Lyrics Uncovered: Levon, ‘Ms. Marianne’
Writing Levon's "Ms. Marianne" lyrics dovetailed with the start of a whirlwind romance with a knockout, certified cougar whose name may or may not have been Marianne.
The debut single from the country trio was born when singer Michael David Hall was approached by an older, very attractive customer at a Nashville-area restaurant where he was working. Fresh off a workout, the unidentified female was bold with her looks and even bolder with her suggestions. Hall was admittedly nervous, but kept it cool.
"She was sweaty, had the workout pants on, hair in a ponytail and then the next night on the date — I thought she was hot the day before and then I saw her the next night after a shower — it was wonderful," he says. Well, maybe the newcomers fictionalized a few details:
"I was busy flunking out of my third year of college / Working hard tending bar, soaking up all the knowledge," he sings during the first verse. "You could find serving wine to the ladies at Francesca’s porch / She walked in with her friends, they were mad celebrating / 20 years of marriage to an ex she called Satan / So I poured her a shot and I walked it across the floor / And the ladies all roared."
Bandmate Jake Singleton says the story was pretty much par for the course for the charming frontman. Holladay recalls thinking Hall had made it up, but then again he was new to the band and didn't know better. The first "Ms. Marianne" lyrics became the song's raciest line.
"But if you were on the end of the popsicle stick / I would eat you up as you melted all over my hand," Hall sings at the end of the second verse before a chorus you can't deny: "Ms. Marianne (C’mon and do it, you know you want to do it now) / C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, Ms. Marianne (C’mon and do it, you know you want to do it now)."
"The song was being written pretty much the day of the date," Hall says. "And within a week of the date the songs was finished and I was now in a committed relationship with that. I wasn’t however in a committed relationship with her after that date."
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So how did it all end? Hall and his bandmates like the air of mystery, so all he'll say is he did not see her again after that encounter. It was his only cougar experience to date, but he doesn't seem opposed to it happening again.
"Cougars are hard to keep in the den," he says, smiling. "They’re providers. They’ve got careers. Tons of guys chasing them. But it’s an experience that will last a lifetime."
Not only did the "Ms. Marianne" lyrics stay true to the song's actual story, but the music video does, too. It was filmed at the same restaurant and same table where they met. The woman in question doesn't know she inspired such country charm ... yet.
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