Mother of All Songs
Posted at 4:49 AM on May 4, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(47 Comments)
Mother's Day is coming this Sunday. Now is the time to think about it.
Scratching your name on a card Sunday afternoon before you go over there to let her fix you dinner is probably not thoughtful enough.
All week, I'll be looking for songs about Mother. It's not as easy as you think.
In the first 50 mother-titled songs listed at All Music Guide, about half of them are not so nice. Mother would be disappointed.
Mama, on the other hand, shows up in song quite regularly, especially the blues.
But the "mama" referred to in the blues may not be your mother.
Or she could be.
She may have been someone's "mama" long before she was your mother.
She might also have been someone's "mama" afterwards too, although whether your father knew about her "papa" is anyone's guess.
And when it comes to what's going on inside songs, anyone can be anyone else's "baby". Though the feelings expressed could quickly lead to motherhood and fatherhood, that doesn't seem to be the point.
It can get rather confusing.
So if you have a favorite song that is really about mothers, or motherhood, or one that makes you think about your mother, let me know. I'm making a list.
Comments (47)
Sadly, I have no mother-songs at the ready. Gladly, we are back in MN after a long winter in warmer places. So grand to hear your voice and swim again in great morning music.
Hooray!
Good morning Dale. I'll ponder the Mother concept, but top of mind for me this morning is to hear a Leonard Cohen reprise. I went to his concert last night and had an out of body experience...incredibly, unbelievably fantastic. Maybe the best concert I've ever been to. At 11:15 pm, he finally walked, er, I mean skipped, off the stage after casting a spell on the crowd.
well, i was going to request "We can't see eye to eye" by Joan Jett - ha, ha! but that wouldn't be very nice, would it? then, maybe "Sweet Caroline" but my mom hates that song (it is her name, but she doesn't like to be thought of as sweet) her absolute all-time favorite is "in heaven there is no beer" - so maybe that for Mom, Dale?
and, Dale and Mike - thanks for the "Power of Two" concert last night - we risked the bandwidth expenditure and listened for about 45 minutes. was truly a treat, just as Donna promised!
Welcome back, Elizabeth. You picked a good time to return to Minnesota.
And thanks, Dawn, for the Leonard Cohen concert review. I know a number of RH listeners went to the show. One sent pictures but I don't know if we're allowed to use them. How about other opinions? Did everyone feel a spell had been cast?
Good Monday Morning all,
Mother songs...I remember a piece you played years ago, an instrumental piano song written by a woman for her mother in remembrance of sitting under the piano while her mother played. Or is that a Butch (oh, dear just drew a blank on his last name...) story I'm mixing with the woman's song. It is a lovely little thing, that I remember.
Dawn, I am so jealous of you getting to be at Leonard Cohen's concert!
Good morning Heartlanders -
Dawn, I completely agree. The Leonard Cohen concert last night was utterly fabulous! He had us completely under his spell. His voice is better than ever - he is in his prime. What a tremendous night!
Butch Thompson!
Good morning RH,
There must be a few songs about instilling guilt. Mom's are known for that, aren't they? Very funny entry this morning!
Yea, Barb - great "Duos" listening, huh? Sounds like Leonard Cohen was depp-worthy too!
Good Monday morning, all.
The Leonard Cohen concert was everything I had hoped it would be. It must be a really odd experience for a person to be that loved everywhere he goes (he received his first standing ovation when he arrived on stage). All the musicians in the ensemble were artists, and Cohen demonstrated humility and appreciation for their talents. His abilities as a writer and poet were really demonstrated in his appreciations of them as well as in hit songs. He was funny and charming, and, of course, his music was lovely and amazing. He certainly did skip onto and off of the stage! I don't think I've attended a better concert in my life, but, of course, I haven't seen Tom Waits (yet).
I can't think of a song about "mom" at the moment, but I'll stop by later if I think of one.
Dale,
Could it be that we don't sing about mothers all that much?
What about the Beatles song with the line "Your mother would know"?
Could your list also include songs about adoption where there are 2 mothers involved? I'm thinking John MCCutcheon and Lucy Kaplansky.
Thanks!
