La mamma (song)

"La mamma", also known as "For Mama" in English, is a song written in 1962 by French lyricist Robert Gall and Armenian-French artist Charles Aznavour.

History
Charles Aznavour first recorded "La mamma" for a 1962 EP with his version serving as title cut for his 1963 album release. The first single release was by Les Compagnons de la chanson which reached #80 on the French charts in late 1963: the Aznavour version was then issued as a single to reach #1 in France in February 1964. "La mamma" also afforded Aznavour a hit on the Dutch charts of Belgium and, rendered in Italian, was a hit in Italy for both Aznavour (#13) and also Domenico Modugno (#36). "La mamma" became Aznavour's first million seller.

An English-language rendering of "La mamma" by lyricist Don Black entitled "For Mama" was recorded by Matt Monro and released in December 1964 in the UK where it had a chart peak of #36. "For Mama" became a minor US hit in 1965 for Jerry Vale whose version debuted on the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine dated March 6, 1965 at #88 (Vale): in the previous issue of Billboard, that dated February 27, 1965, the Matt Monro version of "For Mama" had appeared in the "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles" chart at #135 along with the Jerry Vale version at #121, but Monro's version did not subsequently advance into the Hot 100. Jerry Vale's version of "For Mama" rose to a peak of #54 (Vale) on the Hot 100 dated April 3, 1965. Vic Damone also recorded a cover version of "For Mama" which failed to chart.

Connie Francis' version
Connie Francis' recording of "For Mama" was released as a single in 1965 and became a minor hit in the United States, peaking at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the Philippines, the single reached No. 2 on the national chart.

Adaptations

 * La mamma, written by Nelly Byl (Dutch)
 * La mamma, written by Gerrit den Braber (Dutch)
 * Mamãe, written by Nazareno de Brito (Portuguese)
 * For Mama, written by Don Black (English)
 * Mama, written by Dragutin Britvić (Croatian)
 * La mamma, written by Mogol (Italian)
 * La mamma, written by Charly Niessen (German)
 * Den bompa, written by Leo Rozenstraten (Brabantian dialect of Antwerp)
 *  Ya yemma, written by Lili Boniche (Algerian Arabic)
 * La mama, written by Rafael Gayoso, sung by Peret (Spanish) - 1964
 * Mama, written by Odysseas Ioannou, sung by Vasilis Papakonstantinou (Greek)

Cover versions

 * Dalida
 * Matt Monro (For Mama)
 * De Strangers (Den bompa)
 * Anna German
 * Ray Charles (For Mama "La Mamma")
 * Lisa del Bo
 * Domenico Modugno
 * Marla Glen (Our World album, 1997)
 * Agnaldo Timóteo
 * Jean Vallée
 * Demis Roussos
 * Corry Brokken
 * Will Tura
 * Chico & The Gypsies (La mama)
 * Elvina Makaryan
 * Isabelle Boulay (2002)
 * Yoyoy Villame (parody in Cebuano titled "Mamay Maliya")
 * Heino La mamma (clip)
 * Dakis Dakis La Mamma
 * Yseult