"A Song for Mama" is a number-one R&B single by the American R&B group

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

. The tune, which was written and produced by

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, served as the theme song to the 1997 motion picture ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'', and spent two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart. To date, it is their last top 10 pop hit, peaking at number seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also appears on the group's fourth album, ''

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

'' (1997).

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''Billboard'' stated, "The second single from ''Evolution'' can also be heard on the soundtrack to ''Soul Food''. It's a tear-tugging ode to mothers, delivered with the kind of seamless harmonies that one has come to expect from these Boyz. Producer/writer

's fingerprints are all over the track, from its delicate piano lines to its soft but insinuating percussion. There's no denying that this act is at its best when the members are wrapping their voices around a Babyface composition. If you still need proof, let quietly emotional lines like "loving you is like food for my soul" wash over your senses. As the world inches closer to the holiday season, look for this single to become a sentimental favorite at every possible radio format."

Track listings

* US single # A Song for Mama (Radio Edit) 4:30 # A Song for Mama (LP Version) 5:02 # A Song for Mama (Instrumental) 5:05 * US live version single # A Song for Mama – Live Version (Radio Edit) 4:11 # A Song for Mama – Live Version (Main Version) 5:10 * Europe promo CD # A Song for Mama (Radio Edit) 4:30 * Europe single # A Song for Mama (Radio Edit) # A Song for Mama (LP Version) * Europe maxi-CD # A Song for Mama (Radio Edit) 4:30 # I'll Make Love To You (LP Version) 3:57 # Motownphilly (LP Version) 3:56 # Sympin' (Remix Radio Edit) 3:58 * Europe maxi-CD 2 # A Song for Mama (Radio Edit) 4:30 # A Song for Mama (LP Version) 5:02 # Baby C'Mon (LP Version) 4:36 # A Song for Mama (Instrumental) 5:05

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''.Boyz II Men - Evolution (CD liner notes) - Motown Records 530 822-2 *

: all vocals *

: writer, composer, producer, keyboards and drum programming *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

: piano *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

: bass * Michael Thompson: guitar *Brad Gilderman,

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

Paul Boutin Paul Boutin (born December 11, 1961 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American magazine writer and editor who writes about technology in a pop-culture context. Boutin, who began writing for ''Wired'' in 1997, wrote for ''The New York Times'' from 2003 ...

: recording engineers *Jon Gass: mix engineer *Paul Boutin: assistant mix engineer *Randy Walker: midi programmer *Ivy Skoff: production coordinator

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song For Mama, A Songs about mothers 1997 singles Boyz II Men songs Songs written for films Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Babyface (musician) Motown singles 1997 songs Contemporary R&B ballads