Top Ten Playlist of Mom-Themed Songs for Mother's Day 2010

1. Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon--I once ordered a chicken and egg breakfast from Victoria's Diner in Clover, SC in honor of this song. I've heard Paul Simon got the idea from a lunch menu. "But the mother and child reu-nion is only a motion away." Others say it's about a child being taken from the father and given to the mother or about a mother planning to commit suicide after her child's death. If you know Paul Simon please ask him to clarify for me (I'm a mother of two so I'm asserting my bossiness).

2. Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter--Herman Hermits performed the most well-known version of this song, catapulting it to a number one hit in 1965. A young man appeals to the mother of the girl who dumped him. "It's no good to pine," he bravely sings of Mrs. Brown's lovely daughter. "Don't let on, don't say she's broke my heart..." He's probably hoping Mrs. Brown will convince her daughter to give him another chance. Hey, it's better than talking to the father, right?

3. Sylvia's Mother--Music and Lyrics by Shel Silverstein, performed by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Yet another appeal to the mother of a girl the guy wants, but this one has even less of a chance. Sylvia's mother actually says, "Sylvia's happy so why don't you leave her alone? And since Sylvia is marrying someone else, the mother blows the heartbroken guy off with a "Thank you sir, why don't you call back again?" Which means don't call here ever again!

4. Mama, He's Crazy by the Judds. A special Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas who encourage their children to strive for the best. "Mama, I found someone like you said would come along..." See, mama was right--she told her daughter there was someone for her, and what mama doesn't want to see a man who's "crazy over" her daughter?

5. Mama, I'm Coming Home--Ozzy Osbourne wrote this for his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne and his return to her upon his imminent retirement. To the mother of three of his children he sang: "I could be right, I could be wrong, Hurts so bad, it's been so long, Mama, I'm coming home." Now, doesn't that make for a sweet and cozy Mother's Day?

6. Mother--The Police--Ozzy nicknamed Sharon "Mama," but this one just sounds confused and befuddled: "Well, the telephone is ringing, is that my mother on the phone? Well, every girl I go out with becomes my mother in the end." Oh, please--let's move on.

7. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen--Many women are mothers to "bad boys," but did you ever notice how some seek comfort from mom no matter what they've done? "Mama, just killed a man," the song goes. "Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger, now he's dead." He acknowledges he's thrown his life away and he "Didn't mean to make you cry..." Sadly, mama is going to cry anyway, but this is such a cool song.

8.You Never Even Called Me by My Name--Written by Steve Goodman and John Prine, and recorded by country
music Singer David Allan Coe. Sometimes it's the mama who's in trouble, at least in this verse of this intentionally stereotypical country song: "Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison, And I went to pick her up in the rain, But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck, She got runned over by a damned ol' train." I'm crying right now--why was mom in prison and why didn't that train stop in time?

9. Green, Green was Performed by The New Christy Minstrels in 1963--If you went to middle school in the middle 1970s, you might have sung this in music class. Some mothers might recognize their independent children in these lyrics: "Well I told my mama on the day I was born, Dontcha cry when you see I'm gone, Ya know there ain't no woman gonna settle me down, I just gotta be travelin' on." Okay, if mama can't settle you down, I don't even want to try. Be gone, you!

10. Mama Liked the Roses--Sung by Elvis Presley, who lost his mother before his career took off in the 1950s. You can't listen to this song without being touched, whether it's the lyrics or Elvis' soulful voice."Oh, Mama liked the roses and when she had the time, She'd decorate the living room for all us kids to see." This one is for all the sweet mamas out there.

So for Mother's Day, burn Mom a CD with some mom-themed songs, or just burst into music if the mood strikes. After all, you know mom will like anything you give her on Mother's Day.