"What Have They Done to My Song Ma" is a song written and performed by Melanie (Safka). It was released in 1970 as the B-side of Melanie's " Ruby Tuesday" single and included on the album '' Candles in the Rain''. The single reached the number 39 in the United Kingdom and peaked within the top 20 in Norway and the

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

region of Belgium. Other artists have recorded it as "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma", after the song's first line, and this title also is used on Melanie's official YouTube page.

Cover versions

The New Seekers The New Seekers were a British pop group, formed in London, in 1969, by Keith Potger, after the break-up of his group, the Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music wou ...

released a cover as "Look What They've Done to My Song Ma," in 1970. The single peaked at #14 in the US and #44 in the UK in 1970.

Daliah Lavi Daliah Lavi (born Daliah Lewinbuk or Levenbuch, ; 12 October 1942 – 3 May 2017) was an Israeli actress, singer, and model. Early life Daliah Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch) was born in Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel). Her mother Ru ...

recorded a successful German version of the song in 1971 and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

released a cover (as "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma") in 1972. It has also been tackled by many other artists, including

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

the New Seekers The New Seekers were a British pop group, formed in London, in 1969, by Keith Potger, after the break-up of his group, the Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music wou ...

, and

Billie Jo Spears Billie Jo Spears (born Billie Jean Moore; January 14, 1938 – December 14, 2011) was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of Single (music), singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among t ...

. The New Seekers' version topped the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

and reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, and on the US ''

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 ...

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

chart.

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 ...

recorded the song in French and Italian and released both as singles.

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) ** Fourth Czechoslovak Repu ...

singer

Helena Vondráčková Helena Vondráčková (born 24 June 1947, in Prague) is a Czech people, Czech singer and actress whose prolific career as a performer has spanned more than six decades, earning her acclaim both domestically and internationally. Recognized for h ...

did a rendition in 1971 as "Kam zmizel ten starý song" with

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

lyrics by Zdeněk Borovec.

Jeanette Jeanette, Jeannette or Jeanetta may refer to: * Jeanette (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) Places * Jeannette, Ontario, Canada * Jeannette Runciman Island, Ontario, Canada * Jeanne ...

did an English/French version in 1973. Yugoslav rock band

Bajaga i Instruktori Bajaga i Instruktori (Serbian Cyrillic: Бајага и Инструктори; trans. ''Bajaga and the Instructors'') are a Serbian and Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1984. Founded and led by vocalist, guitarist and principal compose ...

released a cover of it with lyrics in

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

, called "Vidi šta sam ti uradio od pesme, mama", in 1985. It was used in the 1970s as a commercial for Lifebuoy soap ("Look what they've done to my Lifebuoy"), and in the 1980s as a commercial jingle for

Ramada Inn Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. As of December 31, 2022, it operates 851 hotels with 120,344 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from th ...

(as "Look what they've done to Ramada") and for Oatmeal Crisp cereal (as "Look what they've done to my oatmeal"). In October 2012,

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

released a video of her own acoustic version of the song as part of her

Backyard Sessions The Backyard Sessions are a series of music performances by American singer Miley Cyrus. The first sessions featured Cyrus performing cover versions of classic songs in an outdoor setting, and were released in 2012. Subsequent sessions have sinc ...

series. In 2015, Melanie joined her to duet on the song in addition to "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)". Another take on the song was done by

Jack Wild Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at t ...

that appeared on his album ''Everything's Coming Up Roses'', released in 1971.

Charts

Melanie version

Dalida version

New Seekers version

Weekly charts

Ray Charles version

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1970 songs 1970 singles Buddah Records singles Dalida songs Melanie (singer) songs The New Seekers songs Number-one singles in New Zealand