Not sure there’s anything I enjoy as much anymore as finding LIVE performances of classic rock songs! In this case, I started off looking for Three Dog Night’s 1970 funk-inspired classic, “Momma Told Me Not to Come” off their It Ain’t Easy album. Along the way, I found out the song was originally written by singer/songwriter Randy “Short People” Newman, and originally recorded–but never released as a single–by Eric Burdon on his first album as a solo artist (outside The Animals) Eric is Here in 1966. Cool.

Digging into the video vault, I found the original Three Dog Night chart topping version from 1970, the original album cut by Eric Burdon, and then Randy Newman’s version, recorded on the BBC in 1971. All very different, all good in their own way, and just as I was about to start writing this post I found yet another version by none other than Tom “What’s New Pussycat?” Jones, singing it as only he can. (You don’t watch something like that and not share it with your friends do you?) Apparently Tom’s version went to #4 on the UK charts in 2000!

So here they are: not one, not two, not three versions of ‘Momma Told Me Not to Come” but four very different versions of this classic. Which one do you like best? Let me know on our Facebook page!

Original by Eric Burdon – 1966

Three Dog Night’s version from 1970.

Randy Newman’s 1971 Live BBC version from 1971

And last, but not least, Tom Jones’ version from 2009!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIF7G8cDSc