Mame (song)

"Mame"
Single by Bobby Darin
from the album In a Broadway Bag (Mame)
B-side	"Walking In The Shadow Of Love"
Released	1966
Genre	Traditional Pop
Length	2:16
Label	Capitol Records
Songwriter	Jerry Herman
Bobby Darin singles chronology
"The Breaking Point" (1966) "Mame" (1966) "Merci Cherie" (1966)

"Mame"
Single by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
from the album S.R.O.
B-side	"Our Day Will Come"
Genre	Instrumental, Traditional Pop
Length	2:07
Composer	Jerry Herman
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass singles chronology
"Flamingo" (1966) "Mame" (1966) "Wade in the Water" (1967)

"Mame" is a song written and composed by Jerry Herman, it premiered 1966 in the Broadway musical Mame . It has had many cover versions and was a hit for multiple artists. ^{[1] [2]}

Bobby Darin version

Chart performance

Bobby Darin's released "Mame" as a single in early 1966. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 30, 1966. It reached No. 53 on the Hot 100 during a seven-week run on the chart. ^[3] It debuted on the Cashbox, Top 100 Singlss chart on the same date as it did on Billboard, but the single stalled at No. 63 during a six-week run on it. ^[4] and peaked at No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart. ^[5] In another American chart magazine, Cashbox, it peaked at No. 63. ^[6] The single also had success in Canada, quickly reaching No. 18 on CHUM charts, and stalling at No. 50 on the RPM singles chart.

Aftermath

With this new success, in the same year he recorded an album with broadway songs, and it included the song "Mame", as it's seen in the title and cover of the album, "In a Broadway Bag (Mame)". ^[7] It was his best charting song in almost 2 years, the last one being "Millord". Soon after he had an even bigger hit that year, "If I Were a Carpenter".

Cover versions

• The first live performance was on March 27, 1966, by Charles Braswell and All. ^[8]
• Another successful cover version of the song Mame is Louis Armstrong's cover from May 1966. It reached No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 7 on the Easy Listening chart. ^[9] On Cash Box it got No. 60 and stayed on the chart for 5 weeks. ^[10]
• The most successful cover version is a version by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Released as a single it reached No. 19 on the Hot 100 in November 1966 and No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart, ^[11] In Cashbox it reached a peak position of No. 17, staying on the chart for 10 weeks, ^[12] with it also debuting at No. 27 on Record World's newly created Top Non-Rock chart, staying there for a week before dropping out by February 18th of 1967. ^[13] It also peaked at No. 51 in Australia. With the B-side "Our Day Will Come", it was included in their 1966 S.R.O album.
• Jimmy Durante's version appears on his album One of Those Songs . ^[14]
• Eddie Fisher's cover appears on his album People Like You and was included as the B-side of his hit song "Games That Lovers Play". ^[15]
• Frankie Vaughan had a minor comeback with the song "There Must Be a Way" in 1967, with that he recorded more charting UK singles. In 1968 he recorded "Mame" (a longer version), paired with "If I Had My Way", but the single didn't chart. ^[16]

Charts

Bobby Darin - Mame

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	53
US Billboard Easy Listening	3
US Cashbox Top 100 Singles	63
CA CHUM	18
CA RPM	50

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - Mame

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	19
US Billboard Easy Listening	2
US Cashbox Top 100 Singles	17
US Record World Top Non-Rock	27
AUS Top Singles	51

Louis Armstrong - Mame

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	81
US Billboard Easy Listening	7
US Cashbox Top 100 Singles	60

References

1. ""Mame" – original and cover versions". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
2. "Mame (Jerry Herman) - the Guide to Musical Theatre".
3. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 502. ISBN   0898201551.
4. Pat Downey (1994). "Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993". Internet Archive. Libraries Unlimited / Internet Archive. Archived from the original on 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
5. "🎶 Mame (Song by Bobby Darin) – Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
6. Downey, Pat (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 84. ISBN   978-1563081897 . Retrieved 2025-08-03.
7. "Bobby Darin – In A Broadway Bag [Master Release]". Discogs. Archived from the original on 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
8. "Cover versions of Mame written by Jerry Herman | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
9. "🎶 Mame (Song by Louis Armstrong) – Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
10. Downey, Pat (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 10. ISBN   978-1563081897 . Retrieved 2025-08-05.
11. "🎶 Mame (Song by Herb Alpert) – Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
12. Downey, Pat (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 4. ISBN   978-1563081897 . Retrieved 2025-08-05.
13. Record World Top Non-Rock. February 4, 1967 page 22, retrieved September 24, 2025, via worldradiohistory.com
14. "Jackie Barnett Presents Jimmy Durante – "One Of Those Songs" [Master Release]". Discogs. Archived from the original on 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
15. "Eddie Fisher – Games That Lovers Play / Eine Ganze Nacht (7″ single)". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
16. "Frankie Vaughan – Mame". Discogs. Discogs. Archived from the original on 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2025-08-03.