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.
God Has Smiled on Me
Mary Mary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I read about tragedy I stopped and
I realized that it could've been me oh oh
That could've been my mother
Or maybe even my big brother
But you kept them just like you kept me
I want to tell you that
God has smiled on me
He has set me free
God has smiled on
He has been good to me
Now I've been through some things that
I thought were unnecessarily
Were way too much to carry
All by myself
Yeah! But you gave me strength to
Make it through
I thought I couldn't take it
Feels so good to know that you care
Yeah, yeah, yeah, God
[Chorus]
So glad I know you
Glad you're my friend
Whenever I need you
You're always near
You don't have to be so good to me
But you keep on smiling
[Chorus]
The song "God Has Smiled On Me" by Mary Mary expresses gratitude towards God for his blessings and protection in the face of adversity. The first verse acknowledges the fragility of life and how easily tragedy can strike, but the singer reflects on how God has watched over her family and protected them from harm. The chorus reiterates this sentiment, with the singer feeling liberated by this protection and grateful for God's kindness in her life.
The second verse shifts focus to the singer's personal struggles. She acknowledges that there have been moments of hardship, moments where she felt like she couldn't carry the weight of her troubles alone. But God gave her the strength to persevere, a strength that she wouldn't have had on her own. The final repetition of the chorus is the culmination of the singer's thankfulness towards God, recognizing that He doesn't have to be "so good" to her but continues to smile on her nonetheless.
Line by Line Meaning
This morning I picked up a paper
Earlier, I read a newspaper
I read about tragedy I stopped and
I came across a tragic story, it made me pause
I realized that it could've been me oh oh
It dawned on me that I could have been the one affected
That could've been my mother
It could have been my mom who suffered the tragedy
Or maybe even my big brother
It could have been my older brother who went through it
But you kept them just like you kept me
Thankfully, you protected them and me from harm
I want to tell you that
I feel compelled to express
God has smiled on me
God has shown me favor
He has set me free
My soul has been released from bondage
Now I've been through some things that
I've experienced some challenges that
I thought were unnecessarily
I believed were unjustified
Were way too much to carry
They were overwhelming to bear
All by myself
I couldn't manage on my own
Yeah! But you gave me strength to
But you bestowed me with resilience to
Make it through
Overcome my struggles
I thought I couldn't take it
I believed I could not endure
Feels so good to know that you care
It's comforting to know that you care for me
Yeah, yeah, yeah, God
Indeed, it is true, God
So glad I know you
I'm grateful to know you
Glad you're my friend
I'm happy you're my ally
Whenever I need you
Whenever I require your assistance
You're always near
You're perpetually close
You don't have to be so good to me
You're not obliged to be kind to me
But you keep on smiling
But you still show me love and care
God has smiled on
God has extended smiles to
He has been good to me
God has been benevolent to me
God has smiled on me
God has favored me
He has set me free
God has liberated me
Lyrics Β© FRICON MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: REV. ISAIAH JONES JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thuli Ncube
He has smiled on me indeed... I woke up this morning when so many people had plans for today but they did not see today.Β He has set me free from my self imposed bondages of friendships or relations with people that do not serve me and never did.Β I love the freedom I have in myself.Β Thank you Mary Mary to putting into song my words, my heart and my feeling right this minute... God Bless...
Mike Acklin
Thuli Ncube
Ricazmine McNair
Thuli Ncube same i love imean this song
Lovely Sinaloa
this song always makes me feel good when I feel down
Janet Jackson
Continued blessings happiness and prosperity to your family careers and even enemies
Johnathan Plummer
Chyrisse Ivort true
Punkverseβ‘
me too
Elevating Energy
Love this song. He has definitely smiled on me
Emiah Wilson
To the person reading this I love you and so does god I know times can be hard but itβs okay god is working on our blessing right now be patient trust in god weβre going to make it God blessππ½β€οΈ
j m
I first heard this song on a school field trip when I was in 5-6 grade and liked it every since. I was going through something at the time as a child/teenager and this song made me feel good