Album: Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers (1968)

Charted: 29

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• (Does your mama know about me?
  Does she know just what I am?
  Will she turn her back on me)
  Or accept me as a man?
  And what about your Dad?
  Did you think of what he'll say?
  Will he be understanding
  Or does he think the usual way?
  Maybe I shouldn't worry
  But I've been through this before
  And I'd like to get things straight
  Before I'm knocking on your door
  (Does your mama know about me?
  Does she know just what I am?
  If she says forget about me)
  Do you think you'd understand?
  And what about your friends?
  Do you care what people say?
  Will you accept the burdons
  I know will surely come your way?
  Maybe I shouldn't worry
  But I've been through this before
  And I'd like to get things straight
  Before I'm knocking on your door
  (Does your mama know about me?
  Does she know just what I am?
  Will she turn her back on me?)
  Or accept me as a man?
  We've got to stand tall
  Can't stumble or crawl
  We've got to be strong
  For love that's so right
  Can't be wrong
  And every day I see it grow
  And I don't want to let it go
  I guess that's why I gotta know
  (Does your mama know about me?
  Does your mama know about me?
  Does your mama know about me?
  Does your mama know about me?
  Does your mama know about me?) Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

• Nita from ColoradoIs that Tommy Chong right with guitar?
• Rich Dee from BaltimoreLove this song. Remember hearing it R and B stations WWIN and WEBB.
• E.j. from GeorgiaI thought it meant that he was a bad boy! Freak them and leave them.
• Jan from CaliforniaI thought it was about a man getting out of prison and being accepted by society.
• AnonymousI thought it was about a black man dating a white woman.
• Gloria Davis from Kansas City, MissouriIt was about a white man(Tommy Chong) dating a Black woman (Rae Dawn Chong's mother) Get your facts straight.
• Karen from MarylandI loved this song and always wanted to know what the lyrics meant. If you think it, so has someone else. I was born in 1950 and my first thought was the song related to Black man dating a White woman. However, in the past decade, regularly playing the song I thought it might be same sex dating, and I see a comment from someone in NY thought it might be the same reason. I love music and if beat gets I later take in the lyrics, and it can be years later for an "ah ha" moment for me. RIP Bobby Taylor
• Mononc Stef from MontrealBrad from Cleveland, Oh: yes they did! I'm very happy, because it led me here.
  
  I've had the "Hitsville USA - The Motown Singles 1959-1971" CD box set since it was released during my senior year in high school. One of the rare compilations I found relevant, because it focused somewhat on songs that weren't particularly major in Motown's history.
  
  This song... Man oh man I remember playing it over and over and over again.
  
  I never really thought to extract these CDs on my computers, over the years, and so I kinda forgot about the song.
  
  A few days ago, I started a Supremes bender because of a FB post I made about the 55th anniversary of their breakthrough single. I'd never bought till yesterday the "Love Child" album (I'm seriously bored with the title single). I was just doing some work with the music in the background, and BOOM! "Does Your Mama Know" came up. It was like a jolt of electricity. It took me about 30 seconds of my memory struggling to remember why I knew this darn song and its lyrics so well. I think it'd been over 20 years since I'd listened to it!!
  
  Magnificent little song, with jazzy ii-V-I/i=ii-V-I resolutions not super common in pop at the time.
  
  I think it's time I listened to all that Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers recorded. I'm proud that Canada has a place somewhere in the Motown history too. :)
  And THANK YOU to Charles from Los Angeles; I had ZERO idea about the true inspiration for this text; I absolutely never noticed that Tommy Chong was part of this band!
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm {07-23-2017}
  Bobby Taylor, leader of Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers, died Saturday (July 22nd, 2017) of throat cancer at the age of 83...
  The Washington, DC native formed the group (which included Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong) as Little Daddy & the Bachelors in San Francisco in the early 60s. Mary Wilson and Flo Ballard of the Supremes brought them to the attention of Motown's Berry Gordy, who signed them (as the Vancouvers) and their single "Does Your Mama Know About Me" reached #29 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart (#5-R&B) in 1969. Two* other singles failed to crack the top 40 and the group broke up, though Bobby recorded 8 solo singles...
  May he R.I.P.
  * The groups two other Top 100 records were "I Am Your Man" {#85 in 1968} and "Malinda" {#48 in 1969}.
• Charles from Los Angeles CaActually and factually, this song is about Tommy Chong's first wife Maxine Chong nee Sneed. One of her brothers played in a band with Chong (another brother Floyd was the drummer for Three Dog Night) and that's how they met (she's the mother of Rae Dawn Chong). This song, which Chong co-wrote, is about the first time he went to Maxine's house to meet her parents.
  
  I know the story because I met Maxine in the 1980's when she was on staff at Black Radio Exclusive magazine here in Los Angeles.
• Jackie from Orlando, FlI am so happy to see this explanation about the lyrics of this song as I always felt that he was referring to a black man dating a white girl. Note the time frame in history, 1960's. Anyone out there old enough to remember the movie Guess Who's Coming Home for Dinner with Sidney Poitier?
• Kenny from New York, NyI thought the song was about the worries of a young man dating another young man.
• M from Vancouver, BcTommy Chong is from Vancouver and played in a group called Four Ni--ers & A Chink with local singer Harry Walker who still plays with the Night Train Revue, a great R&B band from the 60's in Vancouver.
• Martin from Los Angeles, CaIt was also rumored that it was Bobby Taylor who brought the Jackson 5 to Motown. However, Diana Ross had a bigger more noticeable name and so their first album was titled Diana Ross presents the Jackson 5
• Martin from Los Angeles, CaThey also had a minor hit with a song called Melinda
• Rob from Vancouver, CanadaDo you think these guys might have been from Vancouver?
• Brad from Cleveland, OhThe Supremes did a cover of this song for their 1968 album "Love Child."

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