"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" is a jazz and soul jazz composition by Joe Zawinul, who wrote it in 1966 for Cannonball Adderley and holds the sole writing credit. The original recording, by the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, was made in July 1966 and issued on the live album "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at 'The Club'" in December 1966. The line-up featured Cannonball and Nat Adderley, Zawinul on electric piano, Victor Gaskin on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. The tune is in B-flat major and has a 20-bar structure in four sections. Its theme is built from the major pentatonic scale and relies mainly on dominant seventh chords on I, IV and V, which gives a bluesy feel without a standard blues progression. The recording became a surprise hit in February 1967, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 in Canada.
Marlena Shaw recorded a version with lyrics by Gail Fisher and Vincent Levy that reached No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. The Buckinghams had a 1967 hit with lyrics by Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Larry Williams, peaking at No. 5 on the Hot 100 in August 1967. Later versions by James Brown, Kenny G, The Crusaders and Maceo Parker are mostly instrumental, as is the song itself.
