This Sunday (May 10) marks the return of Mother's Day. (And yeah, you're welcome for the reminder you disorganized ingrates!) Whether or not you view it as an important annual celebration or just another cash grab from Big Greeting Card, there's certainly nothing wrong with taking some moments to appreciate our mothers.
As such, we decided to reach out to some of our favourite Canadian musicians to find out their moms' favourite songs. The results were hilarious, touching and often very danceable.
Look for contributions from the mothers of Mac DeMarco, Alex Calder, Steve Adamyk, Rose Melberg, Young Braised, Samantha Savage Smith and Charlotte Day Wilson, along with members of Fucked Up, White Lung, PS I Love You, Energy Slime and DIANA.
Janine Adamyk (mother of Steve Adamyk):
When asked why she chose "A Beautiful Morning," Janine told her son, "It's a great, uplifting song with hooks. Your father plays it for me around the house when I need a pick me up."
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Jennifer Bowman (mother of Jaymes Bowman a.k.a. Young Braised):
Jaymes Bowman remembers his mother with the following story:
"I don't really know if my mom had one favourite song. I know she was forced to throw away her Grease soundtrack on vinyl as a child (a trauma she avenged years later when I was forced to break my secular rap CDs with a hammer), but in the hopes of diversifying this list a bit, as well as honouring her musical taste from when I knew her, I must opt for some classic Christian Contemporary. It was this tape by S.C. Chapman that I remember hearing most in our Dodge Spirit, and this song in particular that got my foster brother (whom my mother loved and eventually taught to speak) singing along in the back seat; 'Whatever.'"
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Colleen Calder (mother of Alex Calder):
Alex Calder explains that his mom's favourite music is the album Fancy Footwork by Chromeo. "I have no idea why, but she runs a consignment clothing store in Edmonton (formerly called Robes and Relics) that I used to work at and she would put that album on so loud in the store and dance. I initially bought the album but she took it over quickly…. It's extremely out of character for her to like something like that, too, coming from just being like a Neil Young fan."
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Donna Clarke (mother of White Lung's Kenneth William):
When asked about her favourite song, Donna Clarke told her son, "I love classical music, as you know."
Lorna Day (mother of the Wayo's Charlotte Day Wilson):
Lorna Day, an urban planner, tells her daughter that her favourite song is "Love Shack" by the B52s. "I LOVE dancing to that song," she told her daughter. "It's the B52s!"
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Agnes DeMarco (mother of Mac DeMarco):
Thanks to her son's ballooning fame, Agnes DeMarco has become a bit of an online celebrity by proxy. She regularly talks to fans on Twitter and, earlier this year, she served as MC at Australia's Laneway Festival, where her son also performed.
An extremely proud parent, she's sure to tell us her favourite Mac DeMarco song. "My favourite song by my son is 'Blue Boy,'" she writes. "The first time I heard it made me cry it reached right through my heart and I think that's why his fans love him because he reaches places that everybody lives."
As for her favourite song of all time, she says, "I have so many…. 'I Shall Be Released' from the Big Pink album by the Band is right up there and so is 'My Heart Is Like a Wheel' by Paul McCartney so is 'True Colors' by Cyndi Lauper. I could go on forever, I don't know. It goes way back from Gram Parsons right up to the Murlocs' 'Control Freak' and Kate Bush's 'Wow! Unbelievable!' I think I have one million favourites."
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Kathy Elzey (mother of Tiger Trap/the Softies/Knife Pleats member Rose Melberg):
Kathy Elzey chose "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, saying, "That song made me feel every emotion as a 15 year old and at that point I had MY music."
Rose Melberg tells us her mom was "a HUGE Beatle maniac when she was a teen. She even made it into the newspaper when she and a bunch of her friends waited all day to be first in line when A Hard Day's Night premiered in Sacramento when she was 15." You'll see Elzey, then Kathy Thomas, in the newspaper clipping below. She's the one holding the book.
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Lorna McLean (mother of Energy Slime/Jay Arner band member Jessica Delisle):
Jessica Delisle predicted that her mom would pick a Moody Blues song, and she was correct. "It's like an anthem about the Earth and why we should pay attention to what's going on with it," McLean says. Delisle sent the quote to Exclaim! with a brief disclaimer: "She sounds wayyyy more cosmic in that quote than she actually is."
Debbie Saulnier (mother of PS I Love You's Paul Saulnier):
Paul Saulnier says, "My mom's name is Debbie. Her favourite song is 'Let it Be' by the Beatles. When I asked her what her favourite song is she tried to tell me it was one of my songs. My mom is extremely nice."
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Dawn Savage (mother of Samantha Savage Smith):
Samantha Savage Smith's mother Dawn chose Otis Redding's laid-back classic, saying, "When things are bad, I hum it and remember what my Dad would say, when I felt pressured and confused, 'Sometimes, sweetheart, you just have wait it out, choose to do nothing, and that's okay.' Whenever I hear or think about that song, I think of my Dad... and yes it makes me smile."
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Diana Vazquez (mother of DIANA's Carmen Elle):
Diana Vazquez says she enjoys Annie Lennox because, "I think she's honest and allows herself to be vulnerable and this song reflects that... and those are things I value in all forms of expression."
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Jacqui Warden (mother of Fucked Up/No Warning/Young Guv member Ben Cook):
Jacqui's first choice was "I Only Smoke When I Drink" by Small Town Pistols, and she said, "I like songs about trucks, back half acres and country boys." She quickly changed her mind, however, deciding that Style Council's "Speak Like a Child" was her favourite song, "because it makes me feel like dancing." She also told Cook, "At my funeral just play everything on my iPad."
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Renee Way (mother of White Lung's Mish Way):
Mish Way's mother Renee writes, "Probably 'Tupelo Honey' by Van Morrison because it always makes me feel nostalgic about a time in my life when I was coming of age, learning so much about myself and the world, happy, sad, confused, testing new ground and of course it's the special name of my favourite horse who taught me so much about kindness, patience and love, that hopefully made me a better parent. How's that for a mouthful? I love that whole album, especially the cover."
As such, we decided to reach out to some of our favourite Canadian musicians to find out their moms' favourite songs. The results were hilarious, touching and often very danceable.
Look for contributions from the mothers of Mac DeMarco, Alex Calder, Steve Adamyk, Rose Melberg, Young Braised, Samantha Savage Smith and Charlotte Day Wilson, along with members of Fucked Up, White Lung, PS I Love You, Energy Slime and DIANA.
Janine Adamyk (mother of Steve Adamyk):
When asked why she chose "A Beautiful Morning," Janine told her son, "It's a great, uplifting song with hooks. Your father plays it for me around the house when I need a pick me up."
---------------
Jennifer Bowman (mother of Jaymes Bowman a.k.a. Young Braised):
Jaymes Bowman remembers his mother with the following story:
"I don't really know if my mom had one favourite song. I know she was forced to throw away her Grease soundtrack on vinyl as a child (a trauma she avenged years later when I was forced to break my secular rap CDs with a hammer), but in the hopes of diversifying this list a bit, as well as honouring her musical taste from when I knew her, I must opt for some classic Christian Contemporary. It was this tape by S.C. Chapman that I remember hearing most in our Dodge Spirit, and this song in particular that got my foster brother (whom my mother loved and eventually taught to speak) singing along in the back seat; 'Whatever.'"
Colleen Calder (mother of Alex Calder):
Alex Calder explains that his mom's favourite music is the album Fancy Footwork by Chromeo. "I have no idea why, but she runs a consignment clothing store in Edmonton (formerly called Robes and Relics) that I used to work at and she would put that album on so loud in the store and dance. I initially bought the album but she took it over quickly…. It's extremely out of character for her to like something like that, too, coming from just being like a Neil Young fan."
Donna Clarke (mother of White Lung's Kenneth William):
When asked about her favourite song, Donna Clarke told her son, "I love classical music, as you know."
Lorna Day (mother of the Wayo's Charlotte Day Wilson):
Lorna Day, an urban planner, tells her daughter that her favourite song is "Love Shack" by the B52s. "I LOVE dancing to that song," she told her daughter. "It's the B52s!"
Agnes DeMarco (mother of Mac DeMarco):
Thanks to her son's ballooning fame, Agnes DeMarco has become a bit of an online celebrity by proxy. She regularly talks to fans on Twitter and, earlier this year, she served as MC at Australia's Laneway Festival, where her son also performed.
An extremely proud parent, she's sure to tell us her favourite Mac DeMarco song. "My favourite song by my son is 'Blue Boy,'" she writes. "The first time I heard it made me cry it reached right through my heart and I think that's why his fans love him because he reaches places that everybody lives."
As for her favourite song of all time, she says, "I have so many…. 'I Shall Be Released' from the Big Pink album by the Band is right up there and so is 'My Heart Is Like a Wheel' by Paul McCartney so is 'True Colors' by Cyndi Lauper. I could go on forever, I don't know. It goes way back from Gram Parsons right up to the Murlocs' 'Control Freak' and Kate Bush's 'Wow! Unbelievable!' I think I have one million favourites."
Kathy Elzey (mother of Tiger Trap/the Softies/Knife Pleats member Rose Melberg):
Kathy Elzey chose "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles, saying, "That song made me feel every emotion as a 15 year old and at that point I had MY music."
Rose Melberg tells us her mom was "a HUGE Beatle maniac when she was a teen. She even made it into the newspaper when she and a bunch of her friends waited all day to be first in line when A Hard Day's Night premiered in Sacramento when she was 15." You'll see Elzey, then Kathy Thomas, in the newspaper clipping below. She's the one holding the book.
Lorna McLean (mother of Energy Slime/Jay Arner band member Jessica Delisle):
Jessica Delisle predicted that her mom would pick a Moody Blues song, and she was correct. "It's like an anthem about the Earth and why we should pay attention to what's going on with it," McLean says. Delisle sent the quote to Exclaim! with a brief disclaimer: "She sounds wayyyy more cosmic in that quote than she actually is."
Debbie Saulnier (mother of PS I Love You's Paul Saulnier):
Paul Saulnier says, "My mom's name is Debbie. Her favourite song is 'Let it Be' by the Beatles. When I asked her what her favourite song is she tried to tell me it was one of my songs. My mom is extremely nice."
Dawn Savage (mother of Samantha Savage Smith):
Samantha Savage Smith's mother Dawn chose Otis Redding's laid-back classic, saying, "When things are bad, I hum it and remember what my Dad would say, when I felt pressured and confused, 'Sometimes, sweetheart, you just have wait it out, choose to do nothing, and that's okay.' Whenever I hear or think about that song, I think of my Dad... and yes it makes me smile."
Diana Vazquez (mother of DIANA's Carmen Elle):
Diana Vazquez says she enjoys Annie Lennox because, "I think she's honest and allows herself to be vulnerable and this song reflects that... and those are things I value in all forms of expression."
Jacqui's first choice was "I Only Smoke When I Drink" by Small Town Pistols, and she said, "I like songs about trucks, back half acres and country boys." She quickly changed her mind, however, deciding that Style Council's "Speak Like a Child" was her favourite song, "because it makes me feel like dancing." She also told Cook, "At my funeral just play everything on my iPad."
Mish Way's mother Renee writes, "Probably 'Tupelo Honey' by Van Morrison because it always makes me feel nostalgic about a time in my life when I was coming of age, learning so much about myself and the world, happy, sad, confused, testing new ground and of course it's the special name of my favourite horse who taught me so much about kindness, patience and love, that hopefully made me a better parent. How's that for a mouthful? I love that whole album, especially the cover."
