Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti formed Snap! in 1989 under the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit "The Power", a combination of house and hip hop elements, contained a number of unauthorised samples, taking the drum loop from "King of the Beats" by Mantronix, the rap from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G and the classic line "I've got the power" from "Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown. It was initially released in the United States through Wild Pitch Records, but after Chill Rob G threatened legal action, the rap was re-recorded by Turbo B (born Durron Maurice Butler, April 30, 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), and additional vocals were recorded by Penny Ford (though the woman in the video is Jackie Harris), Jocelyn Brown's vocals still remain on the record. The single rocketed to number 2 in Germany in March 1990, and spent two weeks at number 1 in the United Kingdom, becoming the first rap single to top the chart. It later reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum.
Jackie left the group shortly afterwards and Penny became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single "Ooops Up", a re-working of "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)", a 1980 hit by The Gap Band, with which Penny was a former backing singer. With drum samples from "Paid in Full" by Eric B & Rakim, it was another number 2 hit in Germany and charted at number 5 in the UK. Further hits followed with the oriental-sounding "Cult of Snap", which charted at number 8 in the UK and number 3 in Germany, and "Mary Had a Little Boy", which also charted at number 8 in the UK, and reached number 4 in Germany. It was based on the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Their first album World Power reached #10 in the UK where it was certified platinum, #30 in the U.S. where it was also certified platinum, sold in excess of 7 million copies worldwide, and to this day remains one of the best-selling dance albums of all time.
In 1991, Thea Austin joined the line-up and helped to write "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which was planned to be the lead single from the second album. However, Turbo B hated the track (particularly the famous line "I'm as serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer") and protested that "Colour Of Love" should be the first single cut from the album.[4] He got his way and it was released in December 1991. It appeared to get lost in the Christmas rush, limping to number 54 in the UK, though it did fare better in Germany, climbing to number 9, as well as making it to number 6 in France and Sweden. The two producers insisted that they now go with "Rhythm Is a Dancer" and it was released as the second single in July 1992. With a backing-track inspired by "Automan" by early-80s electronic hip-hop band Newcleus, it went on to become their biggest hit yet, spending six weeks at number 1 in the UK, also topping the charts in France, Germany, Netherlands and Italy, and peaking at number 5 in the U.S. in early 1993.
The second album The Madman's Return was another multi-million seller but Turbo B, who, continued to argue with the act's producers decided to leave the group shortly after its release to pursue a solo career. Both Penny Ford and Thea Austin followed suit, but Snap! was far from over. The third single "Exterminate!", with vocals by Michigan-born Niki Haris, formerly a backing singer for Madonna, soared to number 2 in the UK in January 1993, and "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" reached number 10 in June.
Now that all former members of the group had moved on, Münzing and Anzilotti recruited Washington DC-born singer Summer to front the act for the third album. Born Paula Brown, she had previously worked as a dancer in the TV series Fame and the Spike Lee movie School Daze.[5] Snap! moved towards a progressive house sound and a new single called "Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)" was released in September 1994. After a slow start, it peaked at number 6 in the UK and was followed by the album, also titled Welcome to Tomorrow. The second single "The First The Last Eternity (Till The End)" was a moderate hit but "World in My Hands" and "Rame" (featuring Rukmani and performed in Hindi) struggled to attract airplay due to their less commercial sound.
On New Years Day 1994, Snap! performed the first of 3 essential mixes for UK's BBC Radio 1.
In 1996 the group was officially disbanded, with a greatest hits compilation called Snap! Attack: The Best of Snap! released, preceded by a new version of their first hit "The Power". However they made a surprise return in 2000 with "Gimme A Thrill", complete with a rap from Turbo B and vocal from the band's newest addition Maxayn. However, it failed to chart and a proposed album called One Day on Earth was never released.