Perhaps there is time this morning for the Bill Staines tribute to the Thoroughbred racing horse in honor of the little gelding Mine That Bird who won the Kentuckey Derby so spectacularly on Saturday.
Also...Jennifer Warnes' "Ballad of the Runaway Horse" which is a Leonard Cohen song..., perhaps.
Listened to the duos concert last nite & loved it!--Storyhill was just outstanding! Their voices sounded better than ever and the close harmonies are just delicious! I laid down on the couch at 7:00 with my portable HD radio next to my ear and had the delight of watching the sunset while I enjoyed the concert! How about playing my favorite Storyhill song--"Love Will Find You."
Good Morning Heartlanders…
What a beautiful weekend! The tomatoes have been transplanted into larger pots, lettuce seeds have been sowed the garlic is coming up wonderfully and has been bunny proofed.
I would like to say thank you again for the tickets to Friday night’s Peter Mulvy/Colin Hay show. It was a very fun show; both of them had funny stories to tell along with the great music they shared. Toward the end of Colin’s set he told a story of a fan that told him how much he enjoyed his song Overkill especially the line “goats (ghosts) appear then fade away” I laughed so hard wearing a picture of Tammy & Artie on my jacket, we know how goats appear then fade away!
Gail & Kathy, I enjoyed chatting with you, how did you like the show? Gail, you were very lucky to go to the Leonard Cohen as well what a perfect music weekend.
Have a great week!
Good Morning!
It's a mother of a problem Dale. Willy Nelson's 'Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys' comes to mind. Maybe others later when the rest of my brain shows up.
The Duos concert last night was great, thanks! I was wondering what you would do with the great PowerPoint parts you put together for the live show and liked the interviews from the Morning Show. For a radio guy you have a great sense of visual humor as seen in the live show.
Thank you so much for the Storyhill this morning - what a fabulous way to start Monday. The volumn just HAS to be turned up for that song!
Recently, I attended a concert by Ricky Scaggs and the Kentucky Thunder. They sang an old Bill Monroe song called Mother's Only Sleeping.
So many of us have mother's who have passed.
I know my mother would have liked the sentiment of that song and perhaps many of yours would also.
Hey, Kate,
It was cool to meet you, too, at the Colin Hay / Pete Mulvey concert Friday night. I just sent a thank you email to Dale and Mike for the tickets, saying that you found Kathy and me by the RH table, all three of us wearing our pictures of Artie & Tammy!
We enjoyed the concert also - some real humor there, and great music. So glad we got to meet you there.
And thanks again, Dale & Mike!
Oh and we also listened to the Duos show and enjoyed it very much. Bill and I were thinking when Lou was talking she remined us of Gracie Allen. The mix of artists was so different we really enjoyed the whole show.
as for a Mother song how about Its Alright Ma (Im Only Bleeding)
I tried to think of some good songs about mothers, but only came up with a few written by mothers about motherhood. One I know I've heard in the past was called, I think, Memo to Droola. Another is Carol King's Child of Mine.
But it's interesting how songwriter's are much more able to write about their love for their cars than for their mothers.
Artie and Tammy will be happy to know that they attended the concert also. thanks for your appreciation of them - they sure are fun. and Heldig is doing great also.
off topic, but Cynthia, that "Runaway Horse" song always reduces me to weeping and sobbing - why is that?? what is it about that song?
these busy days i don't get to listen or check in very often but i sure enjoy the brief moments with you folks!
looks like another beautiful day in Blackhoof Twp. hope it is for you also.
Rain songs then train songs; are brain songs next? Teenage brain surgeon comes to mind...
Thanks, Dale, for giving us all week to think about this... One comes to mind now, "Julia" on the Beatles' White Album, written for I believe John Lennon's mother.
For my Mom it would have to be something from La Boheme -- she is/was an opera singer wannabe, and my childhood was filled with her singing arias at the piano.
Thanks for the train songs! Just tried taking the Empire Builder back from Seattle 2 weeks ago, when a bridge East of Minot ND was under water... apparently this just hasn't happened forever. We had to fly the rest of the way. :| Oh well, I still love riding the rails.
