From Taylor Swift to 2Pac, many artists have toasted the women who gave us life through music.
Taylor Swift and mother Andrea Swift
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
For all they do for us, mothers should be celebrated every day — but it’s still nice to give mom a little extra love on Mother’s Day. She deserves it!
And whether you’re taking her out to dinner, making her a handmade card, buying her flowers or just calling to tell her how much you love her, Mother’s Day is the time to make our mamas feel extra special. But what’s one underrated way to show your appreciation? Giving the mom(s) in your life — whether biological, adoptive or honorary — a meaningful playlist full of songs about just how important they are.
Luckily, artists of all time periods and backgrounds have shared how much they love their matriarchs through various songs over the years, and ahead of this Mother’s Day, Billboard has picked out some of the best. There’s Tupac, Drake and LL Cool J, who have each delivered flawless bars about the roles their mothers have played in their stories, as well as the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and Spice Girls, who’ve all given us Hallmark-ready lyrics about motherly love. Plus, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney and more superstars have penned some of the greatest, most meaningful pop, rock and country tributes to moms. It all means — no matter what type of music the maternal figure in your life loves, there’s something for every mom on this list.
This Mother’s Day, raise a glass to mom and let these songs be your soundtrack. From Christina Aguilera to Ozzy Osbourne and Earth, Wind & Fire, keep reading to see Billboard‘s favorite musical odes to mothers below.
-
2Pac, “Dear Mama”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo In the late, great 2Pac’s tribute to his mama, Afeni Shakur — who gave birth to him a month after being released from jail — the late rap icon says the words that every mother wants to hear: “You are appreciated.”
Listen here.
-
The-Dream, “Mama”
On his 2007 debut album, “Lovehate,” The-Dream mourns the passing of his mother in “Mama,” a heart-filled, melodic and auto-tuned dedication to her. Reminiscing on loving memories, the “Radio Killa” dreams of bringing his mother back to life.
Listen here.
-
Backstreet Boys, “The Perfect Fan”
In this soft rock piano melody, the Backstreet Boys declare their love and appreciation for their mothers. With lyrics like “You showed me when I was young just how to grow,” Hallmark could learn a thing or two from these gentlemen. When the song debuted in 1999, fans and mothers everywhere swooned.
Listen here.
-
Drake, “Look What You’ve Done”
In candid disclosure of the hardships he went through with his mother and family, Drake gratefully thanks them for helping him become the man he is today on 2011’s “Look What You’ve Done.” Ending with a recording of a loving voicemail from his grandmother, this “Take Care” track sentimentally greets “Happy Mother’s Day.”
Listen here.
-
Miley Cyrus, “Mother’s Daughter”
On “Mother’s Daughter,” Cyrus credits her mom for passing on the strength to be independent while never compromising her inner “freak.” “My mama always told me that I’d make it/ That I’d make it, so I made it,” she sings. “I put my back into it, my heart in it/So I did it, yeah, I did it.”
Listen here.
-
Kacey Musgraves, “Mother”
Musgraves’ tear-jerking tribute to mom is not to be missed: “Wish we didn’t live, wish we didn’t live so far from each other/ I’m just sitting here thinking ’bout the time that’s slipping/ And missing my mother, mother/ And she’s probably sitting there/ Thinking ’bout the time that’s slipping/ And missing her mother, mother.”
Listen here.
-
*NSYNC, “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo ‘N Sync’s pop ballad “God Must Have Spent (A Little More Time On You)” could be written about any woman in the boys’ lives, but they dedicated it to their moms. The video features a mother and child, from birth to adulthood, growing and making memories while the boys croon in white suits.
Listen here.
-
Yo Gotti, “Momma”
Declaring at the very beginning that this track “might be the realest s–t I ever wrote,” Yo Gotti details the years of hustle his mom went through to build a better life for him and his family — as well as how he went on to work just as hard to pay it all back to her in kind. “Momma gave me the game, and for Mother’s Day/ I spent a million and a half for you on Privé,” he spits. “This s–t yours, do what you want to/ You deserve it, Momma.”
Listen here.
-
Christina Aguilera, “Oh Mother”
Christina Aguilera is celebrating Mother’s Day as a mom herself to Max Liron Bratman and Summer Rain Rutler, but this 2006 single addresses her own early childhood, as she thanks her mother for leaving her abusive father.
Listen here.
-
Danzig, “Mother”
Danzig’s 1991 breakthrough hit isn’t really about mothers, but like them, it rocks.
Listen here.
-
Kanye West, “Hey Mama”
Kanye West owes a lot to his mother Donda West, who retired from her job as an English professor to manage her son’s career. This performance, filmed before Donda passed away unexpectedly in 2007, is a testament to their close bond.
