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Mama (My Chemical Romance song)

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"Mama"
Song by My Chemical Romance featuring Liza Minnelli
from the album The Black Parade
ReleasedOctober 23, 2006 (2006-10-23)
Recorded2006
StudioEldorado Recording, Burbank
Genre
Length4:39
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio
"Mama" on YouTube

"Mama" is a song by the American rock band My Chemical Romance, released as the ninth track from their third studio album, The Black Parade (2006). A "goth cabaret" song featuring actress Liza Minnelli, "Mama" was conceived after lead guitarist Ray Toro was bet that he could not write a polka in the band's style. "Mama" was written by band members Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Ray Toro, Gerard Way, and Mikey Way, and was produced by the group alongside Rob Cavallo.

The song's lyrics focus on The Patient, the dying protagonist of The Black Parade, and his relationship with his mother. Music critics praised "Mama" for its theatricality, its ambition, and Minnelli's appearance on the track. It is regarded as one of the best songs on the album, as well as in the band's discography as a whole. "Mama" has been certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and silver in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Background and recording

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My Chemical Romance began writing their third studio album, The Black Parade, in early 2006 at S.I.R. Studios in New York.[2] During these sessions, the band bet that lead guitarist Ray Toro could not write a polka in the band's style.[3] Inspired by the theatrical nature of the song "You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison" from their previous album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004), Toro constructed the polka instrumentation of "Mama" while Gerard Way wrote the song's melody.[4] Later, the band played "Mama" for Rob Cavallo, who responded toward the song enthusiastically and agreed to produce The Black Parade.[5]

"Mama" was demoed at the Paramour Estate, a haunted mansion in Los Angeles; Cavallo noted the demo of "Mama" was recorded in "a giant living room with forty-feet high ceilings and big windows overlooking Los Angeles".[6] Afterwards, the band moved to Eldorado Recording Studios to record the album.[7] During this period, Gerard Way wanted a "voice to ... talk back" to him in the song, and began searching for a guest vocalist who was a motherly figure, a "survivor", and "rooted in theater".[8] Way wanted Broadway actress Liza Minnelli to feature as he frequently watched Cabaret, a movie introduced to him by his grandmother, while making The Black Parade, and wanted to give his grandmother "a nod".[9] Upon jokingly suggesting to Cavallo that Minnelli be included, Cavallo called Minnelli's publicist and quickly convinced the actress to appear on "Mama".[3][10] Minnelli performed her part in New York, while the crew remotely recorded it in Capitol Studios through a control board.[11]

Gerard Way has declared "Mama" one of his favorite tracks on The Black Parade, alongside "Sleep". He has called working with Minnelli an "amazing experience", saying "I think she got as much of a kick out of 'Mama' as we did."[12] Minnelli has also reacted positively towards the collaboration, telling The New York Times that the band was "so much fun, but truly professional".[13]

Composition and lyrics

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"Mama" is a "hyperoperatic"[14] and "goth cabaret"[15] song which explores multiple movements and genres.[16][17] As a whole, the song takes influence from the works of playwright Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, particularly the song "Alabama Song" and its cover by The Doors.[15] The song also contains elements of Pink Floyd's album The Wall,[18] with Ed Thompson of IGN calling "Mama" an "homage" to the song "The Trial".[19]

The song begins with the sound of exploding bombs over a polka instrumental.[20] "Mama" then takes on a "maniacal polka-punk beat",[16] gradually building up through "four or five increasingly agitated forms".[21] Afterwards, Minnelli sings two lines, with her voice "sounding like [it] is coming through on an old-fashioned radio",[22] before Gerard Way "sing[s] back at her with vicious obscenity".[14] The song ends with a section reminiscent of a "pirate shanty", featuring vocal performances by the Way brothers' parents and Frank Iero's mother.[16][23]

Lyrically, "Mama" takes the perspective of The Patient, the protagonist of The Black Parade whose life is flashing before his eyes as he dies.[24] Framed as a letter, "Mama" sees The Patient plead his mother for forgiveness over his inadequacies as a son, while "bluntly pointing out her failures in raising him".[16][22] Within the narrative of the album, Minnelli's lines are from the perspective of Mother War, the character representing The Patient's mother.[24][25] However, My Chemical Romance biographer Tom Bryant suggested that "Mama" also had a more personal meaning for the band, writing that the song "was actually about alienation on tour and, deep down, sometimes just needing your mother".[18]

Release

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"Mama" was first announced as the ninth song on The Black Parade's on September 13, 2006,[26] and was released alongside the album on October 23, 2006.[27] The song was included on the 2008 live album and DVD The Black Parade is Dead!, which featured the final show performed on The Black Parade Tour.[28] On March 25, 2014, "Mama" was released as part of May Death Never Stop You, the band's greatest hits album.[29] The song was also released on September 23, 2016 as part of The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts, the 10th-anniversary reissue of The Black Parade, alongside a live demo of the track.[30]

Critical reception

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Liza Minnelli, pictured in 2006 holding a brown dog while judging a pet contest
Liza Minnelli (pictured in 2006) received praise from music critics for her appearance on "Mama".