A new version of "Do You See the Light" remixed by Plaything was released in 2002, peaking at number 14 in the UK. The following year, a new remix album called The Cult of Snap! was released and further singles were issued, updating them for a new generation of clubbers. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was another UK top 20 hit with a new mix by CJ Stone, a new bhangra mix by Motivo of "The Power" also sold well, and a collaboration of Swedish girlgroup NG3 on "Ooops Up" rounded the project up at the end of 2003. "The Power", which had already been used in countless commercials and movie soundtracks over the years, was also introduced into trailers and the soundtrack of the Jim Carrey film "Bruce Almighty" in this year.
Buoyed by the success of the remixes, Münzing and Anzilotti went back into the studio with male singer Damien Behanan, also known as Loc, and released the single "Beauty Queen" in September 2005 through Luma Music, but once again it failed to make the charts. "Excited" and "We Want Your Soul" were both released on vinyl in July 2006.
In May 2008, Brains from the programme Thunderbirds appeared in a TV commercial in the UK for Drench spring water. He is shown dancing around a room to "Rhythm Is a Dancer". Its regular TV airings prompted thousands of downloads of the original album mix of the song, and it has so far peaked at number 23 in the official UK singles chart. A brand new version of the song with added vocals from Loc was released as a CD single in the UK on June 16, 2008.
In August 2008, they released a new single called "Jumping". Recently the group have signed to Hard2Beat records.
On Sunday 27 June 2010 Snap! performed at Glastonbury Festival, UK, in the WOW! tent. Original lead vocalist Penny Ford was joined by rapper Benjamin Lowe to do a 30mins Live PA show. Festival-goers flocked to see Snap! and numbers far outstretched the tent's capacity. Some were left disappointed when the famous rap 'I'm serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer' was omitted from the track.
Mary Had a Little Boy
Snap! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go
Mary, a girl at a party
Pretty face, fantasy body
On the strength girl was fine
So I stepped to her shyly
Before I could speak she walked right by me
Frozen, lost my cool
Out of the groove, what´s my next move
Should I chill, should I follow
Heart is pounding, I feel hollow
Paused, thought for a minute
If she was a pool I´d jump right in it
So in her path I did step
Nervous but I still had pep
It didn´t matter where she went to
I would be there too
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go
Saw her at the mall
Stand tall, courage don´t fall
To her smoothly I approached
Tried to speak and almost choked
Abnormal for the ruthless chiller
Normally I´m a ladies killer
Why were my nerves shaky
I knew she´d make me and not break me
Here she comes, should I talk to her now
Yes, it´s now or never
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go
Mary had a little boy but little did she know (oh
Mary, Mary)
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go (oh Mary, Mary)
Oh oh-oh-oh ooh-oh, Mary
Oh oh-oh-oh ooh-oh, Mary
Hello Mary, how´s your day
Hope it´s going in the right way
How about dinner and some dancing
Later on some romancing
Music, we could talk
And express our inner thoughts
How about it, what do you think
Ended statement with a wink
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go
Mary had a little boy but little did she know (oh
Mary, Mary)
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure
to go (oh Mary, Mary)
Oh oh-oh-oh ooh-oh
Snap!'s song "Mary Had a Little Boy" is a story about a guy who is attracted to a girl named Mary and follows her wherever she goes. Mary seems oblivious to him at first, but eventually, she agrees to go out with him. The lyrics are in the form of a conversation between the singer and Mary, with the chorus referencing the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
The song opens with the singer describing his initial attraction to Mary and his desire to pursue her. He is nervous and unsure of what to say or do, but he ultimately decides to follow her wherever she goes. The chorus reminds us of the nursery rhyme and how it applies to the singer's situation.
As the song progresses, the singer encounters Mary in various places, like a party, a mall, and a dance club. He tries to talk to her and convince her to go out with him, and eventually, she agrees. The song ends with the chorus repeating, emphasizing how the little boy (protagonist) is following Mary everywhere she goes.
