Mama Tried (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mama Tried" is an American country music
song written and recorded by Merle Haggard
. Released in July 1968, the song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
in 1999.
However, the song is not literally autobiographical, as many country music historians point out. While writer Bill Malone's assessment of the song is in agreement with Ace Collins' (referring to his own experiences that saw him sentenced to prison), Malone points out that Haggard never was sentenced to "life without parole," as the protagonist in the song was. Malone, Bill, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music ((booklet included with The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music
8-volume set). Smithsonian Institution, 1981). Still the song's lyrics, and the protagonist's experiences, are heavily influenced by Haggard's early life.
Additionally, Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz notes Haggard's lyrics are sympathetic to his mother, who tried everything in her power to rehabilitate her rebel son. But, as the lyrics point out, "In spite of all my Sunday learning, towards the bad I kept on turning/'Til mama couldn't hold me anymore"; thus, the observation, "I turned 21 in prison doin' life without parole."
Malone notes that Mama Tried "recalls for us the 1960s California honky tonk and the Merle Haggard sound of those years, featuring the searing electric guitar of Roy Nichols."
chart in August. The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and was his biggest hit to that time.
, a film which featured his acting debut.
The words Mama Tried—referring to the song—are shown on Miranda Lambert
's shirt in several scenes of the music video
Kerosene
.
In the 1997 documentary about the making of the film From Dusk till Dawn
, known as Full Tilt Boogie
, Quentin Tarantino
can be seen singing the song with others whilst on the set.
In the 5th season finale of Gilmore Girls
("A House is Not a Home," 2005), Stars Hollow's "Town Troubadour" is singing the song on a street corner soon after Lorelai brings Rory home from a night in jail.
In the 2008 film The Strangers
, the song is used to build tension whilst also referencing the potential poor upbringing of the films' antagonists.
In the 2nd series of the 2008 UK television series Survivors
, the song is often played and sung by truck driver Billy Stringer.
In 2010, the song was sung as a plot element by a detective to a young incarcerated Hispanic gang member on TNT's Southland
.
Joan Baez
covered the song in 1969, though her version went unreleased until it was included on her 1993 boxed set Rare, Live & Classic
; it later appeared on the 2005 reissue of her 1970 album (I Live) One Day at a Time
.
The Everly Brothers
covered the song on their 1968 album Roots
.
The song has been a live standard for Texas alt-country band Old 97's
for their entire career, and was recorded for their debut album.
American Oi! band Forced Reality covered the song. It appears on their Unheard, Unreleased, and Under the Boot compilation.
The Seldom Scene
covered the song on their 2007 Sugar Hill Records release, SCENEchronized.
The FGD'$ (Columbus, Ohio punk rock band) covered the song regularly in their shows at renowned punk rock club Bernie's Distillery.
American bluegrass band Greensky Bluegrass
have played the song many times at live shows.
Ray LaMontagne includes the song in many live shows.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song written and recorded by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
. Released in July 1968, the song became one of the cornerstone songs of his career. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award
Grammy Hall of Fame Award
The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
in 1999.
Background
In Mama Tried, Haggard focuses on the pain and suffering he caused his own mother by being incarcerated in 1957 in San Quentin.However, the song is not literally autobiographical, as many country music historians point out. While writer Bill Malone's assessment of the song is in agreement with Ace Collins' (referring to his own experiences that saw him sentenced to prison), Malone points out that Haggard never was sentenced to "life without parole," as the protagonist in the song was. Malone, Bill, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music ((booklet included with The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music
The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music
The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music was a multi-volume set of recordings released by the Smithsonian Institution. Released in 1981, the collection contains 143 tracks deemed to be significantly important to the history of country music....
8-volume set). Smithsonian Institution, 1981). Still the song's lyrics, and the protagonist's experiences, are heavily influenced by Haggard's early life.
Additionally, Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz notes Haggard's lyrics are sympathetic to his mother, who tried everything in her power to rehabilitate her rebel son. But, as the lyrics point out, "In spite of all my Sunday learning, towards the bad I kept on turning/'Til mama couldn't hold me anymore"; thus, the observation, "I turned 21 in prison doin' life without parole."
Malone notes that Mama Tried "recalls for us the 1960s California honky tonk and the Merle Haggard sound of those years, featuring the searing electric guitar of Roy Nichols."
