Mama Kin

"Mama Kin" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, which appeared on its debut self-titled album. The song was written by lead singer Steven Tyler. The song made It to #75 on The Billboard Hot 100.

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Contents
[hide]*1 Lyrical interpretation
 * 2 Song structure
 * 3 Legacy
 * 4 Noteworthy references to the song
 * 5 Guns N' Roses version
 * 6 "Mama Kin" in other media
 * 7 References
 * }

edit] Lyrical interpretation
It's likely that the song's message is about keeping in touch with your family ("Keep in touch with Mama Kin, tell her where you gone and been") no matter how busy your life may be ("sleeping late and smokin' tea"). It's also been said that "Mama Kin" is Steven Tyler's idea of a spiritual force that drives creativity and pleasure. "Keep in touch with Mama Kin" means remembering the desires that drive you to excel.[1] Although, in the seventies, the phrase 'Smoking Tea', meant to smoke t Horse tranquilizer

edit] Song structure
The song comprises a basic guitar riff, with a strong rhythm backbeat which comes in between lyrics in the verse and throughout the bridge. There are also saxophones interspersed throughout the song.

edit] Legacy
The song has also been a live staple of Aerosmith concerts throughout the band's career (including up to their most recent tour in 2009). Live versions of the song appeared on Live! Bootleg, Classics Live, and A Little South of Sanity.

The song has also appeared on several Aerosmith compilations including Gems (1988), Pandora's Box (1991), Pandora's Toys (1995), O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002), Greatest Hits 1973–1988 (2004), and "Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith" (2006).

edit] Noteworthy references to the song

 * In the early 1990s, the band opened up a music club called the Mama Kin Music Hall in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts - the club has since closed.
 * Steven Tyler has a tattoo on his arm with the phrase "Ma' Kin." He got it when the band was writing its first album because he had so much confidence in the song. Tyler and Perry have both said that his arm was too thin to fit the whole title.
 * Shinedown references to "smokin' tea with Mama Kin" in their song "Cry for Help" on the Sound of Madness album

edit] Guns N' Roses version
The song was covered by Guns N' Roses in 1986 and released in the same year in their EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide. It was later re-released on their 1988 EP G N' R Lies. There's also a live bootleg version of Guns N' Roses performing the song along with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry.

edit] "Mama Kin" in other media
Mama Kin is featured as a re-recorded track on the video game, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and some of the lyrics have been changed so the game can remain T rated by the ESRB. Mentioned in song "Cry for help" by USA band Shinedown.