Joanne, re your Sunday entry -- I do the same dang thing almost every Saturday evening, even though I always think I'll remember to listen.
Mark!
Believe it or not, Jasper has been asking me to play "Teenage Brain Surgeon"!
Are you two linked? Or one and the same?
Appropriate 'mother' songs, eh? Hm...well, let's see what we can find...
Paul Simon - Mother and Child Reunion
Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper (~kind~ of appropriate...?)
Neil Young - Mother Earth
Eddy Arnold - M-O-T-H-E-R
Eddy Arnold - Mommy Please Stay Home with Me
The Guess Who - New Mother Nature
ABBA - Does Your Mother Know
Dick Jurgens & His Orchestra - Goodnight Mother
Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Sylvia's Mother
The Chenille Sisters - Momma I Want to Make Rhythm
Cat Power - The Coat is Always On ("Mother don't send me...")
Iron & Wine - Upward Over the Mountains ("Mother don't worry...")
Otis Redding - A Change is Gonna Come ("I said, 'Mother! I'm down on my knees'")
The Beatles - Let It Be ("...Mother Mary comes to me...")
Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors (prominant menion of momma)
Carly Simon - Coming Around Again ("Baby sneezes, Mommy pleases, Daddy breezes in...")
Jim Reeves - Bimbo ("...does your mommy know...")
and, of course, Orange Cocoa Cake doesn't necessarily mention mothers but it is probably one of the most accurate mother songs out there.
As always, I'm sure there's lots more but this is just a quick perusal.
Off-topic (sorry).
The Science House station ID was super cool!
RH is the official radio station of the St. Olaf College Telephone Office too. (At least when I'm here, it is.)
Dale, we'll be in Tennessee for Mother's Day with my mother and my daughter whose 23rd birthday is on Mother's Day this year. I'm going to go riding with my daughter, and I haven't been on a horse in about 5 years! We are also going to be attending the 68th running of the Iroquois Steeplechase, sitting in the box that has been in our family since 1941 when the race first began. Can you play a horse/racing song?
Good Morning Heartlanders! What an awesome group! I figured I'd just lay low and let you guys come up with songs about mothers, because my brain doesn't remember trivia like song titles and artists names. Usually, I don't even get the words to songs. I tend to listen to the beat (for dancing!) or for harmonies -- or for just plain funkiness!
Of course, TGitHat comes up with the best, most comprehensive list.
Dale, that was fun to hear folks from Science House do station announcements. My humble talents are always at your disposal as well ... (hint, hint if you're ever out this way)
Thanks TGITH for doing all my programming for me this week. I'll include your list in the list.
Thanks also to Gus for tuning us in at the St. Olaf Telephone Office!
And Lynne, I'd love to drop another horse tune into the mix for you tomorrow - I'm out of time today!
Should we plan for something in the 8:30 to 9 segment?
Dale--Thanks so much for playing my request of Storyhill-"Love Will Find You."--I listened with a big, ole grin on my face!
Thanks for the Jeremy Messersmith! I love his music! Another possible song could be Billie Holiday's God Bless the Child...well, it has mama in it, haha :)
okay, with a South Dakota take on the "mother" thing, how about "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother" by Jerry Jeff Walker
("up against the wall, redneck mother, mother who has raised a son so well; he's 34 and singin' in a honky-tonk, kicking hippies' a**es and raisin' hell."
yep, growin up on the prairie jest gives you a differnt viewpoint...
:-)
After some thinking - though, clearly not as much as TGiTH and others - the only other Mother song I can think of is the one where the singer is requesting that the listener (the kid) please not use your mother as a Kleenex/Towel/etc. Might be a Kathy Fink/Marcy Markser song (with apologies if I spelled those names wrong)? Not the sweetness and loveliness of other Mother songs...but maybe I thought of it because my kid still uses me as Kleenex from time to time.
How about Mama Tried by Merle Haggard? It does a wonderful job of showing that, in spite of what we sometimes believe, a mother can't be blamed for everything.
Late as usual ...
