"Shackles (Praise You)" is the debut single by American gospel singer-songwriter duo Mary Mary. Originally released February 29, 2000, as a promotional single for their album Thankful, it is considered the group's signature song and one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time. Stan North of GospelFlava.com deemed it one of the pioneer songs of urban gospel music. "Shackles" became a top-10 hit in several countries, including Australia, Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and charted well in other major music markets. Mary Mary later produced a music video for the song.

Critical reception

Like many contemporary gospel songs, "Shackles" was not without its criticism; many cited the song as being too modern and not staying true to its gospel roots. Mary Mary responded by saying, "It's definitely contemporary. It's music that everybody in any style of music can relate to. It's universal, but the lyrics are undeniably Gospel."

Commercial performance

"Shackles (Praise You)" became a top-40 hit in the United States, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was also a worldwide hit, reaching number five in the United Kingdom and number 17 in Ireland. Across mainland Europe, the song was a top-10 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway. It also charted strongly in France, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland, peaking within the top 20. In Australia, the song reached number two in September 2000 and was the highest-selling song of the year that did not reach the number-one spot, coming in at number 10 on Australia's year-end chart for 2000.

Usage in media

The song has been featured in RuPaul's Drag Race as a "lipsync for your life" elimination: during the first season (2009), performed by contestants Rebecca Glasscock and Shannel, as well as the thirteenth season (2021), performed by Denali and Olivia Luxx. A sample of "Shackles" was featured on the Stormzy song "Rainfall" from his 2019 album Heavy Is the Head. The song was featured in the fifth episode of the third season (2024) of American sitcom Abbott Elementary, performed by Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Track listings

United States

CD single Maxi-CD single 12-inch single Cassette single

International

Australian CD single European CD1 European CD2 UK CD1 UK CD2 UK cassette single

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history