12. Mama Told Me Not To Come (Three Dog Night)
This was written by Randy Newman, the son of Academy
Award-winning composer Lionel Newman. It is about a party that left a "bad
taste" in the writer's mouth. The drug scene was fairly new to American
middle-class youth at that time.
This song has the distinction of being the very first #1 hit
on the American Top 40 syndicated radio program. The show, hosted by
Casey Kasem, became popular on AM radio throughout the world until its decline
in the mid-1990s. This beat out The Beatles' "The Long and Winding
Road" (their last hit record before the final breakup) and Elvis Presley's
"The Wonder of You" for top chart honors in early August, 1970.
(Newman's original version was included on his 1970 album 12 Songs. His
version was only 2 minutes 12 seconds, over a minute shorter than Three Dog
Night's version.
Cory Wells was the Three Dog Night band member who pushed to
record this. He was a big fan of the song and played it with his previous band.