"Mamy Blue" is a 1970 song by French songwriter

Hubert Giraud Hubert Yves Adrian Giraud (3 March 1920 – 16 January 2016) was a French composer and lyricist. Career Giraud began his career playing the harmonica with Django Reinhardt's jazz group, the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In 1941, he was recr ...

. Originally written with French lyrics, the song was rendered in English in 1971 to become an international hit for the

Pop-Tops Pop Tops (or Los Pop-Tops) were a vocal/instrumental band, formed in 1967 in Madrid, Spain, with Phil Trim from Trinidad and Tobago as lead singer. Their sound was a blend of baroque pop with the soulful vocals of Trim. Members Original set-up ...

, Joël Daydé ( fr) and

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (22 March 1936 – 13 September 2023) was a Kenyan-born British singer-songwriter and musician. His music is an eclectic mixture of folk music and popular songs, the latter variously in a crooning or in a schlager ...

. A hit in Italy with Italian lyrics for

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

and in France in its original French for

Nicoletta Nicoletta is a name and feminine given name derived from the Greek ''Nikolaos'', most often used in Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Nicoletta is also a surname. Given name * Nicoletta (singer), full name Nicoletta Grisoni, French singer, kn ...

, "Mamy Blue" was also rendered in a number of other languages in

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s recorded by a good number of local recording artists across continental Europe, while a "local cover" of the English-language version by Charisma reached #1 in South Africa. The song's title is sometimes spelled "Mammy Blue" in the English-speaking world.

Composition and first recordings

The song was originally written with French lyrics in 1970 by veteran French songwriter

; he conceived the song in his car waiting out a Parisian traffic jam and had completed its demo within a few days. After four months, the first recorded version of "Mamy Blue" was made – with Italian lyrics – by Ivana Spagna marking that singer's recording debut. In May 1971, Alain Milhaud, a Swiss record producer based in Spain, acquired the song for

, a Spanish group he managed. Milhaud produced the Pop-Tops' recording of "Mamy Blue" in a session in London after the group's frontman Phil Trim wrote English lyrics for the song. The French Barclay label expediently had the song covered by both Joël Daydé and

: Daydé's version – featuring Phil Trim's English lyric – was recorded at Olympic Sound Studio in London and the Decca Studio in Paris with

Angela Morley Angela Morley (10 March 192414 January 2009) was an England, English composer and Conductor (music), conductor who became familiar to BBC Radio listeners in the 1950s under the name of Wally Stott. Morley provided incidental music for ''The Go ...

as arranger, while Nicoletta's version was produced by Hubert Giraud and was the first recording of the song with Giraud's French lyrics.

Charting versions

Continental Europe

The

and Joël Daydé both reached #1 on the French charts with "Mamy Blue" while the

version rose as high as #4, affording the singer her career record. Both the Pop-Tops and Daydé versions became concurrent major hits in several other territories including Belgium where the Pop-Tops and Dayde's versions reached #1 on respectively the Dutch and French chart with Pop-Tops reaching #3 on the latter, the Netherlands where Pop-Tops reached #3 and Daydé #13, Norway where Pop-Tops reached #1 and Daydé #3 and Sweden where Pop-Tops reached #1 and Daydé #6. In Spain Daydé's English version of "Mamy Blue" reached #2 while the Pop-Tops reached #1 with a specially recorded version of the song in Spanish. In the same year, Watchpocket recorded the song in USA. In Germany, the Pop-Tops spent ten weeks at #1 while the Daydé version only charted peripherally at #40: a German rendering recorded by Ricky Shayne would afford Shayne his best ever German chart showing with a #7 peak. The Pop-Tops also rendered "Mamy Blue" in Italian with a resultant #1 in Italy where a local cover by

would chart with a #19 peak: another Italian cover by

Johnny Dorelli Giorgio Guidi (born 20 February 1937), known professionally as Johnny Dorelli, is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Giorgio Guidi was born in Meda, Lombardy, Italy. In 1946, he moved with his family to New York City, ...

failed to chart as did the English version by Ricky Shayne in its Italian release. Ricky Shayne's English version did appear in the French Top Ten (peak: #8) with the Daydé, Nicoletta and Pop-Tops versions: Shayne's English-language version also charted in Belgium's French Region (Top Ten). The Pop-Tops English version also reached #1 in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, and was a hit in Greece with sales of 50,000 units; in Denmark and Finland the song also reached the Top Ten via an English-language cover by

– #4 in Finland – while in both territories local translated covers of the song also charted – in Denmark, Eric Aae's version reached #5; in Finland, the cover by

Kirka Kirill "Kirka" Babitzin (Russian '' Кирилл Бабицын'', 22 September 1950 – 31 January 2007) was a Finnish vocalist and musician. One of the most commercially successful artists from Finland, his career lasted from the late 1960s u ...

reached #2 beneath the Pop Tops' #1 ranking.

