Hazard ( song ) - wikipedia Hazard ( song ) This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay that states a Wikipedia editor 's personal feelings about a topic. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. ( September 2013 ) `` Hazard '' Single by Richard Marx from the album Rush Street B - side `` Big Boy Now '' Released January, 1992 Recorded 1991 Genre Soft rock Length 5 : 17 ( Album Version ) 4 : 48 ( Edit ) Label Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Richard Marx Producer ( s ) Richard Marx Richard Marx singles chronology `` Keep Coming Back '' ( 1991 ) `` Hazard '' ( 1992 ) `` Take This Heart '' ( 1992 ) `` Keep Coming Back '' ( 1991 ) `` Hazard '' ( 1992 ) `` Take This Heart '' ( 1992 ) `` Hazard '' is a 1992 hit song written and performed by American singer / songwriter / producer Richard Marx. It peaked at # 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached # 6 in the Cash Box charts. In addition, the song was Marx 's third # 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Internationally, it topped charts in 13 countries throughout the world, hitting # 1 in Australia and # 3 in the United Kingdom. Contents 1 Song overview 2 Music video 2.1 Overview 2.2 Details 3 Who Killed Mary ? 4 Charts 4.1 Weekly charts 4.2 Year - end charts 5 References Song overview `` Hazard '' tells the story of a relationship of some kind between a narrator and a woman named Mary. Mary disappears in suspicious circumstances, and the narrator, shunned by many in the small village since his childhood ( `` That boy 's not right. '' ), is immediately considered the main suspect. The narrator, however, maintains his innocence throughout the song, and the question of such is left open to the listener 's interpretation. Music video Overview The music video for `` Hazard '' reveals additional video cues and other details that led viewers to speculate about the question of the protagonist 's innocence while still following the song 's lyrics and ultimately leaving the outcome open to interpretation. The narrator also refers to the state of Nebraska, United States, and specifically a village in that state called Hazard. `` Miss Mary '' is played by actress Renee Parent Details The music video opens with several older men teasing the protagonist 's character as a child with his mother in the background ; the description of his character as `` not right '' may imply slight mental illness or simply being different. The video then shows Mary, who is depicted as having features very similar to the protagonist 's mother. Various scenes in this sequence can cause the viewer to become unclear about the nature of their relationship. As the story continues, the town 's sheriff is shown taking photographs of the couple and following one or both of them in his vehicle. It is implied that the protagonist goes to see Mary but catches her making love to an unidentified person. Again, the video flashes back to his childhood, where he sees his mother committing adultery. In present time, the sheriff arrives and sees the protagonist, who then flees, leaving his scarf behind on the branch of a bush. He returns home and weeps about Mary. Mary is then shown alone near the river spoken of in the song. She turns to face the camera with a look of surprise on her face, and it is then made to look as if she lay in water. The next morning ( as the song states ), several people assist in arresting the male character in regard to her disappearance. While in the interrogation room, he is shown a white cloth, which the sheriff identifies as the item used to strangle Mary. He then denies that he and Mary were romantically involved, and the sheriff asks if Marx was jealous. At this point, the video reveals a larger picture of the protagonist 's childhood : that after his mother 's affair, his father leaves her for another woman. He is then shown as a child running out of a burning house, although it is unclear whose it is or if he actually set the fire. Locals are shown vandalizing the male character 's home, breaking windows and setting fire to it. It is implied that he can not be proven guilty when the sheriff drops him off at his ruined home. As the video ends, a woman walking by covers her young son 's eyes, again implying he is an outcast or implicated in her disappearance. Who killed Mary ? Throughout the song, backed by the video, it is unclear and thus left to the listener / viewer to decide who might be implicated in her disappearance. Marx 's character is set up to be neither innocent nor guilty, depending on how the evidence is viewed. For example, the video makes it apparent that he flees the scene where he sees Mary with the unidentified person, leaving his scarf behind, which is later used as an attempt to place him at the scene. Yet the lyrics state that he ' left her by the river (... ) left her safe and sound ', which contradicts the video. Additionally, how would he know that he left her there, if he had not been with her, because she ' went walking alone and never came home ' ? Furthermore, the video opens up the possibility that the sheriff himself could be responsible for Mary 's disappearance. He is depicted photographing her with the narrator and following her in his car, but it is never established whether his motives for doing so are borne of jealousy or protectiveness, perhaps on account of the narrator 's reputation. But what of the lyrics ``... there 's no escape for me this time, all of my rescues are gone... '' The words `` this time '' imply that this situation has occurred before. Two different versions of the video were shot and aired on VH - 1, and Marx himself appeared several times, challenging viewers to watch for both versions, ``... and see if you can figure out who killed Mary. '' Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 1992 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 42 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 60 Norway ( VG - lista ) 7 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 7 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 6 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 26 US Billboard Hot 100 9 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) Year - end charts Year - end chart ( 1992 ) Position Australian ( ARIA ) 10 US Billboard Hot 100 56 References Jump up ^ `` Richard Marx, now and forever Inquirer Entertainment ''. Entertainment.