Mother of Mine
Encyclopedia
"Mother of Mine" is a song written by Bill Parkinson and made famous by a Scottish
former child
singing
star
Neil Reid
who sang it on ITV
's Opportunity Knocks and won the competition on 13 December 1971, singing his version of the song
The song was an instant hit with the British public and was released commercially by Decca Records
shortly after his win, and went to number two on the UK Singles Chart
, particularly following a performance of the song on Top of the Pops
.
"Mother of Mine" record
sold over 250,000 copies in the United Kingdom
, and over 2.5 million globally. It also sold around 400,000 copies in Japan
alone.
The song also appeared in the self-titled album Neil Reid reaching number 1 on the UK Albums Chart making Reid the holder of the title of the youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart
. at the age of 12 years 9 months.
Reid followed up the single "Mother of Mine" by "That's What I Want To Be" three months later, but that song peaked only at number 45,
and Reid quickly faded from national prominence to performing on the Northern England
Working men's club
circuit. Two years after winning Opportunity Knocks, Reid's voice broke
and as a result he gave up professional singing.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
former child
Child singer
A child singer is a child who has a career as a singer. Child singers and people who have been child singers include:* From age 2 Judy Garland* From age 4 Donny Osmond* From age 5 Michael Jackson...
singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
star
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
Neil Reid
Neil Reid
Neil Reid is a Scottish former child singing star, winner of ITV's Opportunity Knocks, and the holder of the title youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart....
who sang it on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Opportunity Knocks and won the competition on 13 December 1971, singing his version of the song
The song was an instant hit with the British public and was released commercially by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
shortly after his win, and went to number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, particularly following a performance of the song on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
"Mother of Mine" record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
sold over 250,000 copies in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and over 2.5 million globally. It also sold around 400,000 copies in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
alone.
The song also appeared in the self-titled album Neil Reid reaching number 1 on the UK Albums Chart making Reid the holder of the title of the youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. at the age of 12 years 9 months.
Reid followed up the single "Mother of Mine" by "That's What I Want To Be" three months later, but that song peaked only at number 45,
and Reid quickly faded from national prominence to performing on the Northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
Working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
circuit. Two years after winning Opportunity Knocks, Reid's voice broke
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
and as a result he gave up professional singing.
Cover versions
- In 1972, following the success of the song, Jimmy OsmondJimmy OsmondJames Arthur "Jimmy" Osmond is an American singer, actor, and businessman.-Biography:Jimmy Osmond is the youngest of his siblings and an occasional member of their musical group, The Osmonds. He is the ninth and last child of George and Olive Osmond, and his siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne,...
, another young singing act recorded it as the Side B of his big hit "Long Haired Lover from LiverpoolLong Haired Lover from Liverpool"Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" is a pop song by Jimmy Osmond.Written by Christopher Kingsley and produced by Mike Curb and Perry Botkin Jr, "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" was a UK number one single for Jimmy Osmond...
". The song was also included on his 1972 album Killer JoeKiller JoeKiller Joe is the second album by Jimmy Osmond, released in 1972 on MGM Records. He was credited on the album as Little Jimmy Osmond. The first single from this album, "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool", reached #1 on the U.K...
. - Also in 1972, The Paul MauriatPaul MauriatPaul Mauriat was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. He is best known in the United States for his million selling remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue", which was #1 for 5 weeks in 1968...
Orchestra recorded an instrumental version that appeared on the album Summer Memories - The Superb Sounds of The Paul Mauriat Orchestra - In 2009, New Zealand singer Hayley WestenraHayley WestenraHayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
recorded her own cover on her album Hayley Sings Japanese Songs 2Hayley sings Japanese Songs 2Hayley Sings Japanese Song 2 is, as the title suggests, the second Japanese-themed album by Christchurch, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. Like its predecessor, the album contains Westenra's interpretations of traditional and popular contemporary Japanese songs... - The song has been recorded in other languages as well, most notably in French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as "Maman chérie" by the Canadian singer René SimardRené SimardRené Claude Simard is a pop singer from Quebec, chiefly popular in the 1970s. He was discovered and managed by Guy Cloutier...
.