"Mama Used to Say" by Junior

Song#:  0916
Date:  02/13/1982
Debut:  86
Peak:  30
Weeks:  13
Genre:  R&B, Funk



Pop Bits:  Britain was not known for producing R&B stars, so it was a rarity that Norman Giscombe (aka Junior) hit it big with this debut single. It reached #7 in the UK and then crossed the Atlantic to hit #2 on the R&B chart as well as a Top 30 pop appearance. Although it would be his only pop entry in the US, he continued to chart in the UK for several more years.

ReduxReview:  Here's a good funk tune that doesn't get much play anymore. Hearing it now, it kind of sounds like it was an influence on later 80s R&B stars like Bobby Brown. It has a similar vibe to songs like "Don't Be Cruel" and "My Prerogative." Except I like this song better. It also sounds quite advanced sound-wise for 1982. Those keyboard-horn fills were quite popular a couple years later I think. Peaking at #30, I think this was highly underrated.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Junior co-wrote several songs with Phil Lynott, the leader of the UK rock band Thin Lizzy ("The Boys Are Back in Town," #12, 1976). From around 1983 through 1985 the two worked on songs and created demos. Unfortunately, Lynott (dependent on drugs and alcohol) collapsed on Christmas of 1985 and died the following month from pneumonia and heart failure due to sepsis. The demos remain unreleased.

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