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 -- 2001. Record Research. p. 160. Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661301/otherworks Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 7741. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Richard Marx -- Hazard '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. VG - lista. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Richard Marx -- Hazard ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Richard Marx -- Chart history '' Billboard Hot 100 for Richard Marx. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Richard Marx -- Chart history '' Billboard Adult Contemporary for Richard Marx. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts -- End of Year Charts -- Top 50 Singles 1992 ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Top 100 - 1992 ''. Billboard. Retrieved 2010 - 07 - 30. Preceded by `` Tears in Heaven '' by Eric Clapton Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one single May 9, 1992 Succeeded by `` Hold on My Heart '' by Genesis Preceded by `` Save the Best for Last '' by Vanessa L. Williams ARIA ( Australia ) number one single July 25, 1992 - August 14, 1992 Succeeded by `` Amigos Para Siempre '' by José Carreras and Sarah Brightman Richard Marx Studio albums Richard Marx Repeat Offender Rush Street Paid Vacation Flesh and Bone Days in Avalon My Own Best Enemy Emotional Remains Sundown Christmas Spirit Beautiful Goodbye Compilations Ballads Greatest Hits ( 1997 ) The Best of Richard Marx The Essential Richard Marx Timeline Duo Stories to Tell Hits & Ballads Inside My Head Seven & Seven Now and Forever : The Ballads The Ultimate Collection Promo compilations Marx Greatest Hits ( 1993 ) The Music of Richard Marx : 1987 -- 2009 Live albums Live in USA 1988 / 92 Live Music Hall Koln 1992 Channel V at the Hard Rock Live Duo Live A Night Out With Friends Singles `` Do n't Mean Nothing '' `` Should 've Known Better '' `` Endless Summer Nights '' `` Hold On to the Nights '' `` Have Mercy '' `` Satisfied '' `` Right Here Waiting '' `` Angelia '' `` Nothin ' You Can Do About It '' `` Too Late to Say Goodbye '' `` Children of the Night '' `` Keep Coming Back '' `` Hazard '' `` Take This Heart '' `` Chains Around My Heart '' `` Playing With Fire '' `` Now And Forever '' `` Silent Scream '' `` The Way She Loves Me '' `` Nothing Left Behind Us '' `` Until I Find You Again '' `` At the Beginning '' `` Days in Avalon '' `` Straight from My Heart '' `` When You 're Gone '' `` Nothing Left To Say '' `` Ready to Fly '' `` Everybody '' `` When You Loved Me '' `` When Love Is All You 've Got '' `` Christmas Spirit '' `` Would n't Let Me Love You '' `` Santa Claus Is Coming to Town '' `` The Little Drummer Boy '' `` Christmas Mornings '' `` O Holy Night '' `` Just Go '' `` Whatever We Started '' `` Beautiful Goodbye '' `` Last Thing I Wanted '' Songs written `` What About Me '' ( Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Kim Carnes / 1984 ) `` Crazy '' ( Kenny Rogers / 1985 ) `` Somebody Took My Love '' ( Durell Coleman ) / 1985 `` Edge of a Broken Heart '' ( Vixen / 1989 ) `` Nothing to Hide '' ( Poco / 1989 ) `` The Best of Me '' ( Cliff Richard / 1989 ) `` Heart in Pieces '' ( Tim Feehan / 1990 ) `` The Reason Why '' ( John Farnham / 1993 ) `` Every Year, Every Christmas '' ( Luther Vandross / 1995 ) `` If You Ever Leave Me '' ( Barbra Streisand, Vince Gill / 1999 ) `` One More Time '' ( Laura Pausini / 1999 ) `` Angel on My Shoulder '' ( Natalie Cole / 2000 ) `` This I Promise You '' ( ' N Sync / 2000 ) `` Still Holding Out For You '' ( SHeDAISY / 2001 ) `` To Where You Are '' ( Josh Groban / 2002 ) `` Dance with My Father '' ( Luther Vandross / 2003 ) `` Life Got in the Way '' ( Sister Hazel / 2003 ) `` Someday '' ( Vince Gill / 2003 ) `` With This Ring '' ( Kenny Loggins / 2003 ) `` I Miss Us '' ( Kenny Loggins / 2004 ) `` Last One Standing '' ( Emerson Drive / 2004 ) `` World Inside My Head '' ( Sister Hazel / 2004 ) `` Better Life '' ( Keith Urban / 2005 ) `` If You Were My Girl '' ( Emerson Drive / 2005 ) `` Everybody '' ( Keith Urban / 2007 ) `` You Never Take Me Dancing '' ( Travis Tritt / 2007 ) `` Just Like You '' ( George Canyon / 2008 ) `` One Little Miracle '' ( Hawk Nelson / 2008 ) `` All Over Me '' ( Default / 2009 ) `` All or Nothing '' ( George Canyon / 2009 ) `` In Your Arms Again '' ( George Canyon, Crystal Shawanda / 2009 ) `` Long Hot Summer '' ( Keith Urban / 2010 ) `` Surrender '' ( George Canyon / 2011 ) `` Now And Forever '' ( Cliff Richard / 2017 ) Musicals Beauty and the Beast Related articles Discography Songwriting / Production Sessions Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hazard_(song)&oldid=799523691 '' Categories : 1991 songs 1992 singles Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Capitol Records singles Nebraska in fiction Number - one singles in Australia Richard Marx songs Songs about death Songs written by Richard Marx Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles needing style editing from September 2013 All articles needing style editing Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Српски / srpski Edit links This page was last edited on 8 September 2017, at 06 : 49. 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Question: who sang i left her by the river
Answer: Richard Marx