Ma Baker

Ma Baker
Boney M.
publication	May 2, 1977
length	4:10
Genre (s)	Pop , disco
Author (s)	Frank Farian , Fred Jay , Günter Reyam
Label	Hansa International
album	Love for sale

Ma Baker is a pop song by the German disco group Boney M. from 1977. Along with Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon, it was one of the band's greatest international hits and reached number one in the charts in numerous countries including Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the single rose to number two in the UK charts. It was awarded a gold record in Germany and Great Britain .

Text and music

For the story they used the story of Kate "Ma" Barker and her sons, a legendary gangster from Chicago in the 1930s. She is portrayed in the song as the gang leader who became the most wanted criminal in the United States . It's based on the true story of Ma Barker and her son Fred killed in a shooting by the FBI in 1935 .

The song begins with a monologue by Ma Baker during a robbery:

"Freeze, I'm Ma Baker, put your hands in the air,
Gimme all your money"

“Stop, I'm Ma Baker, put your hands in the air. Give me all your money "

Then the melody of the song begins with a short introduction by the male singer: “This is the story of Ma Baker, the meanest cat from old Chicago town.” (“This is the story of Ma Baker, the meanest cat from the old one.” City of Chicago. ”) The actual verses are sung in alternating chants by the two singers of the band and describe the origins and development of Ma Baker as the most feared and most wanted criminal in the USA.

Boney M, 1981

The refrain begins with a stuttered "Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma" of the male vocal voice, which then alternates with the lines of the refrain sung by the female voices:

"Ma Ma Ma Ma
Ma Baker, She taught her four sons
Ma Ma Ma Ma
Ma Baker, to handle their guns
Ma Ma Ma Ma
Ma Baker, she never could cry
Ma Ma Ma Ma
Ma Baker, but she knew how to die"

Linda Blake plays Ma Baker and her husband Bill Swisher plays the radio announcer sequence in the song. Swisher was an American friend of Frank Farian who was stationed as a soldier in Germany at the time of admission; he later took part in the song Rasputin . Both were not named as contributors to the single.

Background and publication

The song Ma Baker was written by Frank Farian, Fred Jay and Günter Reyam . As a basis for the melody, Farian used the Tunisian folk song Sidi Mansour , which was shortly before popular as a pop version of Mohammed Hanesh in his home country and which Farian's assistant Hans-Jörg Mayer discovered on a vacation trip. The song was rewritten to a disco song and thus formed the basis for Ma Baker .

The single was released by the record company Hansa International with a cover version of the Yardbirds song Still I'm Sad on the B-side. The song also appeared on the album Love for Sale , which Hansa released at the same time as the single.

Feedback and reception

Chart positions and awards

The recording entered the German single charts on May 16 of that year and was able to work its way up to number one . It stayed on the charts for 28 weeks. In Austria and Switzerland , the single hit the charts on June 15 and May 28, respectively, and also rose to the top position here. In other European countries it also reached the top position in the charts, for example in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Norway. In the British singles charts it rose to number two behind Donna Summers I Feel Love , and in the American charts it reached position 96.

Chart placements Charts Top ranking Weeks Chart placements  Germany (GfK) 1 (28 weeks) 28  Austria (Ö3) 1 (24 weeks) 24  Switzerland (IFPI) 1 (18 weeks) 18th  United Kingdom (OCC) 2 (13 weeks) 13th  United States (Billboard) 96 (3 weeks) 3

Annual charts Charts (1977) placement Annual charts (1977)  Germany (GfK) 2  Austria (Ö3) 3  Switzerland (IFPI) 7th

The single was awarded a gold record both in Germany with sales of more than 250,000 units and in Great Britain with sales of more than 500,000 units . For France, sales figures of more than 700,000 units are also given, meaning that the single was sold at least 1.45 million times in these countries alone.

Cover versions

Ma Baker has been covered by numerous musicians. The first cover versions appeared in the same year by well-known dance orchestras such as those of Max Greger and Hugo Strasser or in a version on the Hammond organ by Klaus Wunderlich and other instrumental dance adaptations. There were also several satirical implementations such as Adam and the Micky’s or Knorkator .

Some newer covers were made in the style of techno music, such as the version of Boney M. vs. Sash! / Horny United, or as a Death Metal version of Milking the Goatmachine . The chorus part Ma-Ma-Ma was also a sample in the single Poker Face by Lady Gaga used.

The bands and performers who released the song in a cover version include:

• 1977: Bingos - Ma Baker (Swedish)
• 1977: Cliff Carpenter and his orchestra - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Hugo Strasser and his orchestra - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Max Greger - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Günter Noris - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Helmut Zacharias - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Orchestra Roy Robbins - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Ted Weber - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1977: Klaus Wunderlich - Ma Baker / Oh, Susi (the censored song) / Tarzan is back (instrumental; medley)
• 1977: The Hiltonaires - Ma Baker (Instrumental)
• 1977: Ambros Seelos Show Band - Ma Baker / One Drink Too Many / Waiting For The Sun (Instrumental; Medley)
• 1977: Leni - Maan vaiva (Finnish)
• 1978: Adam and Micky’s - Fraa Becker (German)
• 1978: Arthur Mullard & Hylda Baker - Ma Baker
• 1978: Jean-Claude Borelly - Ma Baker (instrumental)
• 1978: Blonde on Blonde - Ma Baker
• 1978: Orchestra Kai Warner - Ma Baker / Magic Fly / Belfast (instrumental; medley)
• 1988: Milli Vanilli - Ma Baker
• 1994: Stars on 45 - Star Wars And Other Hits (Medley)
• 1999: Boney M. vs. Sash! / Horny United - Ma Baker
• 2003: Knorkator - Ma Baker
• 2007: Axxis - Ma Baker
• 2008: Daddy Cool Kids - Ma Baker
• 2009: Glamrock Brothers - Ma Baker
• 2014: Milking the Goatmachine - Ma Baker

supporting documents

1. ↑ ^{a b} Ma Baker by Boney M. on songfacts.com; accessed on November 16, 2020.
2. ↑ Boney M .: Where did the sunshine hits originally come from? on 70s-disco.de; accessed on November 16, 2020.
3. ↑ Boney M. - Ma Baker at Discogs ; accessed on November 15, 2020.
4. ^ Boney M. - Love for Sale at Discogs ; accessed on November 15, 2020.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Boney M .-- Ma Baker. officialcharts.de, accessed on November 15, 2020 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b} Boney M .-- Ma Baker. austriancharts.at, accessed on November 15, 2020 . 
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Boney M .-- Ma Baker. hitparade.ch , accessed on November 15, 2020 . 
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Boney M .-- Ma Baker. chartsurfer.de, accessed on November 15, 2020 . 
9. ↑ Top 100 annual singles charts 1977. GfK Entertainment , accessed on December 31, 2020 . 
10. ^ Annual hit parade Singles 1977. Ö3 Austria Top 40 , accessed on December 31, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Swiss hit parade of the year 1977. Swiss hit parade , accessed on December 13, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Gold & Platinum Germany. musikindustrie.de , accessed on December 31, 2020 . 
13. ↑ Award - Ma Baker - bpi. British Phonographic Industry , accessed December 31, 2020 . 
14. ↑ InfoDisc: Les 45 T. / Singles les plus vendus en France ( Memento from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
15. ↑ ^{a b} Boney M. - Ma Baker , cover versions on cover.info; accessed on November 15, 2020.

Web links

• Boney M. - Ma Baker at Discogs