Asia

"Mamy Blue" afforded the

a hit in both Israel and Japan with chart peaks of respectively #1 and #2. In addition the Ricky Shayne version was a hit in Japan with sales there of 500,000 units.

Latin America

"Mammy Blue" topped the Argentine hit parade with a tandem #1 ranking for five versions, being those by

James Darren James William Ercolani (June 8, 1936 – September 2, 2024), known by his stage name James Darren, was an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and su ...

, Ricky Shayne,

plus a cover by the American male/ female vocal quartet Punch and a local cover by Apocalyptis. The Ricky Shayne version was a #1 hit in Brazil, while the cover by the Bob Crewe Generation was the first version to chart in Uruguay. In Mexico, both the Joël Daydé and

versions ranked in the Top Ten.

English-speaking territories

1971–72

The Joël Daydé version of "Mamy Blue" reached #3 in Australia, the only evident territory where Daydé did not have to vie with the

, although the cover by

(as "Mamy Blue") and another by

(as "Mammy Blue") did well enough regionally to register on Australia's national chart with respective peaks of #53 and #47. In South Africa, "Mammy Blue" was recorded by the session group Charisma featuring vocalists Paddy Powell and Stevie Vann: produced by Graeme Beggs, this version spent twelve weeks at #1, making it the second longest running South African #1 hit, and the longest running #1 hit by a local artist. In the UK, the Pop Tops vied with the

cover with neither version reaching the top 30, the respective chart peaks being #35 and #31. In the US, the Pop Tops was the sole version to reach the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, peaking at #57, while the

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

in ''Billboard'' afforded the Pop-Tops' "Mammy Blue" a #28 peak. However the James Darren cover of "Mammy Blue" – which "bubbled under the Hot 100" in ''Billboard'' with a #107 peak – charted on the singles charts in both ''Record World'' and ''Cashbox'' with respective peaks of #66 and #77. Also ''Record World'' afforded the Pop Tops' "Mammy Blue" a higher ranking than the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the single's ''Record World'' peak being #44, although its ''Cashbox'' chart peak was only #68. ''Record World'' also featured a cover by the Bob Crewe Generation, which peaked there at #109. In Canada, the Pop-Tops vied with a "Mammy Blue" cover by session group Oak Island Treasury Department – these versions respectively peaking at #42 and #68 and Oak Island's version reached #4 on Canada's AC charts. A cover by Roger Whittaker in the original French was a hit on Canada's French charts, reaching #2.

Stories version (1973)

Stories recorded "Mammy Blue" in 1973 as the followup to their #1 hit " Brother Louie". According to group frontman Ian Lloyd, "The record company was desperate to follow up '...Louie' with similarly-styled tune. 'Mammy...' fit the bill." Faring well enough regionally – notably ranking in the Top Ten in Chicago – to reach a Hot 100 peak of #50, Stories' version of "Mammy Blue" was afforded significantly higher peak positions on the singles charts compiled by both ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' (#38) and '' Cashbox'' (#21). Stories also charted with "Mammy Blue" in both Canada and Australia with respective chart peaks of #36 and #46.

Other versions

The English version of "Mammy Blue" has also been recorded by

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...

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, Pascalis Arvanitidis the

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, Cherry Laine,

Vicky Leandros Vasiliki Papathanasiou (, ; born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Vicky Leandros (, ), is a Greek singer living in Germany. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou (also known as Leo Leandros as well ...

Eivind Løberg Eivind is a Norwegian masculine given name of Norse origin, ''Auja-winduR''. It is made up of two parts: ''Auja'' meaning "lucky/gift", and ''winduR'' meaning "winner and/or warrior". The name ''Eivind'' is also used in Denmark and Sweden, and ...

( no), Muslim Magomayev,

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, Laima Vaikule;

, and

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, besides introducing the song in its original French, also recorded the English version.