"Mama" received acclaim from music critics, with NME calling the song a "vaudeville riot that manages to out-Gogol Bordello Gogol Bordello",[24] and has been considered a highlight in The Black Parade. Musician Deryck Whibley of the band Sum 41 called "Mama" a "stand-out track" on the album, saying he was "really impressed by the theatricality of it".[31] Both Mackenzie Templeton of Alternative Press[32] and Tom Shepherd of Kerrang! ranked "Mama" as the third best song on the album, with the latter writing that "perhaps no song better captures the mad ambition of The Black Parade".[21] Ariana Bacle of Entertainment Weekly ranked "Mama" at fifth in her ranking of The Black Parade, calling it "irresistible" and praising its ambition.[33]

The song has also been deemed as one of the best in My Chemical Romance's discography as a whole, with particular praise towards its scope, its theatrical nature, and Minnelli's appearance. The staff of Billboard included the song in their list of The 15 Best My Chemical Romance Songs, writing that it "still stands as one of the craziest and most entertaining songs" released by the band on account of its "constantly-changing musical styles" and "legendary featured guest".[34] Margaret Farrell of Stereogum called "Mama" one of the band's 10 best songs, commending it as "one of the most theatrically intriguing MCR tracks to date".[20] Marianne Eloise of Louder included the song in her list of the band's 20 greatest songs, calling "Mama" one band's "weirdest" songs, yet acknowledging that "it works" due to Minelli's "iconic" performance and the prevalence of show tunes in the band's discography.[35] Cassie Whitt of Loudwire ranked "Mama" as the tenth best song in the band's discography, praising its riskiness,[17] while Andy Belt of PopMatters ranked the song as the band's eleventh best due to its lyrics and chorus evocative of "vintage MCR".[36] Sam Law of Kerrang! ranked the song as the band's twelfth best, noting that, despite "Mama" not being "the best song MCR have ever written", it "might just be the most they've ever packed into one".[16]

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from iTunes.[37]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[39] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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Books

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Bryant, Tom (2014). Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance. Boston: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306823497.

Sources

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  1. ^ "My Chemical Romance foregoes the concept, brings the rock". The Boston Globe. May 9, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 147
  3. ^ a b Cooper, Ali (October 23, 2020). "16 things about 'Black Parade' even My Chemical Romance probably forgot". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 148. "Building on the cabaret of Revenge's 'You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison', Ray began to piece together his Russian dance while Gerard worked on a melody with the aim of creating something cinematic and fun. It would become 'Mama'..."
  5. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 174
  6. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 154
  7. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 170
  8. ^ Weiss, Dan (April 21, 2011). "Q&A: My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way on Vampires, Glee, And Liza Minnelli". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Minnelli, Liza (April 2007). "MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE". Interview. Vol. 37, no. 3. p. 142. I was also watching Cabaret a great deal while we were making The Black Parade, so it felt like a really great tribute to her to have you on the record.
  10. ^ "My Chemical Romance get Madonna's help". NME. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  11. ^ Taysom, Joe (April 9, 2020). "Remembering My Chemical Romance's surprisingly impressive collaboration with Liza Minelli". Far Out. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  12. ^ Starkey, Arun (October 22, 2021). "Gerard Way picks his favourite song from MCR's 'The Black Parade'". Far Out. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Michel, Sia (October 22, 2006). "Fresh From the Garden State, in Black Leather and Eyeliner". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Fricke, David (October 16, 2006). "The Black Parade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher (December 18, 2019). "Before & After 'The Black Parade'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e Law, Sam (April 9, 2021). "The 20 greatest My Chemical Romance songs – ranked". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Whitt, Cassie (March 24, 2019). "Every My Chemical Romance Song Ranked". Loudwire. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Bryant 2014, p. 176
  19. ^ Thompson, Ed (May 17, 2012). "My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade". IGN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Farrell, Margaret (December 19, 2019). "The 10 Best My Chemical Romance Songs". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Shepherd, Tom (October 20, 2021). "My Chemical Romance: Every song on The Black Parade, ranked from worst to best". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (December 19, 2019). "Flashback: My Chemical Romance Recruit Liza Minnelli for 'Mama'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  23. ^ Whitt, Cassie (October 23, 2019). "My Chemical Romance's 'The Black Parade': 13 Facts Only Superfans Would Know". Loudwire. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c "My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade". NME. October 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Bryant 2014, p. 173
  26. ^ Harris, Chris (September 13, 2006). "My Chemical Romance Unveil Black Parade Track List, Album Art". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "The Black Parade — Album by My Chemical Romance — Apple Music". Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  28. ^ Bruce, Sophie (2008). "Review of My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade is Dead". BBC. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  29. ^ Paul, Aubin (January 21, 2014). "My Chemical Romance detail 'May Death Never Stop You,' launch pre-orders". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Getz, Dana (July 29, 2016). "My Chemical Romance: 'The Black Parade' reissue gets release date". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  31. ^ "My Chemical Romance's Best Songs, Picked By Your Favourite Bands". Kerrang!. June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  32. ^ Templeton, Mackenzie (January 22, 2020). "'The Black Parade' ranked from good to peak My Chemical Romance". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  33. ^ Bacle, Ariana (July 22, 2016). "My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade: Ranking the songs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  34. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (November 14, 2019). "The 15 Best My Chemical Romance Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  35. ^ Eloise, Marianne (May 27, 2024). "The 20 greatest My Chemical Romance songs ever". Louder. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  36. ^ Belt, Andy (October 1, 2014). "The Top 15 Songs of My Chemical Romance". PopMatters. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "Mama — Song by My Chemical Romance — Apple Music". Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  38. ^ "British single certifications – My Chemical Romance – Mama". British Phonographic Industry.
  39. ^ "American single certifications – My Chemical Romance – Mama". Recording Industry Association of America.
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