"Mama Told Me Not to Come", also written as "Mama Told Me ", is a song by American singer-songwriterRandy Newman written for Eric Burdon's first solo album in 1966. Three Dog Night's 1970 cover topped the US pop singles chart. Tom Jones and the Stereophonics' version also hit No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.
Newman original and first recordings
Newman says that the song was inspired by his own lighthearted reflection on the Los Angelesmusic scene of the late 1960s. As with most Newman songs, he assumes a character; in this song the narrator is a sheltered and extraordinarily straitlaced young man, who recounts what is presumably his first "wild" party in the big city, is shocked and appalled by marijuana smoking, whiskey drinking, and loud music, and — in the chorus of the song — recalls that his "Mama told not to come". The first recording of "Mama Told Me Not to Come" was cut by Eric Burdon & The Animals. A scheduled single-release of September 1966 was withdrawn, but the song was eventually included on their 1967 album Eric Is Here. Newman's own turn at his song was released on the 1970 album 12 Songs, and was characterized by Newman's mid-tempo piano accompaniment, as well as Ry Cooder's slide guitar part, both of which give the song the feel of a bluesy Ray Charles-style rhythm and blues number.
The recording of the song by Tom Jones and Stereophonics was released as a single in March 2000 and reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 7 in Iceland, No. 11 in Ireland and No. 45 in New Zealand. This version was produced by Steve Bush and Marshall Bird. Singer Kelly Jones shared in the vocals with Jones. The video featured an appearance by Welsh actor Rhys Ifans.
Three Dog Night's version would later appear in Terry Gilliam's 1998 movie adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's 1972 gonzo novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Due to the song's upbeat, paranoid mood, it was used for the scene of obsessively drug-using protagonists Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo escaping a "District Attorneys convention on narcotics and dangerous drugs". It also appears as the last song in the movie's G-rated trailer, mainly accompanying Duke's wild car ride to have Dr. Gonzo catch a plane in time, a scene where in the R-rated trailer and in the actual film, Viva Las Vegas by Dead Kennedys was used instead. It was also used in the 1997 films GI Jane and Boogie Nights, in the 2002 film The Sweetest Thing, when Cameron Diaz is walking up the street, and in the 2015 film Joy where it was performed by cast members in a scene set in a music class.