Chart performance
Released in July 1968, Mama Tried became Haggard's fifth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country SinglesHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in August. The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and was his biggest hit to that time.
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
In popular culture
Haggard's version of Mama Tried was on the soundtrack of the 1968 film Killers ThreeKillers Three
Killers Three is a motion picture crime drama produced in 1968 by Dick Clark Productions and released by American International Pictures starring Robert Walker, Jr., Diane Varsi and Dick Clark. Others in the cast include Norman Alden, Maureen Arthur, Tony York, Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens.This...
, a film which featured his acting debut.
The words Mama Tried—referring to the song—are shown on Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
's shirt in several scenes of the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
Kerosene
Kerosene (album)
- Personnel :Musicians* Richard Bennett – guitar* Chad Cromwell – drums* Eric Darken – percussion* Natalie Hemby – background vocals* Joey Huffman – keyboards* Jay Joyce – guitar* Miranda Lambert – background vocals, lead vocals...
.
In the 1997 documentary about the making of the film From Dusk till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
, known as Full Tilt Boogie
Full Tilt Boogie
Full Tilt Boogie is a 1997 documentary directed by Sarah Kelly. It chronicles the production of the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn.It features extensive interviews with the cast and crew covering a variety of topics related to the film. This includes the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage...
, Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
can be seen singing the song with others whilst on the set.
In the 5th season finale of Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
("A House is Not a Home," 2005), Stars Hollow's "Town Troubadour" is singing the song on a street corner soon after Lorelai brings Rory home from a night in jail.
In the 2008 film The Strangers
The Strangers
The Strangers is a 2008 American horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino, and starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Glenn Howerton, Gemma Ward, Laura Margolis, and Kip Weeks...
, the song is used to build tension whilst also referencing the potential poor upbringing of the films' antagonists.
In the 2nd series of the 2008 UK television series Survivors
Survivors
Survivors is a British post-apocalyptic fiction television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977...
, the song is often played and sung by truck driver Billy Stringer.
In 2010, the song was sung as a plot element by a detective to a young incarcerated Hispanic gang member on TNT's Southland
Southland (TV series)
Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...
.
Cover versions
The Grateful Dead covered the song regularly, playing it over 300 times live throughout their career, including at Woodstock.Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
covered the song in 1969, though her version went unreleased until it was included on her 1993 boxed set Rare, Live & Classic
Rare, Live & Classic
Rare, Live & Classic was a 1993 box set compilation by Joan Baez. Released on Vanguard, where Baez had recorded her most influential work during the first twelve years of her career, the set also included material from her subsequent record labels, A&M, Columbia and Gold Castle Records, as well as...
; it later appeared on the 2005 reissue of her 1970 album (I Live) One Day at a Time
(I Live) One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time was a 1970 album by Joan Baez. Recorded in Nashville, the album was a continuation of Baez' experimentation with country music, begun with the previous year's David's Album...
.
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
covered the song on their 1968 album Roots
Roots (Everly Brothers album)
Roots is a 1968 album by close harmony rock and roll duo The Everly Brothers. Originally on the Warner Bros. label, the album was re-released on CD in 1995 by Warner Bros. and in 2005 by Collectors' Choice Music...
.
The song has been a live standard for Texas alt-country band Old 97's
Old 97's
The Old 97's are an alternative country band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1993, they have since released nine studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is The Grand Theatre, Volume Two...
for their entire career, and was recorded for their debut album.
American Oi! band Forced Reality covered the song. It appears on their Unheard, Unreleased, and Under the Boot compilation.
The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland.-Early history:The band formed out of the weekly jam sessions in the basement of banjo player Ben Eldridge. These sessions included John Starling on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone...
covered the song on their 2007 Sugar Hill Records release, SCENEchronized.
The FGD'$ (Columbus, Ohio punk rock band) covered the song regularly in their shows at renowned punk rock club Bernie's Distillery.
American bluegrass band Greensky Bluegrass
Greensky Bluegrass
Greensky Bluegrass is a five-piece American bluegrass band. The band was founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the year 2000 and has toured consistently throughout the past decade, playing many of the nation's finest clubs, music halls and festivals.-Career:...
have played the song many times at live shows.
Ray LaMontagne includes the song in many live shows.
See also
- Momma's Waiting
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.