# Mary Margaret O'Hara **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506 "2010-09-03T17:19:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/1 "2010-09-03T17:19:35Z")
Suddenly, my life isn’t complete without a recording of Mary Margaret O’Hara singing her song “Dark, Dear Heart”. I want to be able to put it on my iPod and listen to it. The only copy I can find on the internet is a YouTube video of her singing it live–and she does a lovely job. If only I could somehow turn it into an audio file, to have and to hold. Help? It isn’t on iTunes or Amazon. Holly Cole singing this song does not do it for me. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/2 "2010-09-03T17:40:36Z")
I adore [Mary Margaret O’Hara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Margaret_O%27Hara), I’ve been a fan since her one and only album, [Miss America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_America_%28album%29), was released. Oh god, what a brilliant album! Someone (else) should be along to help you technically in turning a video into an mp3, so I just wanted to bop your head for not providing [a link to the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWz9sI1IiaE) you’re talking about. Mary Margaret is a Canadian National Treasure, along with Jane Siberry. One of my favorite concert memories is driving up to Toronto to see MMO’H, Jane, Victoria Williams, Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins and Tim Ray perform a Christmas concert called [A Choral Christmas](http://www.youtube.com/user/ChristmasSongsILike), which was broadcast by the CBC. Some of it was [later released](http://www.youtube.com/user/ChristmasSongsILike#p/u/15/5o0SkJqjowI) on CD, called [Count Your Blessings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Your_Blessings_%28album%29). It’s out of print, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/3 "2010-09-03T21:20:27Z")
I’ll have to check this woman out. I only know her as the one who provided those weird animal noises on Morrissey’s “November Spawned a Monster”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/4 "2010-09-03T22:47:46Z")
The things she can do with her voice are truly magical. I first heard her sing [Don’t Be Afraid](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgQBdxA47lE&feature=fvw) on the Kurt Weill tribute album September Songs. Miss America is a “difficult” album, and not as beautiful as some of her one-off stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/5 "2010-09-04T06:39:25Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Miss America is a “difficult” album, and not as beautiful as some of her one-off stuff… There are no words in the English language to convey how strongly I disagree with you. Miss America is indeed a very difficult album, but if you “get” it, it’s one of the most beautiful and wonderful things on this planet. [When You Know Why You’re Happy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbAr1DCjYw) [Year In Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i35mAvFY7pw) [Body’s In Trouble](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z14wPTz6PdY) There are others from the album on a [fan MySpace page](http://www.myspace.com/marymargaretoharafan), both in the MySpace player and the Flash player further down the page (which includes my favorite song by her, Anew Day). But the album as a whole is astonishing. It may take several listens to figure out why it’s so astonishing though. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/6 "2010-09-04T11:03:58Z")
I’ve never heard of her and she has an interesting voice that I think I could grow to like, but watching her youtube vids makes me nearly cringe and think of a Joe Cocker Lt with her jerky hand motions. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/7 "2010-09-04T21:19:23Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > I’ve never heard of her and she has an interesting voice that I think I could grow to like, but watching her youtube vids makes me nearly cringe and think of a Joe Cocker Lt with her jerky hand motions. I agree. It’s very interesting that she’s the sister of Catherine O’Hara! ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-margaret-ohara/552506/8 "2010-09-05T03:38:58Z")
It’s sad that anyone would let her mannerisms/tics/unique style detract from such a beautiful voice and interesting music, but not surprising. It’s the way of the world. If you’re different, you don’t belong in polite society. Mary Margaret is far from the first and will be far from the last to be subjected to judgments based on the whims and expectations of “normal” people.