Wikipedia

Mama's Song

"Mama's Song" is a song recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood. It was released in September 2010 as the fourth and final single from her third studio album, Play On (2009). The song was co-written by Underwood along with Kara DioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen, and Luke Laird, all of whom wrote her previous single "Undo It".

"Mama's Song"
Single by Carrie Underwood
from the album Play On
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2010 (2010-09-13)
Length4:00
LabelArista Nashville
Songwriters
ProducerMark Bright
Carrie Underwood singles chronology
"Undo It"
(2010)		 "Mama's Song"
(2010)		 "There's a Place for Us"
(2010)
Music video
"Mama's Song" on YouTube

Underwood performed the song on the 44th CMA Awards on November 10, 2010. The song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

Content

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The song is a ballad where the female narrator sings to her mother, telling her to let her go and not to worry as the daughter moves out and begins her own life as the bride of the man she loves.

Critical reception

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Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the song as "sticky" and "tacky."[1] Sean Daly of the St. Petersburg Times compared it unfavorably to "Change" on the same album, saying that both were "too precious, too preachy."[2] Slant Magazine reviewer Jonathan Keefe said that it had cliché lyrics but praised Underwood's "understated vocal" as well as the comparatively softer production.[3] Bobby Peacock of Roughstock gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that she "proves yet again that she can just sing without having to reach for the rafters on every note, and the production is agreeably mellow and acoustic."[4]

Commercial performance

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As a promotional single, before the release of Play On, "Mama's Song" has sold 39,000 copies in United States.[citation needed] As a confirmed single, after the release of Play On, it has sold 442,000 copies in the same country.[5] The song has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[6]

Chart performance

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In October 2009, in advance of the album's release, "Mama's Song" charted at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 68 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was the first of three promotional singles from the album.[7] On the Hot Country Songs charts dated for the week ending September 4, 2010, it entered at number 55.[8] It has also re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 87 upon its release as an official single and has reached a new peak of 56. It is one of Underwood's singles to reach the Hot 100 that has charted outside the top 50, with "Love Wins" and "Drinking Alone." On the week of January 17, 2011 it peaked at number two on Hot Country Songs and became Underwood's third single to peak at number two.[citation needed]

Awards and nominations

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2011 Inspirational Country Music (ICM) Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011"Mama's Song"Inspirational Mainstream SongNominated
2011"Mama's Song"Inspirational Music VideoNominated
2011 BMI Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011"Mama's Song"Songwriter of the YearWon
2011 American Country Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011"Mama's Song"Female Single of the YearWon
2011"Mama's Song"Female Music Video of the YearWon
54th Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011"Mama's Song"Best Country Solo PerformanceNominated

Music video

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The official music video for "Mama's Song" premiered on Vevo on September 24, 2010. It features both Underwood's husband Mike Fisher, and her mother Carole. It was filmed in Nashville, and was directed by Shaun Silva. It tells the story of a woman who meets her true love and moves away from her mom.[9]

Charts

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Chart (2010–2011) Peak
position
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[10]68
Canada Country (Billboard)[11]10
US Billboard Hot 100[12]56
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13]2

Year-end charts

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Chart (2011) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 50

Certifications

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[6] Platinum 442,000[5]

Release history

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Region Date Format Label
United States October 13, 2009 Arista Nashville
Canada Sony
United States September 13, 2010 Airplay Arista Nashville
Canada Sony Music
Australia November 3, 2010
Philippines November 6, 2010

References

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  1. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Play On review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  2. ↑ Daly, Sean (November 8, 2009). "Carrie Underwood's new album, Play On, is her weakest yet". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  3. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (November 5, 2009). "Play On review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  4. ↑ Peacock, Bobby (August 26, 2010). ""Mama's Song" review". Roughstock. Retrieved January 24, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. 1 2 Trust, Gary (October 23, 2011). "Ask Billboard: 'Idol'-izing Carrie Underwood, Lauren Alaina". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "American single certifications – Carrie Underwood". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Chart listings for "Mama's Song"". Billboard. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Chart Highlights". Billboard. August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Carrie Underwood: "Mama's Song" Music Video - Music Videos". Hollyscoop.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  11. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  13. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  14. ↑ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
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