Writer: Ian Anderson
Producer: Ian Anderson and Terry Lewis
Recorded: 1971 at Island Studios, London
| Players: | Ian Anderson–vocals, flute Martin Barre–guitar Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond–bass John Evan–keyboards Clive Bunker–drums |
| Album: | Aqualung (Reprise, 1971) |
The second song on the Aqualung album, “Cross-Eyed Mary” introduces another character in the thematic work–a lecherous woman who, like the title character, lurks on the perimeter of society and is something of an outcast.
Frontman Ian Anderson says that a painting inspired the song: “I write songs a lot with visual references, perhaps because I originally studied art and was going to be a visual artist rather than a musical one. The references there are paintings by a British painter called Larry, who painted strange, simplistic figures in crowded urban landscapes. There's probably a bit of the Broigal in there as well–slightly scary, surrealistic individuals of larger than life figures, rather frightening sort of characters.”
The Aqualung album was enormously successful, hitting Number Seven in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The album has sold more than three million copies since its release.
“Cross-Eyed Mary” has long been one of Jethro Tull's most popular live songs, and it's one of the few Anderson says the group will always perform in concert.
