Mama

Album: Pure & Simple (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Dolly Parton pays tribute here to her mother Avie Lee (née Owens; 1923–2003). Dolly's mama barely had two beans to rub together but made up for it with love and encouragement for her 12 children. "Oh, I'm so much like my mom, it's crazy," the singer told The Sun. "If mom hadn't had a houseful of kids and had gone out in the world, I think she would have done something like me."

    "But I look like my dad's people. My dad was fair and my mom was dark but my personality is so much like Mom," Dolly added. "My spirituality and the music all came from her side of the family."
  • The song has featured in Dollywood's My People production since 2013.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Bible Lyrics

Bible LyricsMusic Quiz

Rockers, rappers and pop stars have been known to quote the Bible in their songs. See if you match the artist to the biblical lyric.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.