another than to any of their seven siblings. The sisters quickly entered the world of church choirs, traveling gospel shows, and some television productions. All nine Atkins children were on the Bobby Jones Gospel show on BET.
The sisters had their sights set on making music a career and enrolled at El Camino College to study voice. There they ran up against the divide between academic music studies and the popular musical world. "We had to study classical and sing arias, which was fine," Erica told the Times, "but the teachers would tell us if we sang anything else it would damage our instrument." The sisters tours with the 1995 Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry and Sneaky. Each sister subsequently toured as a backup singer for a variety of R&B acts including Brandy.
A meeting with producer Warryn Campbell led to their song publishing deal with the giant EMI music conglomerate and a series of songs that landed on the soundtracks. They wrote "Dance" and performed it with Robin S. for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle; "Let Go, Let God" for The Prince of Egypt Inspirational, one of three soundtrack albums for the film; and songs of theirs were recorded by Yolanda Adams and 702. At the same time, Mary Mary as a musical entity took shape.
The sisters' profile in the gospel industry was raised when their songs "Time To Change" and "Yeah" were recorded by Yolanda Adams on the Mountain High... Valley Low CD. The duo was subsequently signed to Columbia Records/C2 Records and decided to perform under the name Mary Mary, honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. They were first gospel act to record for the industry giant Columbia Records since Tramaine Hawkins in the mid-1990s. Their first single, "Shackles (Praise You)" became a crossover hit, being popular with gospel, R&B, and pop audiences. It was a Top 10 R&B and Top 40 pop hit, and peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became the first gospel song in five years to crack the R&B top ten and gained wide exposure on the MTV video cable channel. The album was a huge success because it offered a younger, hipper version of gospel that audiences could relate to.
Their first album, Thankful (Mary Mary Album) in May 2000, which would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, and a second single, "I Sings". Peaking at #1 on the Gospel album chart and at #59 of the overall Top 200 chart, Thankful was certified Platinum for sales of 1 million copies in the USA. Both singles were also hits in the UK and Europe, and to this day remain popular with Christian youths in the US, Latin America, and Europe.
With their second album Incredible, the duo was able to maintain their success. The record, soon after its release, went to #1 on the Gospel chart, and was able to enter the Top 20 of the Top 200 album chart. Incredible was later certified Gold for 500,000 copies sold in the United States. The album's singles In The Morning and I Try became relatively large hits within the contemporary gospel nation.
After taking time off to have children, their third album Mary Mary appeared. It became the duo's first album to enter the Top 10 on Billboard and was later on certified Gold for sales of 500,000 copies. The first single "Heaven" containing a sample from seventies soul trio the Honey Cone's "Want Ads". Heaven made history and broke chart records as it had an unprecedented 9 week run as the #1 record on Billboard's Gospel Radio chart. The second single, "Yesterday", also became a hit, especially on the Adult R&B charts where it peaked at #10. On the R&B/Hip Hop chart, the song became their second biggest hit since "Shackles" in 2000, reaching the #53 spot so far.
On October 10, 2006`, the recording group released their most recent album inspired by Christmas songs and is called A Mary Mary Christmas.
Give It Up Let It Go
Mary Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like it's on your shoulders
Bogging you down
When you feel like you're stuck
In one place
And you just can't move it around
When it seems like you're so backed up
Just remember that you've got a friend
Who's watching and he knows all about
(so you gotta let it go)
Give it up, gotta let it go, give it up
Gotta let it go
When you've shed so many tears
Until you
Just can't cry no more
When your confidence is gone
And of yourself you're not very sure
When you're at your lowest point
And you just wish it all would end
Just remember that you're not alone
And you can always turn to him
Give it up, gotta let it go, give it up
Gotta let it go
When you've done all that you can do
And yet it's still too much to bear
Then it's time to turn it over
To the only one who knows ya
Better than yourself
Give it up, gotta let it go, give it up
Gotta let it go
The lyrics of Mary Mary's song "Give It Up Let It Go" talk about the times when life seems overwhelming, and we feel stuck and at our lowest point. The song encourages us to turn to God during such times as a friend who understands everything and is watching over us, aware of our struggles. The lyrics ask us to not hold on to our problems and give them up to God, who knows us better than we know ourselves. The song starts with the weight of the world on our shoulders which makes us feel bogged down and stuck in one place. We can't seem to figure out a way to move forward from our current situation.
The lyrics of the song give hope and inspire us to let go of our burdens and trust God to take control. The song tells us that it's okay to shed tears and feel vulnerable, but it's not okay to give up. When we feel like we've done all we can, and it's still not enough, we should turn our problems over to God, who is always there for us. In essence, the song is a reminder that we're not alone in our difficult times, and we don't have to carry our burdens by ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
When the weight of the world seems
Like it's on your shoulders
Bogging you down
When you feel like you're stuck
In one place
And you just can't move it around
When life feels overwhelming and you feel stuck with no progress, and the weight of the world feels like it's holding you down, remember that you are not alone, and there is someone watching over you who knows your struggles.
When it seems like you're so backed up
Into a corner that there's no way out
Just remember that you've got a friend
Who's watching and he knows all about
(so you gotta let it go)
When you feel trapped and see no escape, remember that there is always someone watching over you and guiding you, and the best thing to do is to let go of your worries and let them guide you.
When you've shed so many tears
Until you
Just can't cry no more
When your confidence is gone
And of yourself you're not very sure
When you're at your lowest point
And you just wish it all would end
Just remember that you're not alone
And you can always turn to him
When life has been tough and you feel like you have hit rock bottom, and you feel alone and unsure of yourself, remember that there is someone you can always turn to who will support you and help you through the hard times.
When you've done all that you can do
And yet it's still too much to bear
Then it's time to turn it over
To the only one who knows ya
Better than yourself
After trying your best and still feeling overwhelmed, it is time to let go and trust the one who knows you better than you know yourself.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL FLOWERS, MICHAEL C. FLOWERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind