Written in 1940, music by Cesare Andrea Bixio, lyrics by Bixio himself and Bruno Cherubini. In 1941, a film, directed by Guido Brignone, starring Beniamino Gigli, in the role of a famous tenor who returns from the States with his American wife, just in time the meet his old mother (starring Emma Grammatica), who can finally die in peace. It well represented the American dream of the Italian immigrants, and the nostalgia for the homeland, and their mother at home, alone.Mamma became a hit song in the States in the voice of Italian-American Connie Francis (aka Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, born in Newark, 12 December 1938). An event clearly points out this emotional power of the song: one day, while Connie Francis was performing in Las Vegas, sitting in the front row with her musicians was Elvis Presley, who suddenly broke into tears - he had recently lost his mother - and fled leaving the room. Then he sent two dozen red roses to Francis to apologize.
One of the most "Italian" songs, celebrating an identity built on the mother figure, Mamma became an international, "global" hymn in all languages, "Mom", "Mutter", "Mama", "Maman"... emotional, maybe for the explosion of the music at the refrain, maybe because this "magical" name touches the secret chords in every heart.
Among the most famous interpreters of the song were tenor Beniamino Gigli, Claudio Villa, Andrea Bocelli, and Luciano Pavarotti, who recorded an album all devoted to Bixio's songs. In the videos below, a remastered version from a movie with Beniamino Gigli, and Luciano Pavarotti's unforgettable performance at Budapest.
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