La mamma (song)
| "La mamma" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Charles Aznavour | |
| from the album La mamma | |
| Released | 1963 |
| Genre | Chanson |
| Length | 3.43 |
| Label | Barclay |
| Songwriter(s) | Charles Aznavour, Robert Gall |
"La mamma", also known as "For Mama" in English, is a song written in 1962 by French lyricist Robert Gall and Armenian-French artist Charles Aznavour.
History
[edit]Charles Aznavour first recorded "La mamma" for a 1962 EP with his version serving as title cut for his 1963 album release. The first single release was by Les Compagnons de la chanson which reached #80 on the French charts in late 1963: the Aznavour version was then issued as a single to reach #1 in France in February 1964. "La mamma" also afforded Aznavour a hit on the Dutch charts of Belgium and, rendered in Italian, was a hit in Italy for both Aznavour (#13) and also Domenico Modugno (#36). "La mamma" became Aznavour's first million seller.[1]
An English-language rendering of "La mamma" by lyricist Don Black entitled "For Mama" was recorded by Matt Monro and released in December 1964 in the UK where it had a chart peak of #36.[2] "For Mama" became a minor US hit in 1965 for Jerry Vale whose version debuted on the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine dated March 6, 1965 at #88 (Vale): in the previous issue of Billboard, that dated February 27, 1965, the Matt Monro version of "For Mama" had appeared in the "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles" chart at #135 along with the Jerry Vale version at #121, but Monro's version did not subsequently advance into the Hot 100. Jerry Vale's version of "For Mama" rose to a peak of #54 (Vale) on the Hot 100 dated April 3, 1965. Vic Damone also recorded a cover version of "For Mama" which failed to chart.
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1963–64) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] | 15 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[3] | 2 |
Connie Francis' version
[edit]| "For Mama" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Connie Francis | ||||
| from the album Connie Francis Sings "For Mama" | ||||
| B-side | "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" | |||
| Released | February 1965 | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | MGM Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Black-Aznavour-Gall | |||
| Producer(s) | Danny Davis | |||
| Connie Francis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Connie Francis' recording of "For Mama" was released as a single in 1965 and became a minor hit in the United States, peaking at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] In the Philippines, the single reached No. 2 on the national chart.[5]
Adaptations
[edit]- La mamma, written by Nelly Byl (Dutch)
- La mamma, written by Gerrit den Braber (Dutch)
- Mamãe, written by Nazareno de Brito (Portuguese)
- For Mama, written by Don Black (English)
- Mama, written by Dragutin Britvić (Croatian)
- La mamma, written by Mogol (Italian)
- La mamma, written by Charly Niessen (German)
- Den bompa, written by Leo Rozenstraten (Brabantian dialect of Antwerp)
- Ya yemma, written by Lili Boniche (Algerian Arabic)
- La mama, written by Rafael Gayoso, sung by Peret (Spanish) - 1964
- Mama, written by Odysseas Ioannou, sung by Vasilis Papakonstantinou (Greek)[6]
Cover versions
[edit]- Dalida
- Matt Monro (For Mama)
- De Strangers (Den bompa)
- Anna German
- Ray Charles (For Mama "La Mamma")
- Lisa del Bo
- Domenico Modugno
- Marla Glen (Our World album, 1997)
- Agnaldo Timóteo
- Jean Vallée
- Demis Roussos
- Corry Brokken
- Will Tura
- Chico & The Gypsies (La mama)
- Elvina Makaryan
- Isabelle Boulay (2002)
- Yoyoy Villame (parody in Cebuano titled "Mamay Maliya")[7]
- Heino La mamma (clip)
- Dakis Dakis La Mamma
- Yseult
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory, by Joseph Murrells. Batsford, 1984, p. 170
- ^ The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music, by Donald Clarke, Penguin Books, 1990, p. 56
- ^ a b "Charles Aznavour – La mamma". ultratop.be.
- ^ "Hot 100". Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Company. April 3, 1965. p. 28. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ "Philippines". Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Company. August 14, 1965. p. 34. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- ^ Πετρωτού, Ελευθερία (2022-11-21). "Τριάντα ελληνικά τραγούδια που είναι διασκευές ξένων - Οι εκπλήξεις της λίστας (vids)". mynews.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ^ "Yoyoy Villame - Mamay Maliya (HD)". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
