Release History:
1969 Post Card
1971 Earth Song, Ocean Song
1972 Those Were the Days
1979 The Welsh World of Mary Hopkin
1971 Earth Song, Ocean Song
1972 Those Were the Days
1979 The Welsh World of Mary Hopkin
Members:
Mary Hopkin...vocals
In 1968, the Hopkin-McCartney collaboration produced “Those Were the Days,” based on a traditional Ukrainian melody. The song was enormously successful on the English and international scenes, rising to #1 in the UK and to #2 in the U.S. Hopkin’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show further promoted the song. She also recorded it in Spanish, German, French, Italian and Hebrew, solidifying its popularity abroad. “Those Were the Days” sold 8 million copies worldwide in a single year.
In 1969, Hopkin released her first album, called Postcard, again produced by McCartney and containing songs by famous songwriters like Donovan and Harry Nilsson. The album enjoyed the same international success; a single from the album, “Goodbye,” was a hit as well. Following the album, Hopkin moved away from the folk sound with “Temma Harbour,” a Top 40 hit in the U.S. Hopkin also represented England in the Eurovision song competition in 1970, with the song “Knock Knock (Who’s There?);” though she gave a flawless performance, she only placed second. Later, the Eurovision entry was released as a single, which reached #2 in the UK. Hopkin didn’t stay away from her folk roots for long and in 1971, she released Earth Song Ocean Song, featuring songs by songwriters like Cat Stevens and Gallagher & Lyle.
The early 70s marked a hiatus from the music business for Hopkin, who wanted to concentrate on her marriage and family. She still remained active in the recording industry during this time, singing with musicians her husband produced, like David Bowie and Thin Lizzy. She came back into the spotlight in 1976, with a few singles and more notably, singing the role of a princess in Steeleye Span’s concept album, The King of Elfland’s Daughter.
In the 80s and 90s, Hopkin continued to perform and record with various groups and provided vocals for a song on Bladerunner’s soundtrack. She also had quite a few gigs with the Irish folk group The Chieftains. She remains involved in the folk music stage and her numerous collaborations with other well-known musicians continue to reinvent the folk sound.
