A thread of truth binding us along the human experience thus far is that we all came from a mother.  However, the meaning of mother varies from whatever relationship, or lack thereof, we shared with that maternal figure or surrogate. When I chose to compare Pink Floyd and Danzig’s songs sharing the title, “Mother,” I expected simply to highlight an amusing juxtaposition between two wildy different pieces. Upon closer examination, I found they shared more thematic overlap, exploring the concept of parental control from two perspectives, one by an Englishman raised by a widowed mother, the other by evil Elvis from New Jersey.  

Written by Roger Waters, “Mother” appears on Pink Floyd’s critically acclaimed 1979 concept album, The Wall. This album follows the story of Pink, a fictional protagonist conceived as an amalgamation based loosely on Roger Waters himself and former bandmate Syd Barrett, a jaded rockstar, self-isolating behind a figurative wall built of bricks formed by life traumas. “Mother,” depicts a conversation in dream-like reality, where the focal character seeks guidance by confiding his fears of the outside world and intimacy to his overprotective mother through a series of questions. 

“Mother do you think they’ll drop the bomb?

Mother do you think they’ll like the song?

Mother do you think they’ll try to break my balls?

Ooooh aah, Mother should I build a wall?

These questions are met by her pledging to keep him safe while transparently instilling her own fears of the outside world onto him. Despite the lyrics painting a picture of Pink’s mother enabling his descent into seclusion by helping him build the proverbial WALL, you can’t help but be seduced into a sense of comfort. Listeners are lulled through a sheer empathic reflex from hearing maternal reassurance accentuated by masterful musical accompaniment. 

Originally released in 1988, “Mother” served as the lead single on the eponymously named band, DANZIG, on the album DANZIG, written by heavy metal pioneer and punk god, Glenn fucking Danzig!!! It was thrust into existence, a work of unadulterated perfection. In a 1994 interview with Flux Magazine, Danzig recalled, “I remember calling Rick Rubin in the middle of the night and telling him that I wrote an incredible song—probably the best song I’d ever written. It was the song I always wanted to write. The first time we played it, people went crazy.”

Greatness is not always immediately recognized. It took 6 more years until the full potential of “Mother” was realized, when a remixed version deemed “Mother 93” gained traction on radio rotation and across MTV, leading the song to become Danzig’s highest charting single. 

Lyrically, Danzig forms a criticism of parental censorship by assuming the voice of the perceived evils of the world confronting parents through rhetorical dialogue. It was said to be written in response to the 1985 introduction of Parental Advisory Warnings.

Mother

Tell your children not to walk my way

Tell your children not to hear my words

What they mean

What they say

Mother

Mother

Can you keep them in the dark for life?

Can you hide them from the waiting world?

Oh mother

These two pieces can be interpreted as reciprocals of each other around a shared topic.  Both artists are creating a commentary on parental control while saying the word, “mother,” an absurd amount. Roger Waters’ lyrics approach the theme more poetically through a tone of melancholia and vulnerability, requiring a listener to read deeper into the song to glean its meaning. While revisiting various YouTube videos of the Pink Floyd’s performances, the comments section was split between people relating this song in praise to the relationship with their mom and the other half seemed staggered by the amount of people that seemingly missed the point. Danzig’s work takes the more literal rebellious route, congruent with what you’d expect from a bare chested dude with long hair and mutton chops in black pants and a giant demon belt buckle.

Both songs have attained iconic status in rock history, maintaining relevance through the decades as the topic of political and parental censorship ever looms. As long as there are potential evils in the world, there will be parents trying to protect their youth from them. Covering their eyes won’t make the things you fear go away but deprives them of experiences needed to face the harshness of the waiting world.  

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