Richard Marx - Hazard - Who Killed Mary?

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Richard Marx - Hazard - Clip musical do Richard Marx - Hazard was immortalised as the setting of the Richard Marx song "Hazard", which told the tale of a disenfranchised young man, who, because he had no father, was an easy target for prejudice. He befriended a young woman called Mary, who subsequently disappeared, leaving the protagonist as the chief suspect. The name was arrived at by Richard Marx thanks to his liking for the lyric "this old Nebraska town." He wrote to Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, asking for a list of Nebraska towns - Hazard was perfect for his needs (although there is no nearby river, and the lyrics refer to one).



Who Killed Mary? - Hazard, Nebraska


This question was likely purposely left unanswered, however, arguments can be made for several points of view.

Marx's Character

By listening strictly to the lyrics, one might infer that Marx's character murdered Mary. He gives statements that could be interpreted as conflicting, such as "No one understood what I felt for Mary / No one cared until the night she went out walking alone / And never came home..." followed in the refrain by "I swear I left her by the river / I swear I left her safe and sound..." This may cause some to wonder how he left her by the river if she was walking alone. Others may simply take it to mean the river is the last place he saw her.

In the video, Marx's character has clearly suffered a troubled childhood and it is depicted that it affects his adult life deeply. When he sees Mary with another man, it is possible that he flies into a jealous rage, follows her to the river, and kills her, later returning home to mourn his loss.



The Sheriff

The video seems to heavily imply that the Sheriff is guilty. He is seen following one or both of them, taking their pictures, and even keeping pictures of Mary in his squad car. Mary is also shown running away from the squad car on one occasion.

The sheriff identifies a white cloth as the murder weapon while interrogating Marx. It appears to be the same white scarf Marx lost on the branch of the bush the night Mary was killed, and the sheriff was the only other person visible at the scene.

Motives could include the sheriff's possible jealousy of Marx and Mary, and the desire to exile Marx permanently from the town by framing him.



Mary's Lover

It is also possible that Mary's unidentified lover could be the killer, perhaps because he may have seen Marx lingering outside Mary's house. However, the viewer is given little else to help them come to this conclusion.

Channel: Music
Uploaded: January 23, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Author: cambizes

Length: 00:04:42
Rating: 4.92
Views: 582905

Tags: Richard_Marx Hazard Clip musical

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Video Comments:
Mesmerizeking (December 3, 2008 at 4:12 pm)
If u watch the videoproperly it shows he & the sheriff saw her with some1 else in the car...by which he was depressed and was at his place..at the same time mary also saw that he saw her..and was ashamed about it...the chances re the sheriff got jealous and killed her or she committed suicide...the most romatic and beautiful song
ivca007 (December 3, 2008 at 3:07 pm)
no one
she committed suicide
kcmet79 (December 3, 2008 at 12:19 pm)
it was fierce. richard's mullet could not be reckoned with.
HAMODY73 (December 3, 2008 at 6:09 am)
who killed Mary?
the sheriff !!! or Mary's new boy friend or Marx
ramirocop (December 2, 2008 at 7:58 pm)
Es una cancion que marco mis preferencias musicales!!!!
bundokaiteno (December 2, 2008 at 9:23 am)
q buen tema!!!!!!!!uno de los exitos de Richard Marx
muzfuzpinky2008 (December 1, 2008 at 3:01 pm)
Whats the plot about?
i dont get it
ERKANUZUN123 (November 30, 2008 at 2:14 pm)
hello i am nice yes nice
guerreiroinfante2001 (November 30, 2008 at 9:25 am)
beautiful song!!!!!!!!!!
jimdillon1 (November 29, 2008 at 10:10 pm)
so many good memories from this song. wish i could be back then when i was growing up. the early nineties were the best!