Listen here.
-
Ozzy Osbourne, “Mama I’m Coming Home”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo This 1991 track was actually written for Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne, whom the hard-rocker refers to as “Mama.”
Listen here.
-
The Rolling Stones, “Mother’s Little Helper”
This Rolling Stones classic seems harmless, but a deeper listen actually reveals that the title is a reference to prescription drugs used by lonely housewives.
Listen here.
-
Crystal Bowersox, “Mama”
Dubbed “Mama Sox” by her fellow season 9 American Idol contestants, Bowersox recorded “Mama,” an acoustic ballad saying farewell rather than giving thanks. As a young mother herself, Crystal sings passionately and from the heart.
Listen here.
-
Sugarland, “Mother”
“She’s your mother, you love her/ There won’t be another place like her again that you call home,” Sugarland sings on this tear-jerking tribute to the unconditional love our moms show us. “She stands here to help you/ There’s nothing she won’t do/ As long as she’s alive, you’re not alone.”
Listen here.
-
Pink Floyd, “Mother”
On this song from their classic 1979 album The Wall, Pink Floyd ask, “Mother, do you think they’ll like this song?” They certainly did.
Listen here.
-
Trace Adkins, “Hot Mama”
Trace Adkins tips his cowboy hat to all the “Hot Mamas” of the world: “You worry about your hips, and you worry about your age/Meanwhile I’m tryin’ to catch the breath you take away.” Aw.
Listen here.
-
LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo While we’re pretty sure Mama wouldn’t approve of violence or forgetting to take out the garbage, she’s bound to appreciate an LL classic that samples James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone.
Listen here.
-
Lukas Graham, “Mama Said”
Borrowing a bit of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from Annie, Lukas Graham honors the way his mom made him feel rich growing up, even without all the finer things in life: “Mama said that it was okay/ Mama said that it was quite alright/ Our kind of people had a bed for the night/ And it was okay.”
Listen here.
-
The Jackson 5, “Mama’s Pearl”
Recorded by the Jackson 5 in 1971, “Mama’s Pearl” was reportedly called “Guess Who’s Making Woopie (With Your Girlfriend)” until the lyrics and title were changed to fit 12-year-old Michael.
Listen here.
-
John Lennon, “Mother”
John Lennon’s song “Mother” is actually a song written for both his parents — his father left when Lennon was only an infant, and his mother was killed in a car crash when he was 17.
Listen here.
-
Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart”
With all due respect, sometimes — most times — moms and daughters have major differences between them, like when it comes to dealing with heartbreak. On that matter, Miranda Lambert and her mother definitely disagree, about which the country star belts on this 2011 hit, “‘Go and fix your makeup girl it’s just a break-up/ Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady/ ‘Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together/ Even when you fall apart’/ But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart.”
Listen here.
-
Boyz II Men, “A Song for Mama”
A staple of any Mother’s Day playlist, this Boyz II Men ballad is about a family held together by a mother’s traditions.
Listen here.
-
The Spice Girls, “Mama”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo The idea for this Spice Girls ballad arose in 1997, when Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown thought it would be a good idea to write a tribute for the mamas of the group.
Listen here.
-
Elvis Presley, “Mama Liked The Roses”
Released in 1970 as a b-side to his classic single “The Wonder of You,” Presley’s song is in memory of mothers who can’t be with their children on the holiday.
Listen here.
-
Taylor Swift, “The Best Day”
Swift wrote this Fearless track as a surprise for her mom, Andrea, based on experiences they shared together when the pop star was a toddler and teenager. “It was the sweetest thing ever because I just think she couldn’t have comprehended that I would write a song about the two of us,” she said of penning the track at an Eras Tour show in 2023.
Listen here.
-
Carrie Underwood, “Mama’s Song”
“Mama’s Song” finds Underwood singing directly to her mom, promising that she’ll be okay as she takes a big next step with the man in her life. The same year it was released on the country star’s 2010 album Play On, Underwood married hockey player Mike Fisher.
Listen here.
-
Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
“On My Mama” is for anyone who inherited their good looks, charm, work ethic or all of the above from their mommas — and are proud of it, too.
Listen here.
-
Earth, Wind & Fire, “Mom”
“Mom” reminds us that some of the most valuable lessons in life come from our mothers.
Listen here.
-
The Beatles, “Let It Be”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Paul McCartney wrote this Beatles staple after his late mother, Mary, visited him in a dream to impart some words of wisdom on him: let it be. It’s a testament to the way our mothers are always with us, even long after they’re technically gone.
Listen here.
Comentarios