The lyrics to this song can be interpreted in a few different ways. A common interpretation is the singer's obsession with Mary and how he is stalking her, even though Mary seems oblivious to him. However, another interpretation is how the singer is persistent and eventually convinces Mary to go out with him. In this interpretation, the little boy represents the singer's determination to win Mary over.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh oh oh oh, Mary, Mary
Introducing Mary as the person the song is about
Mary had a little boy but little did she know
Mary met a guy (the little boy) who showed interest in her
That everywhere that Mary went the little boy was sure to go
The guy (little boy) follows Mary around wherever she goes
Mary, a girl at a party
Describing how Mary was introduced to the guy
Pretty face, fantasy body
Praising Mary's physical appearance
On the strength girl was fine
Emphasizing how attractive Mary was
Mission: make her mine
The guy's plan to pursue Mary
So I stepped to her shyly
The guy approached Mary timidly
Before I could speak she walked right by me
Mary didn't pay attention to the guy
Frozen, lost my cool
The guy got nervous and panicked
Out of the groove, what's my next move
The guy was unsure of how to proceed
Should I chill, should I follow
The guy was contemplating his options
Heart is pounding, I feel hollow
The guy was very nervous
Paused, thought for a minute
The guy took a moment to collect himself
If she was a pool I'd jump right in it
The guy was very attracted to Mary
So in her path I did step
The guy followed Mary
Nervous but I still had pep
The guy was still determined to pursue Mary
It didn't matter where she went to
The guy continued to follow Mary
Saw her at the mall
Describing another encounter with Mary
Stand tall, courage don't fall
The guy was determined to be confident in front of Mary
To her smoothly I approached
The guy confidently approached Mary this time
Tried to speak and almost choked
The guy still had some nerves
Abnormal for the ruthless chiller
The guy was not his usual cool self around Mary
Normally I'm a ladies killer
The guy usually has no problem attracting women
Why were my nerves shaky
The guy was confused as to why he was so nervous
I knew she'd make me and not break me
The guy knew that Mary was worth the risk of rejection
Here she comes, should I talk to her now
The guy sees Mary approaching again and debates whether to talk to her
Yes, it's now or never
The guy decides to approach Mary
Hello Mary, how's your day
The guy starts a conversation with Mary
Hope it's going in the right way
The guy expresses his interest in Mary's well-being
How about dinner and some dancing
The guy suggests a date with Mary
Later on some romancing
The guy hints at getting intimate with Mary
Music, we could talk
The guy suggests a date activity
And express our inner thoughts
The guy suggests getting to know each other better
How about it, what do you think
The guy is seeking Mary's approval
Ended statement with a wink
The guy is flirting with Mary
Oh oh-oh-oh ooh-oh, Mary
Repeating the introduction of Mary as the focus of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BENITO BENITES, JOHN VIRGO GARRETT III, DURRON MAURICE BUTLER, PENNY L FORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@justman4891
I'm 40 but when I hear these old school dance tunes I feel like I'm in the year 1990 grooving and moving in some high class New York dance club and it feels great!
@panzerpoodle
Euro techno ❤
@Natty0975
This song totally rocked my 90's. I loved Snap and still do in 2021. What a group it was. One of the best ones there was. God bless the 80's and 90's music creators ❤❤❤
@Deion1George
Yes, definitely one of the best times in music
@joaocardoso4790
Bela altura para se ser jovem, viver a vida , é ter excelente música...
@gospel3067
Which version of Snap! did you love? There were many additions & subtraction from the group.
@jenniferolson5345
I used to get into so much trouble in the dorms for playing Snap WAY too loud!
@stevediaz2451
I saw them while stationed in Germany. Incredible.
@muyarodrickshibweche834
Miss the 80s and 90s....mad love from kenya 🇰🇪
@laurentiuspiratos9471
Nobody can match SNAP today. Legend band. The sound and beat in this song and all their other songs is mesmerizing...