Songfacts®:

• On November 10, 2007, Dr. West tragically died at the age of 58 from complications arising from cosmetic surgery. When the news was reported, many record stations played this song in tribute to her.
  
  Kanye was very close to his mother, who ran his charity foundation was his guest at many events, including the Grammy Awards. Donda West was a single mother, and Kanye was her only child. She became a professor at Chicago State University, eventually chairing the Department of English and Speech. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• American R&B singer John Legend provides backing vocals on this.
• This samples folk artist Donal Leace's "Today Won't Come Again." Originally written in 2000, West was unable to recall where he got the sample that propels the song, so he performed it on the Oprah Winfrey Show hoping that might flush out the publisher.
• West performed this at the 2008 Grammy Awards ceremony in a moving tribute to his late mother.
• Donda West used this song as her ringtone on her cellphone.
• The invitation for Kanye and Kim Kardashian's baby shower for their first child was a music box. Once opened up, a ballerina spun around playing a lullaby version of this song.
• On the 10th anniversary of Dr. Donda West's death (November 10, 2017), fans around the world came together to create "Hey Mama Day" in memory of Kanye's late mother. This song was streamed about 700,000 times over the course of the 24-hour period.