Odessa Mama (song)
Encyclopedia
For the disambiguation page and the term Odessa Mama used to reference the city, see Odessa Mama (disambiguation)
Odessa Mama (also Odessa Mame, Odesa Mame, Adesa Mame; Yiddish: אָדעסאַ מאָמע) is a Yiddish song
of Ukrainian
origin, which enjoyed popularity in numerous East European countries, as well as the United States
before the Holocaust. It has been recorded by notable performers like Pesach Burstein
, Aaron Lebedeff
and Herman Yablakoff. There are Ukrainian language
and Russian language
versions of the song as well. The song is about the love for the city of Odessa
, looked upon as a mother by locals and is an ode to Odessa's sidewalks, electric lights, hotels, and other modern amenities. Odessa Mama is a term used by people of Odessa to refer to their city, the term having criminal roots (see Odessa Mama
). The song was thus popular with immigrants, in a similar vein to the Yiddish American showtune Romania, Romania.
One of the most enduring and popular versions of the song was recorded by the Yiddish entertainer and singer Aaron Lebedeff in the 1940s, with the orchestra conducted by Shalom Secunda
.
Odessa Mama (also Odessa Mame, Odesa Mame, Adesa Mame; Yiddish: אָדעסאַ מאָמע) is a Yiddish song
Yiddish song
Yiddish song is a general description of several genres of Jewish music sung in Yiddish which includes songs of Yiddish theatre, Klezmer songs, and "Yiddish art song" after the model of the German Lied and French mélodie.-The Yiddish language and song:...
of Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
origin, which enjoyed popularity in numerous East European countries, as well as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before the Holocaust. It has been recorded by notable performers like Pesach Burstein
Pesach Burstein
Pesach "Peishachke" Burstein , born in Warsaw, was an Israeli-American comedian, singer, coupletist, and director of Yiddish vaudeville/theater. His wife Lillian Lux, and son Mike Burstyn are also actors.-Early years:...
, Aaron Lebedeff
Aaron Lebedeff
Aaron Lebedeff , a Yiddish theater star, was born in Homel, White Russia. In childhood he sang for the Hazzan, Borekh David. Having no interest in education, he was sent to learn a trade, but soon he ran away and began to play small roles in a Russian theaters in Boboysk, Minsk and other towns...
and Herman Yablakoff. There are Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
versions of the song as well. The song is about the love for the city of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, looked upon as a mother by locals and is an ode to Odessa's sidewalks, electric lights, hotels, and other modern amenities. Odessa Mama is a term used by people of Odessa to refer to their city, the term having criminal roots (see Odessa Mama
Odessa Mama
Odessa Mama may refer to:*Odessa Mama - a term used by the people of Odessa to lovingly refer to their city as "mother"*Odessa Mama - a popular traditional Ukrainian Yiddish song...
). The song was thus popular with immigrants, in a similar vein to the Yiddish American showtune Romania, Romania.
One of the most enduring and popular versions of the song was recorded by the Yiddish entertainer and singer Aaron Lebedeff in the 1940s, with the orchestra conducted by Shalom Secunda
Shalom Secunda
Sholom Secunda was a Jewish composer.-Biography:He was born in 1894 as Shloyme Sekunda in Kherson Gubernia, part of the Russian Empire which later would become Ukraine, in the city of Alexandria, which had a population of over 10,000...
.