Songs for My Mother is the fifth studio album released by Boyzone frontman and Irish singer/songwriter Ronan Keating. The album was released on 16 March 2009 on Polydor Records, and is his first album to be released since the reunion of Boyzone.

Songs for My Mother
Studio album by
Released16 March 2009
RecordedDecember 2008
GenrePop
Length37:11
LabelPolydor Records
ProducerStephen Lipson
Ronan Keating chronology
Bring You Home
(2006)
Songs for My Mother
(2009)
Winter Songs
(2009)
Singles from Songs for My Mother
  1. "Time After Time"
    Released: 15 March 2009
  2. "This Is Your Song"
    Released: 17 May 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic

The album was a commercial success, debuting at #4 on the Irish Albums Chart before peaking at #1 on its second week of release. It also peaked at #1 in Australia and the United Kingdom. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number sixteen, jumping to number one the following week. The album spent three weeks at number one and was certified Platinum, selling over 15,000 copies.

Album information

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The album was recorded over the span of two days during Christmas 2008 at British Grove Studios. The album was recorded with his usual backing band and a live orchestra. Ronan took time out of his busy Boyzone schedule in order to record the album. The album is produced by Stephen Lipson. The album was recorded in memory of his late mother Marie Keating and also to celebrate Mother's Day. The songs that Ronan chose to record for the album are songs that he remembers his mother listening to throughout his childhood. This album also contains a new version of his own song "This Is Your Song", a track which he wrote that originally appeared as the B-Side to his very first single, "When You Say Nothing at All", and his third studio album, Turn It On.

Track listing

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No.TitleOriginal PerformerLength
1."Time After Time"Cyndi Lauper4:10
2."Make You Feel My Love"Bob Dylan3:30
3."Both Sides Now"Joni Mitchell3:58
4."Vincent"Don McLean4:14
5."Carrickfergus"traditional (and Dominic Behan in the mid-1960s)4:28
6."I Believe I Can Fly"R. Kelly4:44
7."Mama’s Arms"Joshua Kadison3:05
8."Wild Mountain Thyme"Francis McPeake4:13
9."Suspicious Minds"Elvis Presley3:37
10."This Is Your Song"Ronan Keating3:59

Chart performance

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Due to the album's release being so close to Mother's Day in the United Kingdom, the album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. It debuted at No. 4 on the Irish Albums Chart, before peaking at No. 1 in its second week of release. It peaked at No. 1 in Australia, while in New Zealand, the album debuted at number sixteen, jumping to number one the following week. The album spent three weeks at number one and was certified Platinum, selling over 15,000 copies.[1]

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 1
Austrian Albums Chart 34
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 14
Danish Albums Chart 2
Dutch Albums Chart 8
Germany Albums Chart 14
Irish Albums Chart[2] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart 1
Norwegian Albums Chart 7
South African Albums Chart[3] 17
Swiss Albums Chart 13
UK Albums Chart 1
World Albums Top 40 9

Certifications

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Certifications for Songs for My Mother
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[4] Platinum 70,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[5] Platinum 15,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[6] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. ^ Jaclyn Ward (1 October 1962). "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  3. ^ [1] Archived 2 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  5. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2009 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  6. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Ronan Keating – Songs for My Mother". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  7. ^ "British album certifications – Ronan Keating – Songs for My Mother". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 August 2022.