JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum "Mama" songs

How many hit songs are out there about "mama"? In particular songs that feature motherly advice. I have several songs in mind but I will start off with one and save the others for someone else to share. If the song is just about mama, that's ok. too. Ben

"Mama Told Me Not To Come"

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=400209

Http://cdbaby.com/cd/benwillis

"I'm Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas." I get a lot of requests for it around Mother's Day. Don't know as it's necessarily an "advice" song, though.

Joe

Joe, If it's about mama it works for me.

Probably hundreds!

I'll stick to the 'giving advice' theme for now.

I would imagine the most well known one is Que Sara Sara by Doris Day

more:

"Mama used to say take your time young man" - Mama Used To Say by Junior

"My momma says to get things done, you better not mess with Major Tom" - Ashes To Ashes by Bowie

"Mama always told me save yourself, take a little time and find the right girl" - It's Different For Girls by Joe Jackson

Nige

The Beatles did "Your Mother Should Know", which I've always liked.

Mother--John Lennon

"Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard. "She tried to raise me better.."

"Blues In The Night" has the line "My mama done told me, there'd be blues in the night."

"Shop Around" I think the line is "My mama said "Son, you better shop around."

"Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing" Brooks & Dunn.

There are probably 100 old folks songs on the same theme, but I can't remember any at the moment.

"Mother"--Pink Floyd, Danzig.
"I Need a Lover, Not a Mother"---Bob Cushing
"Mama Told me Not To Come"---Randy Newman/ Three Dog Night
"Thats All Right Mama"--Elvis
"Mama, I'm Coming Home"--Ozzy Osbourne

Don't forget "Mama Don' Allow," by that prolific old fellow Traditional.

Joe

I wrote Precious Mother,it was a local hit.

"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys"

MAMA SANG A SONG. Bill Anderson

Your Mama Don't Dance...Loggins and Messina.
My Guitar wants to kill Your Mama---Frank Zappa

Motherly love- The Mothers

"Motherly love is just the thing for you
you know your mama's gonna love you til' you don't know what to do"

It is probably not what you have in mind, but Redneck Mother was a great tune that was very popluar down in Texas back in the 70's. After all, it did spell out the word M-O-T-H-E-R in the song!

I've written a song called "You Better Love My Mama and My Dog" that I think you'll enjoy if I ever post it on Soundclick.

How about:

"My mama told me "you better shop around"
and
"My mama told me "you can't hurry love" -

Mama's Dancing...by Mike Dunbar! Terrific song.

Steven Tyler from Aerosmith wrote "Mama Kin" I believe, which Guns And Roses later covered.

And for what it's worth, I've got a song on my website that I wrote about my mother, called "Mama Reigned Supreme".

http://www.timkeesee.com/music/play.php?band_id=2&song_id=20&mode=song_hifi

"Mama Knows The Highway"- Hal Ketchum
"Sylvia's Mother"- Dr. Hook
"Mother Stands For Comfort"- Kate Bush
"My Mother In Me"- John M
"Mama Tried"- Merle Haggard
"Mama He's Crazy"- The Judds
"Mama"- Genesis
"Mother's Little Helper"- Rolling Stones
"Mama Mia"- Abba
"Mother & Child Reunion"- Paul Simon
"Tie Your Mother Down"- Queen
"Mama"- My Chemical Romance
"Mama's In The Graveyard, Papa's In The Pen"- Garth Brooks
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"- Everyone On Earth

Dunno if all of those qualify though...

I think it's far too easy to come up with songs with mama in them, my cat has already thought of 6 and she's only half paying attention :o Let's narrow the field a bit and stick to Mama's advice like Ben initially stated.

I remember a song from when I was a kid called "Beans In My Ears", the main hook line was:
"My mommy said not to put beans in my ears!" - I did a Google and it turns out it was by The Serendipity Singers - very good advice though, dontcha think?

And here's a classic:

"And my mom tells me,
Pop another one of these
And they will all drift away
Like a fog in the breeze" - Silent Battles (Quin/Taub)

Nige

As Nigel points out I did originally ask for hit songs of motherly advice since it was mothers day when I started this thread. I am guilty for letting any song in that mentions "mama" and I even submitted one that was off subject, so I made a list of the ones that were mentioned so far that I think fits into this catagory. If I left out any it is either because I had never heard it or that it was not a hit single. Ben

Mama told me (not to come)
Que sara sara
Mama used to say
Ashes to ashes
It's different for girls
Mama tried
Blues in the night
Shop around
That's alright (mama)
Mama don't allow
Can't hurry love
Sylvia's mother
Mother and child reunion

And here's a couple more: Simple man-Lynyrd Skynyrd
Papa was a rolling stone- Temptations
Mama said there'd be days like this-?

Smokey Robinson had a Good'n' that hits the Hook with "My Momma Told Me"..YOU BETTER SHOP AROUND!

Unka Chuck beat me to all the Other Good'ns..heh-heh!

