| "Mama's Pearl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byThe Jackson 5 | ||||
| from the albumThird Album | ||||
| B-side | "Darling Dear" | |||
| Released | January 7, 1971(U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | July 1970 Hitsville West,Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Corporation:Berry Gordy Alphonzo Mizell Deke Richards Freddie Perren | |||
| Producer(s) | The Corporation | |||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mama's Pearl" was a hit recording forThe Jackson 5 in 1971 and was written byThe Corporation, a songwriting team that had helped the group score four consecutive #1 singles.[2]
"Mama's Pearl" was one of six consecutivetop 5 singles for the group. "Mama's Pearl" went to number two for two weeks on theBillboardHot 100 behind "One Bad Apple" byThe Osmonds.[3] On the soul singles it likewise peaked at number two.[4] Overseas, "Mama's Pearl" peaked at #25 in the UK.
The song, while sung mostly by Michael featured cameo spots from brothers Jermaine and Jackie. According to a Jackson biographer, "Mama's Pearl" was originally called "Guess Who's Making Whoopie (With Your Girlfriend)". Producer Deke Richards reportedly had the lyrics and title changed to preserveMichael Jackson's youthful, innocent image.[5]The demo version has since been released on the 2012 compilation "Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls".
Record World called it "a fast-paced number...that's already on its way to the top."[6]Cash Box said "Tapping their special keg of pop energy, the Jackson 5 roars into the lists once more with a blazing bubbly-soul surger that has already bounded into the top forty in its first week on the market."[7]Billboard called it a "driving swinger with all the potential of another million seller."[8]
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] | 3 |
| U.K. Singles Chart[10] | 25 |
| U.S.Billboard Hot 100[11] | 2 |
| U.S.BillboardBest Selling Soul Singles[12] | 2 |
| Singles onSteeltown Records |
|
|---|---|
| Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969) | |
| ABC (1970) | |
| Third Album (1970) | |
| Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) | |
| Maybe Tomorrow (1971) | |
| Greatest Hits (1971) | |
| Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) | |
| Skywriter (1973) | |
| G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) | |
| Dancing Machine (1974) | |
| Moving Violation (1975) | |
| The Jacksons (1976) | |
| Destiny (1978) | |
| Triumph (1980) | |
| Victory (1984) | |
| 2300 Jackson Street (1989) | |
| Notable collaborations and album tracks | |
