Every now and then, one of the biggest radio hits almost ends up belonging to another artist.
When Three Dog Night released "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" in 1970, the song became the band's first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and one of the defining rock singles of the era.
But, years before it topped the charts, songwriter Randy Newman had written it with another artist in mind: Eric Burdon of The Animals. Burdon recorded the first version in 1966, though it wasn’t released as a single after plans for an early release were shelved. It later appeared on the 1967 album Eric Is Here.
Four years later, Three Dog Night gave the song an entirely new identity.
Built around Cory Wells' energetic lead vocal, a driving groove and a distinctive electric piano sound, the band's version transformed Newman's wry tale of an overwhelmed young man at a wild party into a radio-ready rock anthem. Released as the lead single from It Ain't Easy, it spent two weeks at No. 1 in July 1970 and became one of the year’s biggest hits.
The success also introduced many listeners to Randy Newman's songwriting long before he became a household name as a recording artist and film composer. At the time, Newman was better known for writing songs that other artists turned into hits, and "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" became one of the earliest examples of his storytelling connecting with a mainstream audience.
"I called [music publisher] Chuck [Kaye] and he sent me to another A&R guy who played for me some Randy Newman stuff from his first album that didn't get played," band co-founder Chuck Negron told Riveting Riffs. "I was like 'whoa, this is unbelievable' and I brought it [to the band] and Cory said 'I know him, I have a record. He wrote a record for The Animals that I think is great.'"
"I talked to the guys about this,” co-founder Danny Hutton told Mix Online. "I don’t remember when I first heard 'Mama,' but Cory says that he tried to get us to record it for three albums before he was able to wear us down! Randy's publishing company used to send us a lot of demos, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t bowled over when I heard the song for the first time. When we fleshed it out in rehearsal, it started to come together, but besides Cory, the rest of us remained lukewarm until we actually got down to tracking it. By the time we’d finished making the record, though, we knew we had something special."
For Three Dog Night, the song marked a major turning point. The group would go on to become one of the most successful hitmakers of the early 1970s, scoring classics including "Joy to the World," "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "Black and White" and "Never Been to Spain." Yet, "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" remains one of the songs most closely associated with the band.
More than 50 years later, the song still stands as one of rock's most memorable cover versions. What began as a Randy Newman composition intended for Eric Burdon ultimately became the breakthrough hit that helped define Three Dog Night's remarkable career.
Related: 1976 No. 1 Hit, Originally Rejected by Rock Icon, Remains a Classic 50 Years Later
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