Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show – Sylvia’s Mother

“Sylvia’s Mother” – Single by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show from the album Dr. Hook
B-side: “Makin’ It Natural”
Released: March 1972
Label; Columbia Records
Songwriter: Shel Silverstein
Producer: Ron Haffkine
Charted No.5 in US and No.2 in UK

“Sylvia’s Mother” is autobiographical, with songwriter Shel Silverstein drawing upon his unsuccessful attempt to revive a failed relationship. Silverstein had been in love with a woman named Sylvia Pandolfi. She later became engaged to another man and ended up as a museum curator at the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil in Mexico City. Desperate to continue the relationship, Silverstein called Pandolfi’s mother, Louisa, but she told him the love had ended.

“Sylvia’s Mother” is a 1972 single by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show and the group’s first hit song. It was written by Shel Silverstein, produced by Ron Haffkine and was highly successful in the United States, reaching #5 on the Billboard singles chart (tied with “Sexy Eyes” from the album Sometimes You Win for the band’s best performing song), as well as #1 in Ireland and #2 in the United Kingdom. It spent 3 weeks at #1 on the Australian music charts, making it the 15th ranked single in Australia for 1972; and also reached #1 in South Africa, where it was the 3rd ranked song for the year. It appeared on the group’s first album, Dr. Hook.

This was the first single released by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, who later became simply Dr. Hook. While they were playing bars in the New Jersey area, they got a gig appearing in the movie Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, and signed with Columbia/CBS Records, which is the label that released the soundtrack for the film. “Sylvia’s Mother” was their first single; it made the Hot 100 at #99 for one week when it was first released, but months later, after CBS (led by Clive Davis) started promoting it, it took off and became a hit.