Another in our occasional series of songs connected by a theme. Today is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day, and so I thought I would offer you something of an arcane collection of songs loosely connected by their references to mums, moms, and mothers. However be warned that this collection is not the usual sentimental selection, although that does appear here and there.
“Mama Said” is a song performed by The Shirelles. It became a top-ten hit, on both the pop and R&B charts, when it was released as a single in 1961. “Mama Said” went number four on the Billboard and number two on the R&B chart. It was the inspiration for “Days Like This” by Van Morrison. The song was featured during the closing of the third season Orange is the New Black episode “Fake it Till You Fake it Some More.” The song also appeared in the seventh season of Adventure Time at the end of the eponymous episode, “Mama Said.”
“Your Mother Should Know” is a song by The Beatles from their 1967 EP and LP Magical Mystery Tour. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. Titled after a line in the 1961 film A Taste of Honey, its lyrical premise centres on the history of hit songs across generations. McCartney said he wrote it as a plea for generational understanding and respect for a mother’s life experience. In the television film, the song serves as a big production number in the style of a 1930s Hollywood musical. Some commentators view the sequence as cultural satire, as the Beatles are seen dancing and dressed in white tuxedos.
“Coat of Many Colours” is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Dolly Parton. It was released in September 1971 as the second single and title track from the album Coat of Many Colours. She composed the song in 1969, while traveling with Porter Wagoner on a tour bus. (She explained in her 1994 memoir, My Life and Other Unfinished Business, because she could find no paper, as the song came to her, she wrote it on the back of a dry cleaning receipt from one of Wagoner’s suits; when the song became a hit, Wagoner had the receipt framed.)
“Mama Told Me Not to Come” is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman written for Eric Burdon’s first solo album in 1966. Three Dog Night’s 1970 cover topped the US pop singles chart. Tom Jones and Stereophonics’ version also hit No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000. Newman says that the song was inspired by his own lighthearted reflection on the Los Angeles music scene of the late 1960s. As with most Newman songs, he assumes a character; in this song the narrator is a sheltered and extraordinarily straitlaced young man, who recounts what is presumably his first “wild” party in the big city, is shocked and appalled and – in the chorus of the song – recalls that his “Mama told [him] not to come”.
“Mama” is a song by the Spice Girls. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group’s debut album Spice, released in November 1996. “Mama” is a pop ballad that deals with the difficulties in relationships between mothers and daughters that appear during their childhood. Released as the album’s fourth single in March 1997, it became their fourth consecutive number-one single in the United Kingdom, which made the Spice Girls the first act in UK chart history to have its first four singles reach number one. It was certified platinum by the BPI.
“Stacy’s Mom” is a song by American band Fountains of Wayne. It was released on the radio on May 20, 2003. The song was released as the lead single from Welcome Interstate Managers in September 2003, through Virgin Records. “Stacy’s Mom” was written by bassist Adam Schlesinger and vocalist Chris Collingwood, both of whom produced the song alongside Mike Denneen. Its subject matter was inspired by a friend of Schlesinger’s when he was young who had a crush on Schlesinger’s grandmother.
“Oh Mother” is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her fifth studio album, Back to Basics (2006). The song was released on November 23, 2007 by RCA Records. “Oh Mother” is a downtempo piano ballad that talks about Aguilera’s abusive childhood. It incorporates various musical instruments, from strings to keyboard. It contains a sample from “Vois Sur Ton Chemin”, written by Bruno Coluais and Christopher Barratler. Upon its release, the song was met with mainly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. It also managed to enter charts in Europe with moderate success.
Mother Like Mine is a track taken from Pioneer the second studio album by American country music group The Band Perry. It was released in April 2013 via Republic Records. The Band Perry co-wrote nine of the album’s twelve tracks.