The best mother song I know is Carrie Newcomer's "Rooms my Mother Made." I particularly love the lines
"Don't be afraid to look behind you
Take what's worth taking
And leave what needs leaving behind" -
a pretty good summation of the complex relationships most of us have with our parents.
Her "To Amelia Almost 13" is another good one.
Priscilla Herdman does a song called "I'll Love You Forever" which is on the mawkishly sentimental side but reduces me to a blubbering wreck every time I hear it.
Ooh, good song, Anna. I know there's one version by Michael Cooney, will get the name if I can...
OR am I thinking of M. Cooney's F-word song:
"..but I don't want to hear you use that f-word with your mother"
In the "mawkishly sentimental" vein, I have to say, "My Little Potato" is the song I sang to my first child every day (sometimes many times a day) until she was around four years old. It marks my transition into parenthood. This before I moved to Minnesota and found it was beloved by Morning Show listeners as well. A neighbor gave me the Metamora cassette tape and said EVERY parent ought to have this. I had to agree! Though she turns 22 in a couple of weeks, we still "dance" to "My Little Potato" on every birthday. (She rolls her eyes and moans, but grins the whole time---it wouldn't be her birthday without it.)
I think of Dolly Parton's song "Coat of Many Colors" as a tribute to her mother's love.
On another subject: Piracy. I heard on Wait, Wait don't tell me that the Somali pirates are giving Piracy a bad name and some Pirate Re-enactors are complaining (see Wall Street Journal article April 27 "Real Pirates Have Taken the 'Ho Ho' Out of 'Yo Ho Ho' for Cap'n Slappy; It's No Fun Playing Dress Up, When Thugs Are at Large on High Seas")...wondering what Captain Billy might have to say about this.
Mama Liked the Roses by Elvis P. I don't think I saw it in the above posts. Not bad, huh?
Suzy Bogguss' "Letting Go" is quite the mother-daughter tear-jerker, not overtly country.
Wow, "Night Comes On" is quite a powerful song. That's stopped me in my tracks every time I hear it, again in this morning's show.
Hi late readers! Missed the show this morning ( had to go to a work meeting early). But like Joanne, I don't have a good memory for songs and artists.
However, I DO like the song "Mama Has a Squeezebox" - haven't the vagues who does it, but it always makes me want to get up and dance. Much to the dismay of my teenager!
The reason I gloat for contributing "Mama Liked The Roses" by Elvis Presley is because I thought of it myself! No googling - honest! Also, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who worshiped his mother more than Elvis, except maybe that Norman guy from Psycho.
"Mama's Little Babies Love Shortenin' & Bread" & "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" are the two Mother songs that come to my mind.
My mom sang Shortenin' Bread to me a lot as a kid, and amusingly enough she also sang "Oh Sinner Man"!
Sherrilee - I think the "Mama's Got a Squeezebox" song is by The Who (at least the one I'm thinking of). Not sure which album.
Dale - I heard your comments out of the corner of my ear regarding me and Jasper both recommending Brain Surgeon. Turns out I was a computer whisperer early in my career and sometimes they still talk to me...
Another off-topic entry: (Saw this on Twitter)
Did you hear that today is Star Wars Day? "May-the-4th be with you!"
Maybe some music from the movie on tomorrow's show would work out?
Thanks!
Well-the mother theme is hard. The country genre is , of course, loaded. David Allen Coe sings:
“WELL, A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED STEVE GOODMAN WROTE THAT SONG
AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS THE PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG
I WROTE HIM BACK A LETTER AND I TOLD HIM IT WAS NOT THE PERFECT COUNTRY & WESTERN SONG BECAUSE HE HADN’T SAID ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT MAMA,
OR TRAINS,
OR TRUCKS,
OR PRISON,
OR GETTING’ DRUNK”
So very true!!
I'm racking my brain and, as you said, it is more of a task than one thinks.
My contributions are weak but here they are.
Summertime-from Porgy and Bess
Me and Julio-Paul Simon
Loves Me Like a Rock-"
Past that, the mind waffles to a number of marvelous lullabies from many artists.
Everyone may be able to go off in that direction.
If you don't get many more suggestions throw in Salve Regina. LOL-just kidding.
Good Luck!
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