I'm hopin' to finish one up this year, about Ol' Country Remedies, titled Mama Had The Cure.

Good Luck, Amigo
Stan
WOOPS..you already GOT that Good'n'...now I'll have to THINK awhile...(Ouch.) nOT exactly Motherly Advice, but there's this Classic Mom's Day Song by Jimmy Dean, "I.O.U." to keep in mind.

Much as I love this song, the line/hook "Tie Your Mother Down" is a boy's advice to his girlfriend as one of many ways to get out of the house for the party. There's a line where he quotes the parents as saying "'You're such a dirty louse go on get outa my house' / That's all I ever get from your family ties"
So... does that count?
~sigh~ I doubt it.

Queen had many, many references to "Mama:" from the well-known "Mama... I just killed a man" to songs from their early "The Loser in the End" (Roger's) to their last album's "Mother Love" (Brian's) (which isn't actually about mothers) with some very strange songs tossed inbetween, such as "She Makes Me," which sounds like a child speaking in utero *about* its mother... but I'm willing to be wrong on that interpretation.

OK, I'm officially up too late to be up discussing this.
If it was earlier and my brain wasn't mush, I'd have a better answer. "The Loser in the End" probably counts for this list, but I just can't stand that song much.

The really scary thing here is, there's *probably* a website somewhere where some fan has actually counted all the references ever made to "Mama" in their songs -- yeah.

Anytime y'all start thinking I'm weird or know too much trivia... hahaahaha, not true, I am MILES saner than a lot of other fans out there! Any random Google search will tell you that in a heartbeat. Scary.

Hope that helps everyone sleep better at night--

Linda

PS just for fun: Tie Your Mother Down
from http://www.lyricsdir.com/queen-tie-your-mother-down-lyrics.html
Words and music by Brian May

Get your party gown and get your pigtail down
And get your heart beatin' baby
Got my timin' right I got my act all tight

It's gotta be tonight
My little school babe
Your momma says you don't
And your daddy says you won't
And I'm boilin' up inside
Ain't no way I'm gonna lose out this time

Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Lock your daddy out of doors
I don't need him nosin' around
Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Give me all your love tonight

'You're such a dirty louse go get outa my house'
That's all I ever get from your family ties
In fact I don't think I ever heard
A single little civil word from those guys
I don't give a light
I'm gonna make out all right
I've got a sweetheart hand
To put a stop to all that
Snipin' and grousin'

Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Take your little brother swimmin'
With a brick that's all right
Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Or you ain't no friend of mine

Your momma and your daddy
Gonna blame me till I die
I can't understand it
'Cause I'm a peace lovin' guy
Tie your mother down
Tie your mother down
Get that big big big big big big
Daddy out the door
Tie your mother down yeah
Tie your mother down
Give me all your love tonight
All your love tonight


(not exactly happy Mother's Day fare! haha)

In the chorus of Sally Simpson by The Who it goes
"But her Mother said never mind your part is to be what you'll be"

In Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric it starts with

"When I was a young boy
My mama said to me
There's only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti"

incidentally someone did this song at our open mic this week

Nigel, I'm getting off subject again but I always liked The Who's "I'm a boy". Remember? "I'm a boy I'm a boy but my mom won't admit it" Ben

"The Hand That Rocks the Cradle"
Seven-month stay on the Billboard Singles chart. Glen Campbell and Steve Wariner recorded it, songwriting hall-of-famer Ted Harris wrote it.

Hi Ben

Yes, it's interesting Pete Townsend would write about real social/family issues, and tackled many taboo subjects. Whilst doing it he came up with some great pop songs, I'm A Boy (as you mentioned), Pictures Of Lilly, Substitute etc. A truly great writer in my book.

Now I'm off subject!

Nige

Linda, Take heart, I believe that you are a very sane person (although groggy from lack of sleep), but you make perfect sense. I am also a Queen fan. I think Freddy Mercury was one of the finest entertainers ever. With the musical ability of Brian May and the others they had a class-A show. Their references to "mama" do fit in the catagory because it is in the context of mother to child advice. As a guitar player I tend to judge a band strictly on their musical abilities but Queen stood out to me mostly on their stage presence. I first heard Queen when I was in high school and was unimmpressed because of the homophobia thing. I have grown since then and have learned to appreciate the music for what it is. I was sad when Freddy died. I would never live his life style but I did recognise his talant.

Hi Ben!
Yay, I'm not alone! Although I'll question my own sanity, whether you do or not. LOL.

Amen to everything you said. They unfortunately shot themselves in the foot in the United States market with the "I Want to Break Free" video (in drag--it's HYSTERICAL, but Americans didn't get it--very common to Brit humor and TV, and they were mimicking characters from a popular Brit soap opera). So the Brits laughed themselves into tears, and kept Queen on the charts in the 80's, making them second only to the Beatles in collectibility over there.

But we Americans just didn't know what to make of it.

Linda

PS I now return you to your regularly scheduled topic!