Why The Beatles’ ‘Lady Madonna’ Is the Best Mother’s Day Song
Almost none of The Beatles‘ songs are directly about holidays. Despite this, The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” is perfect for Mother’s Day. Paul McCartney revealed the song was inspired by the Virgin Mary, as well as his personal feelings about mothers.
The Beatles’ ‘Lady Madonna’ is the greatest Mother’s Day song ever
“Mother’s Day” is a ubiquitous holiday, yet there are so few songs about motherhood. Of course, a song about that topic could easily become sentimental and treacly. “Lady Madonna” is a great Beatles song that doesn’t get overly sentimental, though it clearly sympathizes with the plight of working women. The track’s nod to the lyrics of the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” add to its maternal feel.
Beyond that, the song’s groove is tremendous. It might be the best rhythm and blues song the Fab Four ever recorded. That riff would have fit perfectly into the bluesy Let It Be album, even though it came out a few years after “Lady Madonna.” The Beatles also threw in some jocular backing vocals that give the song a playful, upbeat feeling.
Paul McCartney said the Virgin Mary and other mothers inspired the song
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul revealed the song had both religious and feminist elements. “The original concept was the Virgin Mary but it quickly became symbolic of everywoman; the Madonna image but as applied to ordinary working-class woman,” he said. “It’s really a tribute to the mother figure, it’s a tribute to women. ‘Your Mother Should Know’ is another.” Notably, both “Lady Madonna” and “Your Mother Should Know” forgo the band’s progressive songwriting in favor of old-fashioned musical styles.
In addition, Paul discussed his opinion of women. “I think women are very strong, they put up with a lot of s***, they put up with the pain of having a child, of raising it, cooking for it, they are basically skivvies a lot of their lives, so I always want to pay a tribute to them,” he said. “There’s an interesting film director called Alison Anders who did a lot of small-budget films in Los Angeles, who says if you look at my songs there’s a great support for the female and that is what made her able to write feminine characters for her screenplays. And she cites many of them in my songs, more than I even knew.”
How The Beatles’ ‘Lady Madonna’ performed
“Lady Madonna” became a modest hit in the United States. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 11 weeks in total. The tune didn’t initially appear on an album, but it later appeared on the compilation album 1967-1970. That album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for one of its 182 weeks.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Lady Madonna” peaked at No. 1 in the United Kingdom for two weeks, lasting on the chart for eight weeks. The song later reached No. 67 and stayed on the chart for two weeks. Meanwhile, 1967-1970 reached No. 2 in the U.K. and remained on the chart for 131 weeks.
“Lady Madonna” is a superb song and it works well for Mother’s Day.
