Ma-Ma-Ma Belle

"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle"
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album On the Third Day
B-side	"Daybreaker", USA "Oh No Not Susan", UK
Released	February 1974 (US) March 1974 (UK)
Format	7"
Recorded	1973 Air Studios
Genre	Hard rock, Classic rock
Length	3:53 (LP length) 3:25 (US) single version
Label	Warner Bros., United Artists
Writer(s)	Jeff Lynne
Producer	Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Showdown" (1973) "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" (1974) "Can't Get It Out of My Head" (1974)

"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" is a song recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra.

It was taken from the 1973 album On the Third Day. In the UK, the single version had a slightly different mix from the album original featuring a descending string crescendo and was edited in length. Marc Bolan plays twin lead guitar on the track alongside his friend Jeff Lynne, the pair had previously played on Bolans T. Rex hit Solid Gold Easy Action. "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" also featured on the ELO EP in 1978. In the UK the B-side "Oh No Not Susan" found its way on to various DJs play lists at the BBC unaware that the songs lyrics contained profanity. In the US "Daybreaker", the single's flip side, proved more popular and the song was relegated as a b-side in 1976 on "Livin' Thing".

Early working titles for the song were Auntie and My Woman, both of which have found their way on to various compilations.

Chart positions

"Ma-Ma-Ma Belle"

Chart (1974)	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart[1]	22

"Daybreaker"

Chart (1974)	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	87
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles	61

B-sides

Daybreaker

"Daybreaker" is an instrumental song on the album On the Third Day. It was the first of two instrumentals on the LP. A prominent feature of its arrangement was Richard Tandy playing arpeggios on a Minimoog synthesizer.

The song was the B-side to the single, "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle", in the United States; however the B-side received more airplay than the A-side, thus "Daybreaker" charted instead. Despite its US hit status, the song is rarely included on any of the band's extensive compilation albums.^[2]

Oh No Not Susan

"Oh No Not Susan" is a song written by Jeff Lynne taken from the album On the Third Day recorded in 1973. The song tells the story of a wealthy Socialite who has grown tired of her privileged status.

Despite the songs lyrics containing profanity, it received much airplay at the time being the UK B-side to "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle". On the LP's original lyric sheet the offensive word was omitted. Bev Bevan remarked:

"On [On The Third Day] there is a song called Oh No, Not Susan on which Jeff sings: 'Oh, no not me, that's all she says... her money and her place they just don't mean a fucking thing...' The BBC played it many times, despite their policy towards such lyrics. It just goes to show that if you keep quiet about it and don't make maximum fuss to get publicity there isn't anyone listening closely to words on the radio."^[3]

References

1. ^ "Chart Stats - Electric Light Orchestra". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=2340. Retrieved 2010-08-05. 
2. ^ "For the USA market Daybreaker was used as B-side track [to the single of Ma-Ma-Ma Belle], and got more airplay than the A-side, so in USA Daybreaker charted." - Patrik Guttenbacher, Marc Haines, & Alexander von Petersdorff (1996 Unexpected Messages)
3. ^ Bev Bevan (1980 - The Electric Light Orchestra Story)