Shackles (Praise You)

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“Shackles (Praise You)”
Single by Mary Mary from the album Thankful
Released	1999 February 1, 2000 re-issue
Format	CD Single
Recorded	1999
Genre	R&B / Gospel
Length	4:24
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Erica Atkins, Tina Atkins, Warryn Campbell
Producer	Warryn Campbell
Mary Mary singles chronology
n/a Shackles (Praise You) (2000) I Sings (2000)
2000 Re-release
The 2000 re-release which was used for promotion of Thankful

"Shackles (Praise You)" is the groundbreaking, debut single by singer-songwriter duo Mary Mary released in 2000. It has since been dubbed the signature Mary Mary song as it ultimately raised the profile of the duo in the gospel music industry. Stan North of GospelFlava.com deemed it as one of the pioneer songs of Urban Gospel music^[1] The song was originally recorded and released in February of 2000 upon Mary Mary's signing with Columbia Records and was re-released one month later as a promotional single for their upcoming album, Thankful. They both feature the same track listing but different album covers, the second using a picture of the duo. Mary Mary later shot a music video of this song.

Contents 1 Crossover Success 2 Criticism 3 In The Media 3.1 American Idol 3.2 Australian Idol 4 Naming 5 Song information 5.1 Production 5.2 Track Listings 6 References

[edit] Crossover Success

"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. In addition, Shackles was one of the few gospel songs to receive significant airplay on many CCM stations and appeared on many compilation CDs (include WOW Hits).

[edit] Criticism

Like many contemporary gospel songs, Shackles was not without its criticism, many cited the song as being too modern and not staying true to its gospel roots. Mary Mary responded by saying^[2]:

“	It's definitely contemporary. It's music that everybody in any style of music can relate to. It's universal, but the lyrics are undeniably Gospel...	”
—Tina Campbell

However, the hip hop lines on many subsequent Mary Mary only added to the criticism. With the advent of more urban gospel songs, a new fan base was introduced.

[edit] In The Media

[edit] American Idol

During season 5 of the reality television series American Idol, contestant Mandisa covered this song while in the top 10 (2000s week). The song received mixed reviews from the judges mainly for the song not fitting Mandisa's vocal style. The song was also a source of criticism towards Mandisa. It has been confirmed that Mandisa will be recording a remake of this song on her upcoming album, True Beauty^[3].

[edit] Australian Idol

During season 3 of Australian Idol in 2005, soon-to-be-winner Kate DeAraugo sang "Shackles (Praise You)" while in the top 2^[4][5]. In comparison to Mandisa's performance on the American sister show, DeAraugo stayed closer to the original song but skipped the second half of the chorus and was played in a lower key.

[edit] Naming

Shackles has been referred to by a myriad of names. On the official album cover it lists it as "Shackles (Praise You)" ^[6], On many compilation CDs, the song is listed as "Shackles (Wanna Praise You)". On American Idol, Mandisa referred to the song as "Wanna Praise You" but later said it is also called "Shackles". In interviews, Mary Mary refer to the song as simply "Shackles".

[edit] Song information

[edit] Production

• Vocals: Mary Mary
• All instruments: Warryn "Baby Dubb" Campbell
• Producer: Warryn Campbell
• Vocal Producer: Mary Mary
• Writer(s): Warryn Campbell, Erica Atkins, Tina Atkins

[edit] Track Listings

1. Shackles (Praise You) (Single Version)
2. Shackles (Praise You) (Maurice's Radio Mix)
3. Shackles (Praise You) (Maurice's Carnival 2000 Mix)
4. Shackles (Praise You) (Maurice's New Year's Eve Dubb Mix)

[edit] References