"Mama Used to Say" was released in 1981 and reached the UK Singles Chart top 10 in June 1982, where it remained at #7 for two weeks.[3] It was also a Top 40 hit and in the United States, earning Junior a Best Newcomer award from Billboard magazine.[4] The song was ranked at #6 among the top 10 tracks of the year for 1981 by NME.[5]
British singer-songwriter Beverley Knight released "Mama Used to Say" on 27 June 2011[15] as the first single release from her seventh studio album, Soul UK, a tribute to UK soul artists.
Knight said of the song, "I think this was everyone's favourite track at the time and is still played on every 'club classics' radio show in the country. It's still so fresh and just brings a smile whenever I sing it. It was an obvious choice for the album and a no-brainer for the choice of first single."[16]
The music video for "Mama Used to Say" premiered on Knight's YouTube page on 23 May 2011. The video features both performance and behind-the-scenes footage from her April 2011 album launch show at London's Porchester Hall, soundtracked to the album version of the song.[18] The video features cameos by Junior, Jaki Graham, Rod Temperton and Jazzie B.[19]
British comedian and rapper Richard Blackwood (Junior's nephew) sampled "Mama Used to Say" on his debut single "Mama – Who Da Man", which peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.[20][21]
^ abSheffield, Rob (27 September 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 September 2023. ...a London kid catching the world's ear with the effervescent soul electro-zip of "Mama Used to Say