Mama (B. J. Thomas song)

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"Mama"
Single by B. J. Thomas
from the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
B-side"Windy"
ReleasedMarch 1966 (1966-03)
StudioPasadena Sounds, Pasadena, Texas
GenrePop
Length2:45
Label
Songwriter(s)Mark Charron
Producer(s)Music Enterprises
B. J. Thomas singles chronology
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
(1966) 		"Mama"
(1966) 		"Billy and Sue"
(1966)

"Mama" is a song by American singer B. J. Thomas, released in March 1966 as a single from his debut album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later covered by British singer Dave Berry, whose version became a top-ten hit in the UK.[1][2]

Background and release[edit]

"Mama" was written by Mark Charron and details the devotion of a son to their mother. It was B. J. Thomas' follow-up to his top-ten hit "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and was produced by Huey P. Meaux, credited as his company Music Enterprises. The single was originally released in March 1966 on Meaux's label Pacemaker Records, but was later released in May 1966 on Scepter Records, whereupon it became a hit, reaching the top thirty in the US and topping the chart in Australia.[1][3]

BIllboard described it as a "nostalgic easy-rocker with top Thomas vocal replaces his hit "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."", whilst Cash Box described it as a "haunting, easy-going praise-filled ode to all the mothers in the world."[4][5]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[1] 22
US Cash Box Top 100[7] 15

Dave Berry version[edit]

"Mama"
Single by Dave Berry
from the album The Special Sound of Dave Berry
B-side"Walk, Walk, Talk, Talk"
Released17 June 1966 (1966-06-17)
StudioDecca Studios, London
GenrePop
Length2:46
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)Mark Charron
Producer(s)Mike Smith
Dave Berry singles chronology
"So Goes Love"
(1966) 		"Mama"
(1966) 		"Sticks and Stones/Marble Breaks"
(1966)

English musician Dave Berry released his version as a single in June 1966 which became his final top-ten single.[2] Berry also sang the song in the film The Ghost Goes Gear.[8]

Reviewed in Record Mirror, "Mama" was described as "a slightly surprising selection – a well-sung and finely accompanied (by Ivor Raymonde) treatment of the ultra-sentimental song currently a big hit in the States via B. J. Thomas. As ever, Dave invests the song with a sense of style and drama."[9] John Wells for New Musical Express described it as "a great performance of this plaintive number by a singer who seems jinxed as far as the British charts are concerned."[10]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] 15
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 17
UK Disc and Music Echo Top 50[16] 5
UK Melody Maker Top 50[17] 4
UK New Musical Express Top 30[18] 4
UK Record Retailer Top 50[2] 5

Other cover versions[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "B.J. Thomas Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  2. ^ a b c "DAVE BERRY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  3. ^ a b Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
  4. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 7 May 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 7 May 1966. p. 20. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5762." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  7. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending June 25, 1966". Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  8. ^ "The Ghost Goes Gear (1966) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  9. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. 18 June 1966. p. 9. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Singles" (PDF). New Musical Express. 17 June 1966. p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  11. ^ "Dave Berry – Mama" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ^ "Dave Berry – Mama" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mama". Irish Singles Chart.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Dave Berry" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  15. ^ "Dave Berry – Mama" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ^ "Top 50". Disc and Music Echo. 3 September 1966. p. 3.
  17. ^ "Pop 50". Melody Maker. 27 August 1966. p. 2.
  18. ^ "NME Top 30". New Musical Express. 19 August 1966.
  19. ^ "BRIAN & MICHAEL | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
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