“Mama” by Spice Girls
The Spice Girls’ “Mama” is an affectionate tribute which can be applied to mothers worldwide. The song is the Spice Girls’ declaration of love for their beloved mothers.
The narrator realizes in her adult life that everything her mother did when she was a child was for her own good. At first, she felt, like everyone else that her biggest enemy was the mother who kept inhibiting her freedom. But she now has a friend in her mother and expresses her admiration for her.
She also acknowledges that though she didn’t heed to her mother’s advice, she has come to believe that everything she said, and all her instructions were the best for her. As she puts it, her mother did all that out of love.
The narrator’s underlying message is that mothers are often misunderstood and unappreciated. Thus she seeks to make her mum feel the love she had probably been denied throughout the years.
Facts about “Mama”
Spice Girls released “Mama” on March 3rd, 1997. The song emerged as a single from the girls’ maiden studio album, Spice. The Spice album also features the following singles:
The movie/video directing team, Big TV! is credited for directing the official music video for “Mama”. The team was also responsible for directing the group’s single “2 Become 1”, which is also featured on their Spice album.
Performance on the Charts
Topping the Austrian, Scottish, Irish, and the UK Singles chart, “Mama” proved to be a successful single for the band in 1997. It made waves in a host of other countries, featuring inside the top ten in nations like Belgium, Germany, and New Zealand.
Despite its great success in certain parts of Europe, the song, however, was unable to achieve similar popularity in the United States. It failed to capture a spot in the Hot 100 in 1997.
Who wrote “Mama”?
“Mama” was written by all the band members alongside their regular songwriting collaborators – Matt Rowe and Biff (Richard Stannard). The duo (Rowe and Stannard) is also credited for producing this song.
