"Along Comes Mary" is sung from the point of view of a once-disillusioned young man talking about the "tribulations no one ever sees" and who "curse[s] those faults in me." The singer believes Mary gives him comfort and improves his life. Both Leonard Bernstein[9] and Tandyn Almer stated that Mary was a reference to marijuana; this association was also prevalent among many of the song's listeners.[10] In the Young People's Concert titled What Is a Mode? Leonard Bernstein explained that the song was composed in the Dorian mode.[11]
American rock band Bloodhound Gang recorded a version of "Along Comes Mary" with new punk music to accompany the lyrics. It first appeared on the 1998 soundtrack to the filmHalf Baked[17] before appearing on Bloodhound Gang's third studio album, Hooray for Boobies, the following year. "Along Comes Mary" was released as the album's first single in May 1999 and reached No. 5 in Austria, No. 6 in Germany, and No. 13 in Switzerland. The song was certified gold in both Austria and Germany.
^Asakawa, Gil (1998). "The Association". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 46.
^Davidson, Chris (2001). "Sunshine Pop". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 190–191.