Mama Kin Explained

Mama Kin
Cover:Mama Kin label.jpg
Caption:Label to Japanese single
Type:single
A-Side:Dream On
Artist:Aerosmith
Album:Aerosmith
Released:January 5, 1973
Recorded:1972
Genre:Hard rock
Length:4:26
Label:Columbia
Producer:Adrian Barber

"Mama Kin" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, which appears on their 1973 self-titled debut album. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler. It was a staple of Aerosmith concerts and appeared on several live albums.[1]

Music and lyrics

The song comprises a basic guitar riff, with a strong rhythm backbeat which comes in between lyrics in the verse and throughout the bridge. There are also saxophones interspersed throughout the song.

Aerosmith biographer Richard Bienstock described "Mama Kin" as an "uptempo barn-burner with a distinct glam flavor."[2] Music historian Andrew Grant Jackson claimed that the "hyped-up pace" of the song reflected Aerosmith's "anxious youth."[3]

Jackson described the song as "the first of Tyler's many installments about a poor gypsy's battle to find peace of mind in the face of grueling obstacles like groupies and pot, hoping he won't have to go back on the wagon and work for his dad."[3]

The lyrics “Bald as an egg at 18, and working for your daddy’s a drag” were a reference to Aerosmith's road manager Mark Lehman.[4]

Reception

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Chad Childers rated "Mama Kin" as Aerosmith's 7th best song of the 1970s.[5] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci said that unlike most of the songs on the album, "Mama Kin" is "bursting with train-kept-a-rollin' locomotive action, even if it "sounds tentative at times, not sure if it should take that next step, and the rhythm's start-stop progression kinda breaks the flow. Gallucci also said that "Perry's guitar brims with confidence, slashing at the empty spaces like its very existence depended on it."[6]

Aerosmith biographer Martin Huxley called "Mama Kin" an "acknowledged classic", saying that it "encapsulated all the best qualities of the band's early rhythm 'n' roll approach, with soulful accents from sessionman David Woodford's sax."[7]

Legacy

A concert version of the song helped the band land their first recording contract with Columbia Records.[8] The song has also been a live staple of Aerosmith concerts throughout the band's career. Live versions of the song appeared on Live! Bootleg, Classics Live, A Little South of Sanity and The Road Starts Hear.

The song has also appeared on several Aerosmith compilations including Gems (1988), Pandora's Box (1991), Pandora's Toys (1995), O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002), Greatest Hits 1973–1988 (2004), and Devil's Got a New Disguise (2006).

Noteworthy references to the song

Guns N' Roses and Buckcherry versions

The song was covered by Guns N' Roses in 1986 and released in the same year on their EP album Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide.[7] It was later re-released on their second studio album G N' R Lies in 1988. There's also a live version of Guns N' Roses performing the song along with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. This was from Guns N' Roses live from Paris pay per view special.[14]

Buckcherry also covered the song, which appeared as a bonus track on their 2014 EP Fuck. It is the only song on that album that does not use the word "fuck" in the song or have "fuck" as part of the title.[15]

"Mama Kin" in other media

"Mama Kin" is featured as a re-recorded track on the video game .[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gallucci. Michael. February 24, 2015. Watch Aerosmith Rock Donington With 'Mama Kin': Exclusive Premiere. 17 August 2015. Ultimate Classic Rock.
  2. Book: 30, 44. Aerosmith: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Bad Boys from Boston. Bienstock, Richard. 2020. Quarto. 9780760369357.
  3. Book: 1973: Rock at the Crossroads. Jackson, Andrew Grant. 2019. St. Martin's. 9781250299994.
  4. Web site: 5 Interesting Facts About Aerosmith's 'Mama Kin'. July 19, 2021 . 2022-05-23. Society of Rock.
  5. Web site: Top 10 Aerosmith Songs of the '70s. Childers, Chad. 2023-01-13. Ultimate Classic Rock. September 10, 2012.
  6. Web site: Top 10 Joe Perry Aerosmith Riffs. Gallucci, Michael. 2023-01-13. Ultimate Classic Rock. September 10, 2014.
  7. Book: Aerosmith: The Fall and the Rise of Rock's Greatest Band. Huxley, Martin. 1995. St. Martin's Press. 9780312117375.
  8. Web site: The 20 Songs That Can Represent The Career Of Aerosmith. July 8, 2020 . Society of Rock. 2022-05-23.
  9. News: December 20, 1994. Aerosmith Opens Lansdowne Street Music Hall. Boston Globe.
  10. Web site: MTV News Staff. 8 January 1999. Aerosmith Dissolve Club Partnership. https://web.archive.org/web/20200731152001/http://www.mtv.com/news/511035/aerosmith-dissolve-club-partnership/. dead. July 31, 2020. 2020-07-31. MTV News. en.
  11. Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Aerosmith Songs of All Time: 7. 'Mama Kin'. 17 August 2015. Rolling Stone. November 7, 2012 .
  12. Book: Putterford, Mark. The fall and rise of Aerosmith. 1993. Omnibus Press. 0-7119-2303-5. London. 24848097.
  13. Web site: Mitchell. Ben. August 13, 2018. Aerosmith interview: the truth about the chaos, the coke, and the cleaning up. 2020-07-31. Classic Rock Magazine. en.
  14. Greene. Andy. 2014-03-25. Guns N' Roses Jam With Aerosmith In 1992. 2020-07-31. Rolling Stone. en-US.
  15. Web site: Clarke. Gary. 2014-08-27. Buckcherry – F**k E.P.. 2020-07-31. Screamer Magazine. en-US.
  16. Hochberg. Bill. 2008-08-02. Guitar Hero, Rock Band and the Rock 'n' Roll Money Machine. Wired. 2020-07-31. 1059-1028.