| A Song for Mama | |
| Cover: | A Song for Mama Boyz II Men.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Boyz II Men |
| Album: | Evolution and Soul Food (soundtrack) |
| Released: | November 11, 1997 (airplay) November 25, 1997 |
| Recorded: | 1996 |
| Length: | 5:02 (album version) 4:30 (radio version) |
| Label: | Motown |
| Producer: | Babyface |
| Prev Title: | 4 Seasons of Loneliness |
| Prev Year: | 1997 |
| Next Title: | Can't Let Her Go |
| Next Year: | 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 their 11th and last top 10 hit, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also appears on the group's fourth album, Evolution (1997).
Larry Flick 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 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]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Evolution.[2]
all vocals
writer, composer, producer, keyboards and drum programming
piano
bass
guitar
| Chart (1997–1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (SoundScan)[3] | 25 |
| Spain Airplay (Music & Media)[4] | 1 |
| Chart (1998) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 30 | |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[6] | 12 |