Mama Said (Metallica song)

"Mama Said" is a country rock ballad by American heavy metal band Metallica from their sixth album, Load, with music and lyrics by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

"Mama Said"
Single by Metallica
from the album Load
B-side	"King Nothing" (live)/"Whiplash" (live)/"Mama Said" (edit) "So What?" (live)/"Creeping Death" (live)/"Mama Said" (early demo version)
Released	November 25, 1996[1]
Studio	The Plant (Sausalito, California)
Genre	Country rock[2] outlaw country[3] Southern rock[4]
Length	5:20
Label	Elektra
Composer(s)	James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Lyricist(s)	James Hetfield
Producer(s)	Bob Rock James Hetfield Lars Ulrich
Metallica singles chronology
"Hero of the Day" (1996) "Mama Said" (1996) "King Nothing" (1997)
Music video
"Mama Said" on YouTube

Music video

The music video for the song features James Hetfield sitting in the backseat of a car while playing the song on an acoustic guitar. The vehicle appears to be driving along a Southwestern highway, and at one point the other members of Metallica are seen outside looking into the window as it passes by. As the song comes to an end, the view pulls back to reveal that Hetfield has been sitting in a stationary backseat inside a studio (probably what was used to film the vehicle scenes and only to make an appearance at end as there are brief appearances of what would be the front seat and windscreen while driving from the driver and passenger's perspective). He then walks over to a horse, takes its bridle, and walks off screen. It was filmed in November 1996 in London, England and directed by Anton Corbijn.

Track listing

International single part 1

1. "Mama Said" - 5:19
2. "King Nothing (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 6:50
3. "Whiplash (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 4:52
4. "Mama Said (Edit)" - 4:34

International single part 2

1. "Mama Said" - 5:19
2. "So What (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 3:00
3. "Creeping Death (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 7:15
4. "Mama Said (Early Demo Version)" - 6:52

International 7" vinyl single

1. "Mama Said" - 5:19
2. "Ain't My Bitch (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 5:59

Australian maxi single

1. "Mama Said (Edit)" - 4:34
2. "Mama Said (Early Demo Version)" - 6:52

UK promo single

1. "Mama Said (Edit)" - 4:43
2. "Mama Said" - 5:19

Japanese EP

1. "Mama Said (Edit)" - 4:42
2. "So What (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 2:58
3. "Creeping Death (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 7:14
4. "King Nothing (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 6:51
5. "Whiplash (Live - Irvine Meadows, California 4 August 1996)" - 6:01
6. "Mama Said (Early Demo Version)" - 6:53

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Mama Said"

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[5]	4
Ireland (IRMA)[6]	19
Norway (VG-lista)[7]	13
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8]	24
UK Singles (OCC)[9]	19
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[10]	1

Certifications

Certifications for "Mama Said"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	Gold	35,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Mama Said". Release date. Metallica.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
2. "The 25 best country rock songs of all time". Classic Rock. August 5, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
3. "Every Metallica Song Ranked". Loudwire. October 14, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
4. "The Top 10 best albums of 1996". Metal Hammer. July 28, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
5. "Metallica: Mama Said" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mama Said". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
7. "Metallica – Mama Said". VG-lista. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
8. "Metallica – Mama Said". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
10. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 16, 2024.