"Your Mama Don't Dance" is a hit 1972 song by the rock duo

Loggins and Messina Loggins and Messina was an American rock- pop duo consisting of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, who achieved their success in the early to mid-1970s. Among their well-known songs are "Danny's Song", "House at Pooh Corner", and " Your Mama Don' ...

. Released on their self-titled album ''

'', it reached number four on the ''Billboard''

pop chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...

and number 19 on the ''Billboard'' Easy Listening Chart as a single in early 1973.

Overview

This song, whose refrain and first verse is done in a blues format, deals with the 1950s and 1960s lifestyle concerning the

generation gap A generation gap or generational gap is a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. In today's usage, ''generation gap'' often refers to a perceived gap between younger people and their pare ...

, where the parents oppose the Rock and Roll Revolution of the younger generation, which includes the rebelliousness against the old society that monitors curfews on dating; as well as being arrested for making love with a girl in the back seat of a car during a drive-in movie, which happens during the bridge section of the song. When released as a single, it was the duo's biggest hit as well as their only Gold single. "Your Mama Don't Dance" was covered in 1973 by Australian band the Bootleg Family Band, which made the top 5 in Australia. It was also covered in 1985 by the rock band Y&T.

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

included the song in a medley of rock n' roll songs on his 1974 album ''

Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis ''Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis'' is a live album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records in July 1974. It was recorded on March 20 of the same year at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, Presley ...

''.

Poison cover

In 1988, the glam metal band Poison recorded a cover of "Your Mama Don't Dance." It appeared as the ninth track on their second album '' Open Up and Say...Ahh!'' by Capitol Records and was released as the album's fourth single. The Poison version reached number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 39 on the

Mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

charts and has since gone Gold in the US. The song also charted at number 21 on the Australian charts and number 13 on the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The single's B-side is "Tearin' Down the Walls".

Critical reception

'' Cash Box'' said "Take a classic Loggins & Messina rock/blues song, and play. It’s an instant hit." Reviewer of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' was disappointed by this single. He found it ″completely naff″ when contrasted with "

Every Rose Has Its Thorn "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in October 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!''. The band's signature song, it is also their only number- ...

", the band's previous ″quite listenable hit″. Jerry Smith from British music newspaper ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' also expressed an opinion that this "ordinary slice of good-time rock'n'roll" is "highly unlikely to enhance their reputation as wild, heavy rockers". Pan-European magazine '' Music & Media'' described the song as "energetic version" of traditional 12 -bar with a vague doo-wisp edge. In 2017, '' Billboard'' and '' OC Weekly'' ranked the song number six and number five, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs.

Albums

"Your Mama Don't Dance" is on the following albums: * ''

'' * '' The Best of Friends'' * '' The Best: Sittin' in Again'' Kenny Loggins's 1993 Solo Album: * '' Outside: From the Redwoods'' The Poison version is available on: * '' Open Up and Say...Ahh!'' * '' Swallow This Live'' (live version) * '' Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996'' * '' Crack a Smile...and More!'' (Unplugged) * '' The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock'' * '' Open Up and Say...Ahh! - 20th Anniversary Edition'' * '' Poison'd'' The Y&T version is available on: * '' Down for the Count'' The Elvis version can be heard on: * ''

Personnel

Loggins & Messina version *

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

- vocals, electric guitar (plus solo) * Jim Messina - vocals, electric guitar * Jon Clarke - baritone saxophone * Al Garth - alto saxophone * Larry Sims - bass, backing vocals * Merel Bregante - drums, backing vocals * Michael Omartian - piano *

Milt Holland Milton Holland (born Milton Olshansky; February 7, 1917 – November 4, 2005) was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist, and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percus ...

- congas, cowbells Poison version * Bret Michaels - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals * C.C. DeVille - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar (Used in the choruses and sporadically in the verses), Backing Vocals *

Bobby Dall Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison. The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 mill ...

- Bass, Backing Vocals *

Rikki Rockett Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. Bio ...

- Drums, Backing Vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Loggins and Messina version Poison version

Year-end charts

Loggins and Messina version Poison version

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
{{Authority control 1972 singles 1989 singles Loggins and Messina songs Poison (American band) songs Songs written by Kenny Loggins Song recordings produced by Tom Werman 1972 songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Jim Messina (musician) Columbia Records singles Enigma Records singles Songs about dancing Rock-and-roll songs