View source for La mamma (song)

{{Infobox song
| name       = La mamma
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Charles Aznavour]]
| album      = [[La mamma]]
| released   = 1963
| format     =
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Chanson]]
| length     = 3.43
| label      = [[Barclay (record label)|Barclay]]
| writer     = [[Charles Aznavour]], [[Robert Gall]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}
"'''La mamma'''", also known as "'''For Mama'''" in English, is a song written in 1962 by French lyricist [[Robert Gall]] and [[Armenians|Armenian]]-[[French people|French]] artist [[Charles Aznavour]].

==History==
[[Charles Aznavour]] first recorded "La mamma" for a 1962 [[extended play|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.<ref>Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s:
an illustrated directory, by Joseph Murrells. Batsford, 1984, p. 170</ref>

An English-language rendering of "La mamma" by lyricist [[Don Black (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.<ref>The Penguin encyclopedia of popular music, by Donald Clarke, Penguin Books, 1990, p. 56</ref> "For Mama" became a minor US hit in 1965 for [[Jerry Vale]] whose version debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|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==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for "La mamma”
! scope="col"| Chart (1963–64)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Belgium ([[Ultratop 50 (Flanders)|Ultratop 50]] Flanders)<ref name=":0" />
| 15
|-
! scope="row"| Belgium ([[Ultratop 50 (Wallonia)|Ultratop 50]] Wallonia)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Charles Aznavour – La mamma |url=https://www.ultratop.be/fr/song/84a9/Charles-Aznavour-La-mamma |website=ultratop.be}}</ref>
| 2
|} 

==Connie Francis' version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = For Mama
| cover      = 
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Connie Francis]]
| album      = Connie Francis Sings "For Mama"
| B-side     = [[She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain|She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain]]
| released   = February 1965
| recorded   = 
| studio     = 
| genre      = 
| length     = 3:25
| label      = [[MGM Records]]
| writer     = [[Don Black (lyricist)|Black]]-[[Charles Aznavour|Aznavour]]-[[Robert Gall|Gall]]
| producer   = Danny Davis
| prev_title = [[Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight?]]
| prev_year  = 1965
| next_title = [[Wishing It Was You]]
| next_year  = 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|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hot 100|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZykEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28|accessdate=October 14, 2020|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Company|date=April 3, 1965|page=28}}</ref> In the Philippines, the single reached No. 2 on the national chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Philippines|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34|accessdate=October 14, 2020|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|publisher=The Billboard Publishing Company|date=August 14, 1965|page=34}}</ref>

==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 [[Los Machucambos|Rafael Gayoso]], sung by [[Peret]] (Spanish) - 1964
*''Mama'', written by Odysseas Ioannou, sung by [[Vasilis Papakonstantinou]] (Greek)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Πετρωτού |first=Ελευθερία |date=2022-11-21 |title=Τριάντα ελληνικά τραγούδια που είναι διασκευές ξένων - Οι εκπλήξεις της λίστας (vids) |url=https://www.mynews.gr/trianta-ellinika-tragoydia-poy-einai-diaskeyes-xenon-oi-ekplixeis-tis-listas-vids/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=mynews.gr |language=el}}</ref>

==Cover versions==
*[[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")<ref name=Mamay>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BXYKdgef1g|title=Yoyoy Villame - Mamay Maliya (HD) |website=[[YouTube]] |accessdate=25 March 2014}}</ref>
*[[Heino]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSKYEXWN1TM La mamma (clip)]
*Dakis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA6shNr3WX8 Dakis La Mamma]
*Yseult

==See also==
*[[La mamma]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLJhUJtvIO8 La mamma (live)]

{{Aznavour}}
{{Dalida}}
{{Connie Francis}}
{{Demis Roussos}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamma, La}}
[[Category:1962 songs]]
[[Category:Charles Aznavour songs]]
[[Category:Connie Francis songs]]
[[Category:Dalida songs]]
[[Category:Demis Roussos songs]]
[[Category:French songs]]
[[Category:Songs about mothers]]
[[Category:Songs with lyrics by Robert Gall]]
[[Category:Songs written by Charles Aznavour]]