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

and

Lara Fabian Lara Sophie Katy Crokaert (; born 9 January 1970), known professionally as Lara Fabian (, , ), is a Belgian, Italian and Canadian singer and songwriter. She claims to have sold over 20 million records worldwide and to be one of the List of best ...

have both made recordings of the original French version of "Mamy Blue", which was remade in 2004 by Neje to reach #75 on the French charts. Jacques Desrosiers ( Patof) made a cover in French with different lyrics, as "Patof Blue". The Spanish version has also been recorded by José Mercé, Daniel Diges and

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949), widely known by the nickname Twiggy, is an English model, actress, and singer. She was a Culture of the United Kingdom, British cultural icon and a prominent teenage model during th ...

( es) while

Roberto Blanco Roberto Zerquera Blanco (born 7 June 1937 in Tunis) is a German schlager singer, actor, and entertainer of Afro-Cuban origin. He is one of the most successful entertainers of all time in German-speaking countries. Early life Blanco is the so ...

( de),

Frank Farian Franz Reuther (18 July 1941 – 23 January 2024), known professionally as Frank Farian, was a German record producer and singer who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the pop band No Mercy, and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequent ...

and Bata Ilic ( de) have each made recordings of the German version. The Finnish version of "Mamy Blue" was also recorded by

Fredi Fredi may refer to: * Fredi (Valencian pilota) (born 1957), retired Valencian pilota professional player * Fredi Bobic (born 1971), German football striker * Fredi González (born 1964), Cuban current manager of the Atlanta Braves * Fredi Walker, A ...

in 1972 and by

in 1974 Translated renderings of "Mamy Blue" have also been recorded by Anda Călugăreanu ( ro) (as "O, Mamă, Tu") Romanian, Crazy Boys (as "Dla mamy blues") ( pl) Polish,

Laércio de Freitas Laercio may refer to: *Laercio Oliveira (born 1959), Brazilian politician *Laércio Gomes Costa (born 1990), Brazilian football striker *Laércio Soldá (born 1993), Brazilian football defender *Laércio (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian football ...

( pt) Portuguese,

Kjerstin Dellert Kjerstin Dellert (4 November 1925 – 5 March 2018) was a Swedish opera singer and theater manager. Life Early life Born in Stockholm, Dellert made her opera debut at Stora teatern (the old Gothenburg Opera stage) in Gothenburg in the 1950s. ...

Swedish,

Yehoram Gaon Yehoram Gaon (; born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture. The son of Sephardic Jewish parents—a Bosnian f ...

Hebrew,

Karel Gott Karel Gott (14 July 1939 – 1 October 2019) was a Czech singer, considered the most successful male singer in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He was voted the country's best male singer in the annual ''Český slavík'' (''Czech Nighti ...

(as "Ó, Mami, Dík") Czech, Mjöll Holm Icelandic, Kati Kovács Hungarian, Marcela Laiferová ( sk) (as "Mami-Blue") Slovak,

Anne-Karine Strøm Anne-Karine Strøm (born 15 October 1951) is a Norwegian singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976, winning on three occasions ( ...

Norwegian, Miro Ungar ( hr) Croatian, Vivi Flemish, Lilya Vavrin Ukrainian, Salomon Suvanto Finnish and Emil Dimitrov Bulgarian. French singer Ricky Shayne recorded both English and German versions of "Mamy Blue", which ranked #7 in the German Top Ten for 20 weeks in 1971. German guitarist Ricky King recorded an instrumental version. French orchestra leader

Paul Mauriat Paul Julien André Mauriat ( or ; 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006) was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his mill ...

with Le Grand Orchestre De Paul Mauriat recorded an instrumental version in 1971.

Sampling

The 2011 rap song "Mamy" by

Joeystarr Didier Morville (; born 27 October 1967), better known by his stage name JoeyStarr, is a French rapper, record producer and actor, from Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, Île-de-France. He co-founded the French rap band Suprême NTM ...

sampled the Nicoletta version of "Mamy Blue" as its backing track. The song appeared on the rapper's album ''Egomaniac''.

Charts

Pop-Tops version

Charisma version

Dalida version

References

External links

*
Mamy Blue charts worldwide
{{Authority control 1970 songs 1971 singles Spagna songs Roger Whittaker songs Stories (band) songs Pop standards Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in France Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Hubert Giraud Kama Sutra Records singles