A Song for Mama

"A Song for Mama"
Single by Boyz II Men
from the album Evolution and Soul Food (soundtrack)
ReleasedNovember 11, 1997
Genre
Length
  • 5:02 (album version)
  • 4:30 (radio version)
LabelMotown
SongwriterBabyface
ProducerBabyface
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"4 Seasons of Loneliness"
(1997)		 "A Song for Mama"
(1997)		 "Can't Let Her Go"
(1998)

"A Song for Mama" is a number-one R&B single by the American R&B group Boyz II Men. The tune, which was written and produced by Babyface, served as the theme song to the 1997 motion picture Soul Food, and spent two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart. To date, it is the group's 11th and final top 10 hit, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also appears on the group's fourth album, Evolution (1997).

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "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 Babyface'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."[1]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Evolution.[2]

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Flick, Larry (November 8, 1997). "Single Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ Boyz II Men - Evolution (CD liner notes) - Motown Records 530 822-2
  3. ↑ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 49. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  4. ↑ "Top 100 French Radio Airplay". SNEP. December 28, 1997. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  5. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  6. ↑ "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Boyz II Men Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Boyz II Men Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 1998". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 46.
  13. ↑ "American single certifications – Boyz II Men – A Song for Mama". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
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