In honor of Mother’s Day this year, we at Y101 thought it’s the perfect time to list down a playlist of songs the musicians wrote for their mom.
There are many inspirations to songs, but nothing is sweeter when a song is inspired by the love of a mother. There are obvious songs out there like A Song for Mama by Boyz II Men and Dear Mama by 2Pac, so that’s why we’ll be listing down the songs that at first listen, you thought was just another love song. So here are songs written for mom.
Backstreet Boys – The Perfect Fan
Let’s start with the more obvious one. Back in 1999, Backstreet Boys released their third album. The last track on the album is a ballad called The Perfect Fan. If you listen to the song carefully, it’s pretty obvious what the song is about. Most of the boys’ hits are centered on special women in their life, but The Perfect Fan was written for the most important ones – their moms.
READ: Carlow Talks About Mother's Day
Taylor Swift – The Best Day
In 2009, before she was shaking things off and walking with her gang in slow motion in front of a big explosion in Bad Blood, Taytay was a simple country star. She released her Grammy-award winning second album Fearless to critical acclaim and her legion of teeny bopper fans had just hatched. In the album, a sweet country song called The Best Day recalls Swift’s happy childhood. It was rumored that the song had to be dropped in tour set lists because Swift’s mom would breakdown backstage every time she heard it. Taylor’s mom Andrea, was later diagnosed with cancer, which makes the song’s lyrics mean so much more.
The Beatles – Julia
I love the Beatles, so I’ve got to squeeze this one in. Julia is the only Beatles song written and recorded by John Lennon without any help from the other guys. It’s his most personal song in the Beatles repertoire. Lennon loved his mother very dearly. When he was five years old, John lost his mother when his parents split. He was raised by his auntie. When he was 15, he got reunited with his mother Julia and they bonded together over music. John’s mother taught him how to play the banjo and she bought him his first guitar. When John was 17, his mother was hit and killed by a car driven by a drunk off-duty police officer. When John was 28, he wrote the love song for his mother.
Of Mice & Men – Second & Sebring
Here’s something you didn’t expect. This metal core song is one of the best songs ever written by a musician for his mother. If you take a listen to the song and pay attention to the lyrics, you’d probably tear up. The song is about songwriter/vocalist Austin Carlile’s mother who died in 2007 of Marfan syndrome. Austin was just 20 years old when his mother died in their family home in Sebring Court Apartments, on the corner of 2nd street, hence the title of the song. The song is saying that his mom has taught him so much, and although he misses her, he has moved on from grieving and moved on to do what she would want him to do, which is to be successful. This song tells that his goal in life is to make his mother proud, and he is letting his mother know that.
Kanye West ft. Paul McCartney – Only One
In my opinion, this is one of the best Kanye songs Kanye has ever written. His decision to feature Paul McCartney playing the organs parallels the time when Paul featured Billy Preston to play the organs on Paul’s tribute song to his mother Let it Be. Only One is a tribute to Kanye's daughter, North, and is sung as a message to Kanye from the perspective of his late mother, Donda West. Only One is one of those tracks that proves Kanye’s musical genius and that he can compose beautiful songs.
Twenty One Pilots - House of Gold
Let’s end this article with an upbeat positive ukulele-driven song. Twenty One Pilots is the hottest band right now. The band’s leader Tyler Joseph once said “Bother my mom and she’ll cut you”. Tyler writes the song as an ode to his favorite woman in his life, singing “I will make you queen of everything you see. I’ll put you in a map, I’ll cure you of disease”.