Oh Mother

Album: Back to Basics (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song salutes the courage of Aguilera's mother, who when Christina was 8 years old divorced her Army sergeant husband after years of alleged physical and emotional abuse. According to the lyric, "It was the day he turned on the kids that she knew she had to leave him."
  • This is not the first time Christina has referred to the abuse she and her mother went through. "I'm OK" from her 2002 album Stripped also is about the same traumatic experiences.
  • Christina Aguilera told USA Weekend magazine August 6, 2006 how it's therapeutic for her to talk about her childhood: "It gives me a reason to understand why I went through what I did and why I was given this gift to share my voice and words with the world. There's so much more I want to do. It happens to so many people. My father was a sergeant in the Army, so we lived on Army bases when I was little, and it was happening a lot. The MPs would come, but a lot of them were doing the same things [to their wives and kids]. I was surrounded with domestic violence, not only in my home but my friends."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Crystal Waters

Crystal WatersSongwriter Interviews

Waters tells the "Gypsy Woman" story, shares some of her songwriting insights, and explains how Dennis Rodman ended up on one of her songs.