Mother's Day, Vol. 3

This upcoming weekend, we once again take the time to honor and celebrate those who have taken on a mothering role in our lives. Whether it's a mom, a grandma, an aunt, a sister, a mentor, a teacher, a friend, or even a dad who has stepped into that ever so important position in your life, remember to take extra time to let them know what they mean to you because they can never, ever hear it enough.

Below is the 2022 Audio Aesthetics Mother's Day Playlist - the full master playlist can be found on Apple Music by following @audioaesthetics.

Great Are You Lord by All Sons & Daughters (written by D. Leonard, L. Jordan, J. Ingram)

Featured on All Sons & Daughters' 2013 album Live, a major theme of this song is adoration, which is something a lot of mothers are very, very good at. God models adoration for us by how much He loves us in sending Jesus to save us from our sins, and we in turn adore Him for everything He has done for us and will continue to do in the future. As the ultimate parent, I like to think He pours a little of His adoration into moms so that their children can see His love through them.

You give life, You are love/You bring light to the darkness/You give hope, You restore/Every heart that is broken/And great are You, Lord/It’s Your breath in our lungs/So we pour out our praise, we pour out our praise/It’s Your breath in our lungs/So we pour out our praise to You only

No Longer Slaves by Bethel Music, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser (written by B. Johnson, J. Case, J. Helser)

Featured on Bethel's 2015 live album We Will Not Be Shaken, worship leaders The Helsers declare throughout this song that we are children of God. God adopted us into His family and loves us as His own, like how my mom loves close friends of mine and my brother's like they're her own children and my mother-in-law has treated me like a daughter for close to half of my life now. Lots of us grew up with friends whose moms fed us, temporarily housed us, drove us around, and worried about our well being, proving that family isn't just about blood.

You unravel me with a melody/You surround me with a song/Of deliverance from my enemies/’Til all my fears are gone/I’m no longer a slave to fear/I am a child of God/I’m no longer a slave to fear/I am a child of God

Because You Loved Me by Céline Dion (written by D. Warren)

Featured on Dion's 1996 album Falling Into You, this song has been used so many times for dances, tributes, videos, and about anything else you could think of for both mothers and fathers alike. Is it a little cliche at this point? Maybe, but if you have someone in your life that you could easily make a video about with this song playing in the background (like I could with my mom), you are a lucky, lucky person indeed.

For all those times you stood by me, for all the truth that you made me see/For all the joy you brought to my life, for all the wrong that you made right/For every dream you made come true, for all the love I found in you/I’ll be forever thankful, baby/You’re the one who held me up, never let me fall/You’re the one who saw me through through it all/You were my strength when I was weak, you were my voice when I couldn’t speak/You were my eyes when I couldn’t see, you saw the best there was in me/Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach, you gave me faith ‘cause you believed/I’m everything I am because you loved me

Look At Granny Run Run by Howard Tate (written by J. Ragovoy, M. Shuman)

Featured on Tate's 1967 album Get It While You Can, this song is ridiculous, fun, and upbeat. Telling a goofy story about a Grandpa and a Granny and their rediscovery (?) of romance, it's an entertaining piece of music that you'll definitely be bopping your head along to as you listen. If your grandma has a good sense of humor like mine does, show her this song - she may even know it already.

Look at Granny run, run/And Grandpa runnin' close behind/Look at Granny run, run/There's somethin' on Granddaddy's mind/He went to the doctor, got a brand new pill/The doctor said, "Son, you ain't over the hill"/Now he can't sit still, great gosh a-mighty/Won't you look at Granny go, go/Faster than a Greyhound bus/Look at Granny go, go/Now Grandpa's gettin' serious/He woke up in the middle of the night/Said, "Look it here baby, everything's all right/Babe I've set you up right"/Great gosh a-mighty/Won't you look at Granny run, run

Dear Baby by Jessie Mueller (written by S. Bareilles)

Featured in Act II of Sara Bareilles' Broadway musical Waitress, this short spoken-word interlude is performed by main character Jenna and is really, really heartbreaking. The situation Jenna finds herself in in the show is not ideal at all, and unfortunately is a reality for some mothers out there. All she wants is a better life for she and her baby, and even though her life isn't going according to plan, she's trying her best to make that happen.

Dear Baby/If you ever wanna know the story of how we bought your crib, I’ll tell you/Your crib was bought with the money I was gonna use to buy us a new life/The Springfield Pie Contest is starting next week, and you and I will not be in attendance

(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs by Michelle Pfeiffer (written by M. Shaiman, S. Wittman)

Performed to perfection in the 2007 film adaptation of Hairspray by Michelle Pfeiffer, Velma Von Tussle is a gloriously over the top Broadway villain that I cannot get enough of. This is one of my favorite songs in the whole show, and I could listen to it over and over again. The interactions between this evil mom and her evil-in-training daughter are funny and catty and make an absolutely perfect villain song - and we all know the villain's song is almost always the best in the show, anyway.

Oh, my God, how times have changed/These girls must be blind or completely deranged/But time seemed to halt when I was Miss Baltimore Crabs/Amber, that move is far too dirty/Mother, wake up from that dream of yours, this isn't 1930/You can laugh, but life’s a test/Don’t do this, don’t do that, remember, Mother knows best/For the crowns in the vault from when I won Miss Baltimore Crabs/These steps are perfect ammunition/Let me show your how your Mommy Dear took out the competition/Girls, go get 'em, boys, let's rumba/One, two, three, four, five, six, seven/Those poor runner ups might still hold some grudges/They padded their cups, but I screwed the judges/Those broads thought they’d win if a plate they would spin in their dance/Ha, not a chance

Mama by Roy Orbison (written by R. Orbison, J. Melson, R. Rush)

Featured on Orbison's 1964 album Oh! Pretty Woman, this song reminds me of a conversation I had with one of my best college friends a few months ago. As she's watching her four sons grow up, she told me that it was mind-blowing to her that someday, there would be four grown men out in the world who will say "I need to call my mom," and she will be the one that they call. For me personally, my mom is the person directly after my husband that I call and talk about my day with, and if that's also you and your mom then this song is definitely for you.

Mama, just had to call/Oh, Mama, your baby boy just had his heart broken in two/She said we’re through, but to send her best to you/Oh, Mama, I’d like to run to you/Mama, I’d come home today, leave right away/But things won’t work that way, gotta stay, be a man/If I can, Mama

If you're in a place where it's possible, call your mom this week and tell her you love and appreciate her. It will mean more to her than you can comprehend. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!