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"La mamma"
Single by Charles Aznavour
from the album La mamma
Released1963
Genre Chanson
Length3.43
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

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

Weekly chart performance for "La mamma”
Chart (1963–64) Peak
position
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders) [3] 15
Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [3] 2

Connie Francis' version

"For Mama"
Single by Connie Francis
from the album Connie Francis Sings "For Mama"
B-side" She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain"
ReleasedFebruary 1965
Length3:25
Label MGM Records
Songwriter(s) Black- Aznavour- Gall
Producer(s)Danny Davis
Connie Francis singles chronology
" Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight?"
(1965)
"For Mama"
(1965)
" Wishing It Was You"
(1965)

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

  • 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

See also

References

  1. ^ Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory, by Joseph Murrells. Batsford, 1984, p. 170
  2. ^ The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music, by Donald Clarke, Penguin Books, 1990, p. 56
  3. ^ a b "Charles Aznavour – La mamma". ultratop.be.
  4. ^ "Hot 100". Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Company. April 3, 1965. p. 28. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "Philippines". Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Company. August 14, 1965. p. 34. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Yoyoy Villame - Mamay Maliya (HD)". YouTube. Retrieved 25 March 2014.

External links