Rant #2,141: Mama Told Me (To Come)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

Yes, I am wishing all of you ladies a happy Mother's Day two days early because I generally do not write blog posts on Sundays, and that is when what some call "the holiest day of the year" occurs.

Without our moms, we would not be here. Yes, the same could be said of fathers, too, but we have our day next month, so let's focus on moms right now.

They are our first best friends, because we grow inside of them.

When the time comes after nine months, they are the ones that bear us.

And when the time comes, they are basically the ones who nurture us.

Dads are there, too, but our relationship with our fathers is similar, but different.

Often the first words we say as babies is "mama," and there is a clear, distinct reason for that.

I don't know if my first word was "mama," but I respect my mother with all my heart.

And the same could be said for my wife, the mother of my son, who is a mother through and through.

And my sister, well, she made me an uncle, gave me three nephews who are so different in nature that it is hard to believe that they came from the same parents.

Yes, mothers are the best people in the world, and on Sunday, we celebrate their greatness, but we really should be celebrating 365 days a year, because mothers are that good.

And on Mother's Day, I often think about my grandmothers. Even though they have both been deceased since the 1990s, they live on in my heart. They were two great people, and I will never forget them.

So, what are you doing on the big day?

My wife and I will visit the cemetery to pay our respects to my wife's mom. She passed away a few months after we were married, and although I didn't really get to know her well, she was a very kind, sweet person. I wish she could be here now to see how her grandchildren have grown and become part of society. I think she would be really proud.

Then, we will go to my sister's house. She always hosts Mother's Day, and we have a lot of fun there. She really works hard, and has been through many ups and downs with her sons, but I know deep down that they really love their mom for all that she has done for them.

Yes, we will exchange some gifts--you know about the bathing suit story from earlier this week--but the day is not about gifts, it is really about love and respect.

Just the other day, I was thinking about mix tapes, those ubiquitous cassettes that we all used to make in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, where we would put our favorite songs together and listen to them on our Walkmans or in the car cassette player.

This practice carried over, to a certain extent, into the early 2000s, when we began to record on CD-Rs, but the practice is old hat now, what with streaming and being able to get and listen to just about any song on the Internet.

But if I were to compile an old-fashioned mix tape today, what songs might be on that tape?

Here is a sample of some of the best "mama" and "mother" songs of all time, a good top 20 to at least start off with:

"Mama" - B.J. Thomas (1966, #22)
"Mama" - Connie Francis (1960, #8)
"Mama" - Genesis (1983, #73)
"Mama Can't Buy You Love" - Elton John (1979, #9)
"Mama, I'm Coming Home - Ozzy Osbourne (1992, #28)
"Mama Said" - Shirelles (1961, #4)
"Mama Told Me (Not To Come)" - Three Dog Night (1970, #1)
"Mama Was a Rock and Roll Singer" - Sonny and Cher (1977, #73)
"Mama Weer All Crazee Now" - Slade (1973, #76)/Quiet Riot (1984, #51)
"Mama's Pearl" - Jackson 5 (1971, #2)
"Mother" - John Lennon (1971, #43)
"Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon (1972, #4)
"Mother Freedom" - Bread (1971, #37)
"Mother-In-Law" - Ernie K-Doe (1961, #1)
"Mother Nature" - Temptations (1972, #92)
"Mother Nature, Father Time" - Brook Benton (1965, #53)
"Mother Please!" - Jo Ann Campbell (1963, #88)
"Mother Popcorn" - James Brown (1969, #11)
"Mother's Little Helper" - Rolling Stones (1966, #8)
"Mother's Talk" - Tears For Fears (1986, #27)

These 21 songs--yes, I gave you a bonus tune since Slade and Quiet Riot warbled the same tune, 11 years apart--should get you started, and I am sure there are plenty of others to compile into a nice, holiday-oriented mix tape.

So, whatever the case, have a great Mother's Day. I know that spending the day with my wife, and also my mother and my sister, will make it great!

Speak to you again on Monday. Have a good weekend.